Re: [Harp-L] Customized Shure SM57 review

HI Greg,
I looked back at the history of mics I've owned since the 1970's and I've always seemed to gravitate toward the pistol grip or swivel head type mics.
Maybe it was the Butterfield connection. I think that's what attracted me to the Granelli. Your volume pot, which I love, was never at the heart of the decision.
Good to know it can be reversed.

My first 2 mics were a SM57 and 545. That was it for about 20 years. In the mid 90's I purchased an Astatic 200 from a local flea market dealer. About 2 years later he became hard up for money and offered his collection of vintage mics to me for $200. In there were an EV 630, 664,623, Turner 22-D, Astatic 10da and a bunch of other mics that I can't recall model #'s. I owned a lot of bullets since then but the pistol/swivel heads became my favorites for gigging.

It wasn't until about a year ago that I pulled out my SM57 and started gigging with it as an electric harp mic. It is very hot and took some time to get use to blowing harp through it. I mainly reserved it as an acoustic mic since it is lo z.

You are right that there isn't much air space behind the element. I know every mic differs in performance even if they are new off the shelf. I've heard that with brand new SM 58's and other brands of vocal mics. My guess is the older SM57 (about 10 years) is just hotter then the Granelli. Both of my original Shure's died several years ago so I'm working with replacements now.

I'll contact you down the road to modify my current 545 connector. You've already made 2 vol. pots for me and worked on my 10da this past year.
I'm real happy with all the work you do.

Mike


On Jun 11, 2011, at 12:29 AM, Greg Heumann wrote:

Hi, Michael -

That Granelli "elbow" is indeed a cool product. I can see it working great for mic'ing drums. It does make a heavy mic heavier which isn't ideal for hand holding, although with the 90 degree bend it is better than sticking straight out for sure. You're correct that my in-line volume control lengthens an already long mic - which is ultimately what led to my development of the Ultimate Series Mics. They not only add a volume control but shorten and lighten the complete package by over 30% compared to a stock SM57. But the in-line volume control is still an economical and viable option for some, especially when the mic is stand-mounted - so I wanted to let everyone know that although my "standard" is to line the knob up with the XLR latches, I will orient it any way you like if you let me know when you order. My web site says this but it might be easy to miss. As you point out That orientation is no big deal for a stick mic, but with a mic that isn't symmetrical it can be very important.

FYI - behind the head of an SM57, once it is screwed into the barrel, is a relatively small airspace. Below that is the mic's transformer, which is fully potted in hot melt glue, sealing off the rest of the barrel. This is hardly a scientifically designed acoustic chamber to begin with. In fact Shure used different glues and transformer mounting systems in older mics like the 545 and older SM57's. The amount of glue and its final shape varies from mic to mic. I've never measured the difference in volume between the stock barrel and an Ultimate barrel. I believe the Ultimate has a little more airspace volume, but I am not sure. Although a few people have told me they like the tone of an Ultimate 57 better than a stock 57, and nobody has ever complained that they thought it was worse, the vast majority of my customers have not reported at all, which, I presume, is because they don't hear any significant difference.

/Greg

http://blowsmeaway.com
http://facebook.com/blowsmeawayproductions
http://bluestateband.net



From: Michael Easton <diachrome@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: June 10, 2011 7:08:21 AM PDT
To: Harpl list <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Customized Shure SM57 review

I<snip>

With the addition of the Heumann volume pot to my SM57 it gets to be pretty long. I could have had my mic cut down but I like the balance
of an pistol shaped mic with the cable coming straight down rather then out. The new mic I can either use like a 545 or tuck the extended wand between by arm and chest when playing. Basically playing down into the mic rather then straight out. 
<snip>
<snip>
When using the Heumann vol. pot with the mic the knob ends up facing out. I was able to quickly remedy it by slightly unscrewing the bottom half of the mic until the knob was facing me. I then used electrical tape to secure the position.














Michael Easton
www.harmonicarepair.com




This archive was generated by a fusion of Pipermail 0.09 (Mailman edition) and MHonArc 2.6.8.