Favorite Vintage Ribbon Mics

[e-cue]

What are some of your favorite vintage ribbon mics?

I've been digging the RCA 74B as a room mic about 3 feet off the floor, basically picking up the kick room sound, into a Sytek stock. I really like the RCA 77DX's imaging on overheads with Sytek BB moded channels. The R44C always rocks ass for me on trumpet with a Neve1081. The Beyer M130 are great on violas and violins. The Beyer M160 (the stock SSL E series pre works very good) does me great on cellos and sounds very realistic. RCA 44BX for basses by themselves sounds good, but I get too much 'other stuff' when recording group instruments. The Avalon 737 pre works great for that app.

Also, does anyone have any online sources for about how much different vintage ribbons are going for these days? Lots of studios are starting to unload some specific mic's I've used.

[scotty-o]

Don't have much to offer on the vintage ribbon front but I do have a RCA 74b which I like quite a bit on crunchy guitar amps. Gonna have to try it in the room sometime. I never have......

-Scotty

[e-cue]

Originally posted by scotty-o
Don't have much to offer on the vintage ribbon front but I do have a RCA 74b which I like quite a bit on crunchy guitar amps. Gonna have to try it in the room sometime. I never have......

-Scotty

LOL!

I just bought one of the juniors off ebay. I destroyed one on a bass amp about 4 years ago. I wasn't too familar with it at the time. It sounded great on a AC30 and a matchless. Then the bassist rolled up with a Bassman. I asked the assistant if the mic could handle it. "sure, why not?".

I still wake up in cold sweats over than one.

[Curve Dominant]

posted by e-cue:
The Beyer M130 are great on violas and violins. The Beyer M160 (the stock SSL E series pre works very good) does me great on cellos and sounds very realistic.

e-cue,

Have you used either of these mics on Spanish guitar?

I was wondering if you could recommend a ribbon mic for Spanish guitar. It's my first, and favorite, instrument, but I have to confess at being a bit daunted so far in my efforts to fully capture the sound.

Thanks in advance.

[GZsound]

I have a Beyer M260 I have been using on my sax for many years. Last weekend I used it on a recording session I did with a bluegrass band. I put it on the banjo and it really smoothed out the instrument.

[rmx16]

Eric
PM me if you want to borrow one of my m160's

Peace
Rob

[e-cue]

Originally posted by Curve Dominant
e-cue,

Have you used either of these mics on Spanish guitar?

I was wondering if you could recommend a ribbon mic for Spanish guitar. It's my first, and favorite, instrument, but I have to confess at being a bit daunted so far in my efforts to fully capture the sound.

Thanks in advance.

The Beyer 130 works pretty good for me but you have to make sure you have a good mic. I didn't like them and didn't even try them on a lot of applications because I had used one that needed a fresh ribbon. The frequency response was all out of wack, especially on the top end.

[andre tchmil]

anyone compared the B&O ribbon with the Royer.
Design wise they look very look close, But I guess they sound different.
The B&O can be found for a 1/3 of the Royer , but are they any good ?

[Fletcher]

Originally posted by e-cue
LOL!

I just bought one of the juniors off ebay. I destroyed one on a bass amp about 4 years ago. I wasn't too familar with it at the time. It sounded great on a AC30 and a matchless. Then the bassist rolled up with a Bassman. I asked the assistant if the mic could handle it. "sure, why not?".

I still wake up in cold sweats over than one.

What?

Did the amp fall on it?

If it was just a blown ribbon, they're very easily repaired and for not much money... on the left coast I'd send it to AEA, on the east coast to ENAK [I avoid that Sank idiot like he causes cancer!!]

I've used 74's on full on SVT's [a friend even has an SVT with a custom cabinet that sports 1x 15" and 4x 10" drivers... I've mic'd both with ribbons] without a struggle... I can't imagine a Bassman being all that taxing.

Cold sweat over a blown ribbon? I can't imagine that... hell, I've run up bar tabs during a airport layovers that ran higher than the price of re-ribboning an RCA mic.

[Pssst... between you and me... you can blame the assistant all you want... but at the end of the day it's still your job to be aware of everything that occurs during a session... including, but not limited to: breakage]

[pounce]

i have a aea r84. it ain't vintage, but it's darn cool. new ribbon mics can be a beautiful thing too.

