Greg Heumann
721 posts
Aug 23, 2010
1:25 PM
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57's vary from mic to mic but not much. On the other hand, there are 2 other likely explanations:
1) vintage 57's - (the very earliest ones) seem to be a little ballsier - I think because of earlier model's internal transformer. You can tell an early 57 if you unscrew the catridge and see a 3rd black ground wire attached to the element, like in a 545. If it only has 2 wires (green and yellow) then it is newer.
2) There are many counterfeit SM57's coming out of China and elsewhere. if you buy on eBay, you take your chances. While I was developing the Ultimate series I bought a few 57's from eBay. One looked so authentic - manual, warranty card, packaging, etc- I didn't know it was a fraud until I opened it up and gutted it. I was suspicious when I found the wires attached to the XLR connector were green and yellow - they should be red and blue. Once I extracted the "transformer" I saw that it was a dummy - the wires went straight from the element to the connector. All that is hidden inside hot-melt glue. I've seen other frauds that were detectable for other reasons, but you really have to know what you're looking for to know. But they DO sound different.
Just remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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/Greg
Last Edited by on Aug 23, 2010 1:25 PM
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