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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Shure 520DX-- A Pretty Good Mic
Shure 520DX-- A Pretty Good Mic
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wolfkristiansen
415 posts
Jul 19, 2018
4:44 AM
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This is about microphones, one in particular. It's also about small amps.
The Shure 520DX microphone is mostly maligned and rarely praised by harp players. Until recently, I agreed with the naysayers.
Over the years, I acquired many microphones in my pursuit of the perfect tone. Like many in this forum, I suffered from GAS, aka Gear Acquisition Syndrome; buying everything I could find.
Here are the microphones I bought, or received as gifts, over the last 40 years. I kept them all:
Armaco M131
Astatic JT30
Electrovoice 635A
Shaker
Shure 99A86/JT30 shell
Shure 520DX
shure PE515
Shure PE53 (Sphere-O-Dyne)
Shure PE56D
Shure PE565SD
Shure PE585
Shure SM57
Turner Balladier 766
My favorites are the Astatic JT30 (reliable in so many amps as long as you turn the treble down), Shure PE515 (great plugged into a P.A.), Shure PE585 (matches perfectly with old Fender amps) and the rare Turner Balladier 766 (silky smooth; great for dinner gigs where the diners want to hear/not really hear you).
My least favorites are the Shaker (too trebly), the Electrovice 635A (too thin) and, until recently, the Shure 520DX (too muffled).
The Shure 520DX turns out to be a pretty good mic WHEN MATCHED to its amplifier mate. I now love it, and can`t believe how much I disliked it back in the day.
Three Saturdays ago, I did a gig with a piano player, guitarist and drum machine in a small room with about two hundred patrons. On a whim, I played my harmonica through my 520DX mic and my newly purchased amp-- a 1955 Magnatone 109 Melodier.
It turned out to be a match made in heaven. The amp made all the difference. The guitar player, who doesn't like blues, loved the sound. So did the piano player. So did the audience, including young people who came up to me, an old man, to ask about my sound and what I was playing through.
Most of you know what a Shure 520DX looks like. But-- here are pictures of my Magnatone amp-- two 8 inch speakers, 10 watts, good enough to fill a room with 200 people, It was the missing piece that made my Shure 520DX shine:
http://i.imgur.com/uKXKDMx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7eeoImu.jpg
The take-away from my experience? Don't write a microphone off until you've tried it with a variety of amps. Don't write an amp off until you've tried it with variety of microphones.
Cheers,
wolf kristiansen
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Joe_L
2849 posts
Aug 02, 2018
2:42 PM
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I've owned several of these things over the years. I have found them to be usable with many amps. I've never had a problem getting tone out of them that I was happy with.
I usually buy them at a discount from harp players that buy them and sell them after reading how crappy they are on the Internet. I use them for a while and then sell them to the next harp player read on the Internet that they need a Green Bullet.
Are they horrible? No. Are they the best sounding microphone that I have ever used? No. They are good microphones to develop your cupping technique and if you've got good mic handling techniques, they work well.
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jbone
2654 posts
Aug 02, 2018
8:39 PM
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Very true Wolf. If you have a mic and an amp you need to explore all the settings and find the interface between element and amp that works best. I've had several Shure mics, a 520 with hot cm element, the smaller shell 707A brown bullet with crystal element, and I have used a 520DX at a jam that sounded fine. Fort a few years I had a Ruskin custom mic built in a motorcycle turn signal bezel, with a nice crystal element. Also had a couple of Shure 545 stick and pistol grip mics. All have their place and can be mated to an amp with good results
I currently have a modded EV military mic that suits very well with the Slivertone 1482 amp. Also recently got a Shaker dynamic mic with cable and EMT as a sort of backup. I have 2 Shure 585 ball mics as well and have used them from time to time.
Joe is 100% too, if you can hold and cup a Green Bullet well you can do great on stage out live. Green bullet was my first cool mic. It taught me a lot.
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SuperBee
5535 posts
Aug 05, 2018
1:09 AM
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I think they’re too expensive here. I saw one shopkeeper asking $289 today. That’s around $210 USD.
Can get them cheaper with web-shopping, $215 AUD I saw. Around $160 USD.
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Kingley
4101 posts
Aug 05, 2018
3:57 AM
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I agree with what Joe L says about the 520DX.
I do find it interesting though that so many of us get so hung up over gear. My personal experience is that over the years I've found I'm less and less concerned about gear. Mostly these days I just play through whatever vocal mic is available direct into the PA and it sounds just fine to me.
