FAKE SHURE SM57'S (including pics)

[ToneBender67]

Originally Posted by dwarves88

hey everyone thanks for your comments. As you can see i've gone into as much detail as i can about the mics so that noone else gets caught up in the mess i'm in. As i've only owned 1 real sm57 which was made recently i don't know the in's and out's of the wiring/transformers/mic features that were around 10, 20 or 30 years ago, but aslong as people can recognise a fake then i'm glad the humble and original sm57 will sit nicely in everyone's studio's ready to track that perfect take when that time of the month arrives.

Thanks for taking the time to post pics and hip us to the fakes, but who's the seller so we can stay away from them?

[SimonT]

Originally Posted by myfipie

I just went through all of mine and they seem all the same, but one of them has a extra key hole in it (like above). I think it is old as dirt, so not sure if it is fake or not. I could try them out but because one is so old I am sure it sounds a little different. I will keep a eye on that one. Might just turn out to be me ached Chinese secret!!!


Glenn

Yea same, mine has the extra hole but is also as old as it gets and brought from an Auth dealer.

[kafka]

Originally Posted by myfipie

I just went through all of mine and they seem all the same, but one of them has a extra key hole in it (like above). I think it is old as dirt, so not sure if it is fake or not. I could try them out but because one is so old I am sure it sounds a little different. I will keep a eye on that one. Might just turn out to be me ached Chinese secret!!!


Glenn

Same here. I've got one that's 20 years old, and another new one. The old one has the extra hole. The new one doesn't. The lettering on the label is very similar, although the 20 year old logo is larger, and the new one is italicized. The color is lighter on the older one. They sound almost exactly the same, although the new one is ever so slightly brighter. The weight is either exactly or very close to the same. As far as the XLRs goes, the old has a more square key cutout, and the newer one is rounder.

Both were purchased from reputable, authorized dealers. I'm very sure neither of these are fake.

[GravityRobert]

I dont think these are fakes, to be honest. Or else they've done a bloody good job thumbsup

[dwarves88]

The seller no longer sells any microphones and wasn't aware that they were buying fake goods so I wont post their name as they didn't know in the first place. The microphones were shipped from China which is why i had to wait a good 2 weeks for them which was suspicious as the seller lives less than 2 miles from me.

The seller got the money from me and then proceeded with an order from China to my home where i was led to believe that they had the items to begin with. When i was looking at the item/s on ebay they used an official sm57 picture from the shure website so be warned stike. If you see the official product picture with Shure(c) that it might not be genuine.

So if your looking to buy an sm57 on ebay i recommend asking the seller if they have the item/s personally and if so try and get them to add pics. If they are ordering them from China, I would give them a miss.

I'll have to wait a couple of days before sending the items back so hopefully I might be able to get equipment together to record some audio clips online for everyone to hear the difference.

Also thanks for the info on the sm57 and the sm57-lc

[Fleaman]

The 57's are made in Mexico these days (since the early '90's or earlier)...before that USA. Unless the very newest Real ones are made in China now? If not, then of course the fact that they coming from China is a big tip off

[SixAndChange]

All I want to know, is, did you A/B them?! Hahah how do they sound man.

[Subsonic808]

All I want to know, is, did you A/B them?! Hahah how do they sound man.

Muddy!

[ickefes]

I can't see any photos. Could you please upload them again or may the problem be my computer? Regards

[adamcal]

Originally Posted by dwarves88

If you see the official product picture with Shure(c) that it might not be genuine.

or it is

[denniskersten]

Originally Posted by slaveern

According to Shure's website LCE has the 3/8 adapter for "European style" mic stand, and LC just stands for 'less cable' - funny they throw in a cable. OTOH, is there any remote possibility that these are manufactured and marketed for a 3rd world country or something?

Some more stuff from Shure's forum:
---
The SM57 "microphone" used to come in two different "packages". One was the SM57-CN which included a standard, 7 meter, XLR to XLR mic cable. The other one was the SM57-LC which came without a cable - just the mic and stand adapter.