[e-cue]

Originally posted by Fletcher
What?

Did the amp fall on it?

No, the amp didn't fall on it jackass. The blast of air from the speaker damaged the ribbon causing it to sound like shit.

Originally posted by Fletcher
Cold sweat over a blown ribbon? I can't imagine that... hell, I've run up bar tabs during a airport layovers that ran higher than the price of re-ribboning an RCA mic.

Damaging gear isn't something I take pride in regardless of cost, especially when in the past I've been much more carefull with ribbon mics.

Originally posted by Fletcher
[Pssst... between you and me... you can blame the assistant all you want... but at the end of the day it's still your job to be aware of everything that occurs during a session... including, but not limited to: breakage]

Between you and me? PM me next time. I offered to pay for the damage (which would have probably been about 10% of what I had gotten paid that day since I was overdubbing on a mix day), but the studio refused. Get off my beanbag Fletcher.

[shikawkee]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Fletcher

[I avoid that Sank idiot like he causes cancer!!]


I've heard you say this before. I'm curious, why ?

[shikawkee]

I've used a Beyer 260 on acoustic guitar and banjo and it sounds great. Might work well on Spanish guitar.

[De chromium cob]

Originally posted by Fletcher
[I avoid that Sank idiot like he causes cancer!!]

Real nice. Bombguy would be proud. tutt
Take your hostility back to PSW.

[shikawkee]

Originally posted by andre tchmil
anyone compared the B&O ribbon with the Royer.
Design wise they look very look close, But I guess they sound different.
The B&O can be found for a 1/3 of the Royer , but are they any good ?

If I'm not mistaken, the Royer was kind of based on the B&O. The B&O is very good if you can find one. New ribbons are fairly inexpensive.

[David R.]

Favorite vintage ribbon? Not sure, but what I have, I love. The RCA 77dx is amazing for some things. On strings, it is butter. For some vocals, it is authentic and true, for some vocals, it is muddy. I am silly enough to have 3 of them.

I also have a American Microphone DR330 and a big old Turner Ribbon that I pull out for some occasions.

It seems like the holy grail is the RCA 44, but to find one in good condition is to pay lots of $$, I would rather get Mr. Dooley's recreation and know that it sounds as good as it can.

e-cue, what mics are being unloaded and from where?

[pounce]

Originally posted by De chromium cob
Real nice. Bombguy would be proud. tutt
Take your hostility back to PSW.

is that hostility or just a directly stated opinion?

are you a moderator?

psw is a place of hostility?

i think you are a little confused.

i use a r84, back on topic now.

[atticus]

I have a couple of Beyer M500's. Through a Speck mic pre they rule on Male rock vocals, IMHO.

[chessparov]

My favorite vintage "ribbon" is the Electro-Voice EV 666.
(A dynamic mic that sounds "like" a RCA 77DX in cardiod)
Have two of them for vocals. At around one-eighth the cost
of the RCA, they're a great value IMHO.

They were engineered by EV to compete with RCA for broadcasting usage to sound similar, WITHOUT the concern for ribbon repairs.

Chris

[e-cue]

Originally posted by David R.
e-cue, what mics are being unloaded and from where?

tutt

I'll say the main stuff that peaks my interest is from a gear dealer. Apparently AFX is starting to clear shop again, and Music Grinder has been putting stuff up in the recycler.

The main prices I'm looking at are:
EV Ribbon model V21HI (never heard it, but I'm told it looks like a RCA44A) $275
RCA 74b Fully restored $500
RCA MI-1100 "Paintbrush" mic $300
RCA 44 bronzed almost mint $3500
Reslo Ltd Type RV $200
Argone Company AR-57 good condition $150 (supposed to be similar to RCA77dx, but I doubt it)
Universal Microphone Co. Carbon Mic Type BB in near mint with original box $350 (okay, so they aren't all ribbon mics...)

Some of them peak my interest (Argone), but lumped in with some others that are overpriced (rca44) I'm not so sure. I'm trying to get to test them out. If I could spend an hour with them, it would be all gravy. I'm trying like hell to get them for this weekend... I'll be tracking drums, percussion, piano, full strings (30), bass, acoustic guitar (steel and nylon), vocals, b3 organ, and a bunch of other DI'ed stuff.

[TinderArts]

Any good experience with the Octave ML52s?
(non vintage, but cheap)