[Harp-L] 545 Ultimate

["John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>]

If anyone is interested, I just got an Utimate Shure 545 from Greg  
Heumann at Blows Me Away Productions and I couldn’t be more pleased.

This mic is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Not that one buys a mic for its  
looks, but this is really gorgeous. The anodizing is a deep rich dark  
maroon-red, which I think looks much better than the fire engine red  
in the photos on  Greg’s website.  Those pictures don’t do this mic  
justice.  The workmanship is truly elegant.

The chopped design is great. It’s small, very light, and comfortable  
in the hands while cupping.  Much easier to handle, but sounds just  
like a full size 545. All of the benefits of a 545 and none of the  
disadvantages.  The shorter length and lighter weight makes cupping  
the grill capsule with nothing to hold on to very easy to do. Easier  
to handle and easier to carry around than the original. And it looks  
so cool. Very elegant, although probably not as useful as a weapon as  
the heavy original would be. Makes it so much easier to play a 545  
all night long or to carry one around as a second (or third) mic  
without weighing down the gig bag, which especially appeals to me  
since I don’t use a 545 as my primary mic, although I do prefer it  
for certain applications.

I  really like this mic.  My primary mic is an EV RE 15, which gives  
a thick, dark tone.  I also carry an Audix Fireball (which is super  
clean) to use when a less "electric" sound is required.  The 545  
Ultimate is midway between them:  brighter, tighter, with less depth  
and more edge than the EV, but funkier and more textured than the  
Fireball. I love my EV, but if a law was passed requiring me to carry  
one and only one mic for all situations, it might well be the 545  
Ultimate.  The ergonomics of the chopped design are outstanding.   
Unlike the heavy full size 545, (perhaps best known as the  
Butterfield mic) the Ultimate sits comfortably in the hand, makes  
cupping and other mic handling techniques easy and it's very light  
and fun to play.  The ergonomics of this chopped design are  
outstanding. AND, it sounds just like a 545 (which, after all is what  
it is).

Worth the money?  I certainly think so. 545's sound terrific, but  
they're not the easiest or most comfortable mic to handle because of  
the grill design (nothing to grab on to ) and weight.  I've got a  
stock 545 that I had modified by Greg a while ago.  It sounds great,  
but it's too heavy to carry around unless i was specifically planning  
to use it for a particular performance. I’d definitely get a 545  
Ultimate before I’d ever buy a stock 545  again.…not a close  
question.  It’s so much more comfortable to use and easy to carry  
around, and, as a bonus, it looks so cool. Nice product.

JP