The SM57 microphone included with both packages is the same. Just packaged differently. A few years ago the package that included the cable (SM57-CN) was discontinued and we continued to sell just the less cable (LC) version.

So to answer your question, when you hold the mic in your hand, you hold a SM57 model, but Shure stock item number is SM57-LC.

I got the LC package, bought them second hand. I dont know if my 4 sm57's are fake. The chassis seems to be fake. The box seems to be reel and fake. The weight I dont know. This all according the pictures. The pictures could also be of a earlier type.

Someone should contact shure about this!?

[dlmorley]

Excellent post.
I think I'll just get battered used SM57's on ebay from now on

[zeljkom]

It looks like I have a "China mic" myself. S**T!!!

[dwarves88]

Originally Posted by ickefes

I can't see any photos. Could you please upload them again or may the problem be my computer? Regards

pm'd you the links to the pics. thanks

As for the ebay listings, I was trying to say that the pics the sellers include are taken from the shure website and not from their own stock. I know millions of ebay listings are set out this way but you should always ask where they are getting them from, especially if they have other items for sale which include their own pics. Thats my tip of the day

[denne]

Originally Posted by SimonT

Yea same, mine has the extra hole but is also as old as it gets and brought from an Auth dealer.

4 SM57 here, bought in the early 90's, all fake compared to the photos - but they aren't. So I think it could be the other way round: dwarves88 got his first 2 real SM57's and messed with a fake all the years before

[Mike Jasper]

Here's the ironic part. The Chinese SM57 knockoffs (as shown in the photo on the scale) weigh less than the real ones because they have no transformers. That's why some of my friends are buying these up! It's like buying SM57s with the TapeOP transformer mod where you get rid of the transformer so the mic has better clarity and more high end. In other words, for less money, you get a pre-modded mic.

(Pause.)

I'm totally messing with you guys, I'm absolutely full of shit, and I have no idea what these knockoffs are all about. It's just the kind of "what if" bullshit that invades my brain every damn day.

But seriously...

I do want to thank dwarves88 for a great post here.

Jasper

[d_fu]

Originally Posted by denne

4 SM57 here, bought in the early 90's, all fake compared to the photos - but they aren't. So I think it could be the other way round: dwarves88 got his first 2 real SM57's and messed with a fake all the years before

Hardly... Here's mine, from the early/mid nineties, purchased in Germany. It's also got that extra hole, and the XLR side looks like the fake ones. Just means that the fakers may have taken an older model as an example, an Shure may have changed the design a bit, I would say...

Have you weighed yours? Mine is 321 grams, while the fake ones are considerably lighter.

[pan60]

this is a real sm-57.
i know as Shure sent them to me.
this is a mid 90's i think.
look for the potted transformer.

[anteupaudio]

So, let me get this straight. The seller posted a picture of the REAL mic from Shure's website instead of a picture of the actual item. Then the guy took your money without actually having the item "in stock" and proceeded to order the mics from China. After waiting WAY to long to have a paid item shipped and being mislead as to where the mics were coming from, you received two fake microphones...

All that said, you're protecting this seller's identity because the seller "wasn't aware they were buying fake goods". Ok.. Even if they didn't know they were fakes (and they should have known if you consider the fact that, had they been real, you were getting a great deal on mics and the seller was clearly buying them and marking them up so what did HE pay for them?), he still misrepresented an item by using the picture from Shure's site and caused you to believe he had the item in his possession when he clearly didn't.

I think this is more than enough cause to post this seller's info personally. You're being too kind!

I do apprecaite you taking the time to post all of this though. I was just getting ready to buy a batch of 57s for my place and it's very likely I would have found these and bought them if the deal was good. Thanks!

