Hi All: A local guy emailed me today to see if I wanted this mic for $25. He has it on craigslist but will hold it for me until I get back to him. He just emailed me again and said he has gotten 3 calls on it but will still hold it till I get back to him (asap he asked). He doesn't know if it works or not. Is it worth the $25 buck crap shoot? Thanks. Walter
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
thanks! I am going to buy it. I don't play amplified, but I figure for 25 bucks I will get it and give it away to the right person. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
I have a couple and agree with MrV, it's a large mic compared to other bullets. Haven't played through mine enough to comment on tone but I'd say it's worth $25. ---------- Ozark Rich
I will try it as vocal mic and in some other strange applications. Heck, I might even try it as a harp mic through my princeton reverb. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
I bought it. I am excited to see what happens. I have had 2 old mics over the years when I use to play amplified. One was a shure SBWII mic on the king bisicuit album cover. That was back in the mid 70's. Then I sort of permenantly borrowed a paul butterfield mic from a middle schools auditorium podium around 1979. Neither worked right. Maybe 3 is the charm! Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
Walter, this model mic is sometimes nicknamed the "big walter mic" as it's one that Horton was known to use (although I'm sure he used all kinds) The really unusual feature of the mic is only apparent when you take the grill off. Instead of the element being right up front, it is actually set right back leaving a couple of inches of space. This gives it its own unique tone. I should really use mine more!
thanks for that info on the mic MrVerylongusername!
Todd: I am picking it up tonight. The plug on the cable is not 1/4" so I will have to get it redone. I am not any good with electrical repairs. I will post some soundbites when I get it up an running. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
I got the mic tonight. It works fine but the plug is an old one (not 1/4"). The guy had an old reel to reel that we plugged it into. It is in near mint shape with a couple tiny scratches on it. It looks like it was never used much. The original cord is perfect and the soldering onto the crystal is good. I took off the grill and the crystal is right up on it. It looks like someone put it there because you can fit it in perfect at the back of the casing. there is an aluminum x brace that is in there too that holds the crystal in place and it looks like someone just reversed the original set up. Should I move it to the back? I read up on these mics and it said the crystal is mounted back. I never have messed with harp mics before so any advice would be appreciated. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
Walter - there is no right or wrong on element placement. Toward the front will give you the most consistent tone, and will be a little less directional, say, when you're holding the mic and harp together in your left hand, so the mic is toward the low end of the harp, and you play up high without moving the mic.
Toward the rear, you will get more coloration from the "chamber" which is now considerably bigger. It will probably have some more pronounced resonant frequencies and may boost mids in general.
My advice: Try it! And please tell us what you think.
To minimize risk to the crystal I'd recommend cutting the wires (if you need to change connection) with a few inches left - then splice those wires to new ones instead of soldering to the crystal itself. (If you have a temperature controlled soldering iron and good soldering experience you can solder to the element itself - it isn't THAT sensitive.
thanks Greg! I found this youtube and it shows the insides. It looks like some felt around the inside of the shell. My mic doesn't have that. I put the mic back to the original set up, but it has a thin, ringing sound to it even with the treble on 0 and the bass on 10 on my princeton reverb amp. With the element up on the grill, it was less ringing but still thin sounding. I plugged the rca type male plug on the mic into a rca female to 1/4" male and put that into the amp. I wonder if that would cause the tone being thin as well? The cord is good at the crystal connection. It is frayed at the jack connection. Walter
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
Walter,.that video is one of mine,.. That thin, ringing sound is probably because the felt is missing on yours & you say the element is mounted up front near the grille ,.. The Calrad 400-C & Argonne 54's an any other mic like it all came with that felt installed,.they used it as a sound deadener in the chamber,.try gluing in a piece of terry cloth in it or find some thin felt as they did. If your element looks like the one in my video it's an original crystal element,.and should not have that thin, ringing sound.
They are great sounding harp mics !!
Ya ask:Should I move it to the back? Yes,. the element should be mounted to the back of the mic as in the video,.your X brace an the bent ring puts pressure on the element to hold it in place.
With the cloth an moving the element to the rear of the mic you should notice a big difference in it's sound quality. ---------- Simply Unique Kustom Mic's By Rharley
Last Edited by on Mar 09, 2010 11:47 PM
Another thing Walter, if you're dismantling the mic to rewire it, you might want to experiment with flipping the swivel base bit. I reversed mine and find it far more comfortable to cup now.
thanks guys and thanks for posting that video! My mic is missing the metal ring that is next to the grill. It also looks as if there is a ring down on the element itself? There is a piece of reddish foam on the back of the element but it is dried out and stiff. When I put it all together correctly, there is a big gap between the x brace and the grille. Should I put a bigger piece of foam behind the element to snug it up? I will get some felt and the element is the same as the one in your video rharley. What are these worth? Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
Walter ,..there worth what someone will pay for em,..I sold mine in the video for good $$$ to a mic collector. Ya got a good deal that's for sure,. I just cleaned shop an threw out all my old X braces & rings I had layin around,..Man wish I'd keep em ,..I'd sent ya the ring ,..
Ya say ,.It also looks as if there is a ring down on the element itself? That may be the ring ya need at the top,..the ring sits on the top of the X-brace,. Sound to me like they flatten it out for some reason ?/ That Ring should have a curve to it ,.so if it is flat just bend it alil at a time so it has a bow in it ,this will put the pressure on the X-brace holdin the element in place,an fill the big gap between the x brace and the grille,. If you could,. post a pic of the ring an inside the mic? ya may have to put a bigger piece of foam behind the element to snug it up if they don't have the right ring in there. ---------- Simply Unique Kustom Mic's By Rharley
I thought it looked like there was a ring in your video down on the element. I guess not. Is it important that the bare silver wire coming off the elelment not touch the shell? I will have to put a bigger piece of foam behind it to snug up the x brace. I will post some pictures and soundclips when I get it set up. There is no logo of anykind on my mic. But it looks like the one in your video with a slightly different grill. It looks like this one: http://www.wikizic.org/Argonne-AR-54/gallery-1.htm Thanks! Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
No ,..thats the gasket ya see down by the element ,..the ring is next to the grille that I 'm taking about ,.Made outta metal,.. a bare silver wire most likely is a ground,.doesn't matter if it touches the shell,..
Ya really have to studie the grille to tell what ya have as the shells were made the same for all makers ,..the grilles were different .paint was different
Walt,.if ya want I have the lower part with the Argonne 54 label on it still,.Send me $5.00 to ship it to ya an it's yours,..Thats if your in the U.S. See pics: MAKE ER LOOK ORGINAL !!
Hi Walter, remember me from another forum. TORE: your last name, my first.. Recently bought an Argonne AR-54 without element, made it complete today with a Japanese !! NOS crystal element. Like the sound with the element in the back. Stay well.
In addition to making excellent microphones, Greg Heumann does really high quality, reasonably priced work like you are contemplating, including inspecting mics, re-seating crystal elements and changing out connectors and cables.
He has worked on perhaps 8-10 of my vintage mics, and added a screw-on amphenol connector to several that had so that they all are "standardized". This way they can be used on the same cables without adaptors and share an inline volume control.
Just a thought, but Greg is fast, fair and has a great outlook on customer service.
Johncn
Last Edited by Johncn on Feb 10, 2013 10:41 AM
Yikes...well, hope it all worked out for Walter...lol. Sorry about that. I did not notice the age of the thread since there was a fresh post from Tore this morning.
Nothing to see here...carry on!
Johncn
Last Edited by Johncn on Feb 10, 2013 1:25 PM
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