My bandleader gave me an awesome Christmas present this year. He managed to secure an Astatic MC-564-1 ceramic element & gasket to get my JT30RH operational again after I accidentally ruined the diaphragm on the Turner +2 ceramic I'd originally gotten to fix the mic. To say I was touched would be an understatement. He's always taken good care of me in the four years I've been playing with him, but this was very generous of him.
But he got the itch to put his skills from his former occupation as an autobody tech to work, and decided to give the shell a new look as well. I thought I'd share the progression of the work in progress as I have done with my own projects in the past.
He thought that with the chrome grill of the mic and its vintage origins, a look resembling an old 50's hot rod would fit nicely. I agreed with him, being the American muscle nut that I am. He had a set of small metallic studs laying around that resembled the circular fender vents found on the old Buick Specials. So, after sanding down the original hammered finish, he drilled four indentations on either side of the top quarters of the shell to mount the studs in, giving the effect of the mic being a V8 model. ;-) And the studs will also wind up adding an element of grip to the bullet itself.
Coated it with a layer of primer...
Basecoat of black paint just added today...
The color scheme is gonna be black and white. The pattern is still on the drawing board, but it'll probably some kind of pinstripe, or maybe reminscent of the 3rd generation Chevy Bel Airs.
I'm also gonna replace the worn down volume knob with either a chrome one or maybe a billet aluminum one. Anyone have any suggestions as to where to look? Greg, do you have anything that'd work?
And the mic label (basically a sticker) wore off LONG ago, but I'd like to try and get something back on there. Anyone have any ideas as to where I might find an actual tag? Or am I probably gonna have to write Astatic for a Roadhouse sticker?
I'll post more pics as the work progresses. :-) ----------
Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by on Jan 02, 2013 12:40 PM
I was given the choice of an MC-564-1 or an MC-151. I went with the ceramic because I've had such rotten luck with crystals. I'll most defintiely let you know how it sounds. ----------
A pattern figured out to resemble elliptical body paneling...
A coat of snow white...
A good look so far when the tape comes off. :-)
A red and silver pinstripe added to the borders of the white panels....
With the studs reattached...(each of which will get a black dot of paint in the center to resemble fender vents)
And with the grille temporarily remounted...
Also....Technobird mangaged to find an original foil-type JT-30 label for me, so that along with a new brushed aluminum volume knob are on their way so I can fix them to the mic before the final clear coat.
I also want to either paint or decal the old Astatic logo to the top near the grille to form the "car's" hood ornament. Here are a few ideas I had on that...
A more simplified approach...
Chrysler colors....
Ford colors....
And my favorite, which would be damn near impossible...
As a kustom airbrusher I can appreciate the work that goes in to all the different stages involved. I have a couple RH JT30 shells I purchased on sale that I'll be sanding & sprayin soon. Well done Hawkeye
Thanks messy. I really can't claim much credit on this since it was pretty much all done by Hipbone. But just watching him do some of the work was a great learning experience.
Side note on the element installation: The 564 still had some vintage fast-on terminals and sleeve-heads attached to it, so we went ahead and soldered them to the existing wires of the mic. Good snug fits. It'll make it easier to work on the mic in the future shoudl the need arise rather than soldering and unsoldering them every time.
I also had a spare 5/8" screw-on connector lying in my basement, so with that, I'm in the process of making a functional desktop stand for the mic, so I'll have something I can display it on as well. ----------
Little update on finishing this mic up....after a good long wait, I finally got the Astatic decal in. Here it is getting ready for placement and application.
The new volume knob is now also installed.
And the Astatic label tag. We're trying to figure out the best way of applying this to the mic since it has no adhesive of its own. We're thinking best route is just dabbing a bit of krazy glue to the back of it with a Q-Tip and applying it to dry, then going over the whole thing again with clear coat to seal.
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Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by on Feb 01, 2013 10:18 AM
Can't deny it's a beautiful microphone you now have. Congratulations. I'm going to share the first thought I had as I looked at the pictures. Don't take it the wrong way.
This is just me, but I couldn't care less about what any of my mics look like. Sound is everything.
I'm in the same minority then Wolf. Sound is way more important to me than looks. Having said that Hawkeye has done a great job on that mic and there ain't nothing wrong with having a good sounding mic, look good too.
No offense taken at all Wolf. I agree with you both. The quality of a mic's sound is its heart and soul, and the most important aspect of it without a doubt. I'm very happy with the way this mic sounds now. I'd been without any mega-Z elemented mic for a long while, and this restored that item to my arsenal, and I now have a bright tone mic again.
But seeing as the element was a generous gift from my bandleader, I couldn't refuse his desire to make it pretty. I mean yeah, I woulda been happy with the way it looked before. But the job he's done on it has just made it even more special to me. ----------
Sweet! I like the bling. I always prefer function over form, but once function is taken care of, it's time for the shiny! (if there is anything left in the budget.)
My crazy brain has an idea for a microphone shell, but like often happens, I think it's beyond my technical skills (and probably my financial wherewithal too.) Oh well. Someone else will have to invent it. :)