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dougharps
1802 posts
Aug 05, 2018
10:09 AM
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The 520DX is not my favorite mic, but it can sound decent with an amp that is a good match. The prices cited by SuperBee are ridiculous, but if you need a mic and can get one for a reasonable price, you might consider it. If possible, try one first, before investing.
I traded my 520DX in to a friend for some amp repairs. He wanted it as backup for a harp player in his band. I had already acquired other mics that sounded better to me with my amps.
I used to spend hours trying out different mics with different amps I own to find the best matches. Some mics that were great with some amps were not so great with others. I find that I generally prefer cleaner mics with dirtier amps, and dirtier mics with cleaner amps.
I think part of learning amplified harp is to figure out how to get the best out of ANY gear you encounter in order to get the sound you want, even gear that is sub-par. To do that you have to try a lot of different gear experimenting, and spend time trying out different amp settings.
If a gig specifically calls for tube amp distorted amplified blues harp sound I have accumulated a some mics and amps I can choose from that work well together. I have let go of some amps and should probably sell more of them. I probably should let go of some mics, too, but they don't take up as much space in the house as do the amps. My favorites with a tube amp are an Astatic brown biscuit with CM element and 2 Shure 585SAVs. My EV630s are OK. I don't care for my Shaker Dynamic. My SM57 can do the job if needed. It is a great all purpose mic. My Turner 22X with replacement ceramic element sound could with some amps, but mainly looks cool. It is heavy.
Over time I have learned that much of the sound I have sought is based in how I play and how I use the gear, not the specific gear itself.
These days I mainly play through the PA. I like my Ultimate 58 because I can sing through it, then turn it down and cup the harp, but I can use whatever is available on stage and play without cupping, too.
By the way, if you are OK with ball mics, a 58 can sound good through a transformer to a tube amp, too.
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Aug 05, 2018 10:39 AM
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tomaxe
135 posts
Aug 05, 2018
10:12 AM
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Agreed that the focus on vintage gear can be a rabbit hole, but in my opinion, the new Shure Green Bullit is one of the lesser options on the list of useable bullet mics, considering all the competitively priced, durable options out there from guys like Blows me Away and the Simple Mics guy, etc. If I was to get my first bullet mic it would not be the 520DX. Sure, you can pair it with a nice warm vintage amp and get a good sound, especially if you have been playing for years and know how to properly cup the mic and avoid feedback. The cord that can't be removed sucks, and the element in it has a certain character, but not a versatile tone like the vintage elements or Blows Me Away's 'bulletini" element, or even a Shure SM57.
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dougharps
1804 posts
Aug 05, 2018
10:35 AM
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Regarding the hardwired cord on the 520DX, when I got it I immediately cut it to a pigtail and added a 1/4" jack. I also added a 1/4" plug to the rest of the cord. If you stepped on the cord it would unplug, not break the connection at the mic. You could also use any guitar cord. For a while I played my 520DX through a direct box to a PA in an acoustic trio back around 2000. It added a raspy texture that worked with the material we played. But as I said, I traded mine because it wasn't as good as other mics I owned.
If you plan on investing in a good mic, I have played through Greg Hurmann's Bulletini, as well as one of his turned wooden bullets, and an Ultimate 57. I own an Ultimate 58 and love it. Greg's mics are all wonderful!
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Aug 05, 2018 10:38 AM
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BnT
170 posts
Aug 05, 2018
10:57 PM
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I concur with Joe L. I happened upon one in an old electronics store - they dusted off the long unsold box and unilaterally cut the price to $80. Okay tone, serviceable, sold in two months at a profit.
Based on 40+ years' experience I have a simple approach to ANY bullet mic:
1. Find a mic that fits your hands well.
2. Find an element that sounds right to your ear; and facilitates "your sound".
So if the 520DX is a good fit, find the element that speaks to you. If not, find the right shell first.
After 40 years with a JT30 and crystal elements I shopped around, tried many different mics - (didn't care for the feel, tone, or hardwired cable of the DX) and ultimately found an Astatic 200 fit MY hands well. Chopped the handle (with hardwired cable), added an amphenol connector, VC, and Shure CR black label element. Here's a backup duplicate I built - https://reverb.com/item/7533256-vintage-astatic-200-harp-mic-with-strong-element
Don't expect the 520DX or any stock mic to be perfect. What will appeal to you won't be everyone's choice. Let your hands and ears choose what's right for you.
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BnT
Last Edited by BnT on Aug 05, 2018 11:01 PM
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