Originally Posted by dwarves88

The seller no longer sells any microphones and wasn't aware that they were buying fake goods so I wont post their name as they didn't know in the first place. The microphones were shipped from China which is why i had to wait a good 2 weeks for them which was suspicious as the seller lives less than 2 miles from me.

The seller got the money from me and then proceeded with an order from China to my home where i was led to believe that they had the items to begin with. When i was looking at the item/s on ebay they used an official sm57 picture from the shure website so be warned stike. If you see the official product picture with Shure(c) that it might not be genuine.

So if your looking to buy an sm57 on ebay i recommend asking the seller if they have the item/s personally and if so try and get them to add pics. If they are ordering them from China, I would give them a miss.

I'll have to wait a couple of days before sending the items back so hopefully I might be able to get equipment together to record some audio clips online for everyone to hear the difference.

Also thanks for the info on the sm57 and the sm57-lc

[heyman]

Wow, I just went and checked my sm57's.. I own 4 total. 2 older ones and 2 brand new ones. Even though there are slight diffrences, they are all real and weigh the same.

wheeew
thumbsup

[cornutt]

Originally Posted by Fleaman

Yeah, how do you know for sure these are fakes?

The weight would be the dead giveaway for me. Having looked inside some old 57s, I don't see how the real thing could be redesigned to weigh only 4 oz., even if they went to an all-plastic body. That's the thing with a lot of these Chinese knockoffs; they go to a lot of trouble to duplicate the look, but the engineering is not there. Usually when you open them up, it's a dead giveaway.

[fross]

Can we get a concensus on how the "fakes" sound ?
How do they compare?

[jmcdaniel_ee]

I have 2 fakes (they actually came with some kind of Chinese Christmas ornament or tassle or something). I didn't AB them on a recording yet. I found they feedback a lot more when swapping them out w/a real 57 and not messing with the gain during rehersal. I guess this means the fakes are "hotter," for whatever that's worth. I didn't AB them for straight up tone (it's hard to tell through a PA in a room).

The fakes also have a massive proximity effect bass response (which probably isn't desireable most of the time). I recently started doing vocals for a metal band, frequently using a vocal fry technique (non-damaging screaming at lower volumes a la Randy Blithe from Lamb of God) and this mic works extremely well for obtaining a lower sounding growl by cupping around the windscreen. I tried at least 4 mics for this purpose (including a real 57) and the fake beat them all for sensitivity and bass by proximity effect.

It may sound terrible to more sensitive ears on regular instruments, but I highly recommend a fake if you're doing extreme metal vocals. It won't upset you that much either if you damage a fake by flailing about at a show.

[denne]

Originally Posted by d_fu

Have you weighed yours? Mine is 321 grams, while the fake ones are considerably lighter.

The four 57's I bought 20 years ago are 301g each (weighted with a kitchen scales - my wife was rather irritated, btw) So they lost 1g every year .... hmmm

[phaqu]

I remember reading a post somewhere about someone that had bought some fake 57s. He opened up the mic and found a rock with some chinese newspaper in the bottom of it, for weight.

[pan60]

Originally Posted by phaqu

I remember reading a post somewhere about someone that had bought some fake 57s. He opened up the mic and found a rock with some chinese newspaper in the bottom of it, for weight.

that would really piss me off!
but what is the lesson?
buy from a reputable dear that is authorized to sale the product you are looking to buy.

[jmf]

Had to go look at my 57's....they all have the extra hole like the "fake" in the picture, but the newest one I have I bought about 10 years ago from a reputable dealer.

[MOFO PRO]

Originally Posted by jmf

Had to go look at my 57's....they all have the extra hole like the "fake" in the picture, but the newest one I have I bought about 10 years ago from a reputable dealer.

Right... You asked the price... and He say "Only hundred dolla"

[u b k]

i find it very interesting that so many slutz conveniently have "kitchen scales" laying around.

for weighing the, uh, spices. <cough>

thumbsup


gregoire
del
ubk
.

[bexarametric]

I wonder how many classic records have been made with fake 57's.