one way is to open the mic up, pull enough cable into the shell, and tie it in a knot. this probably means taking the element loose and out of the way and then re-soldering the leads. another way is to get a screw on connector installed and go with that sort of connection or an adapter to 1/4" guitar cord. i like this way because i can plug any cable into my mic. alternatively you can drill a hole and install a low profile 1/4" female right in the shell.
the green bullet was never designed by shure as a hand held mic, it was intended to screw onto a short stand for dispatching cabs and keeping ham radio operators on the air waves. i had the same problem with my first bullet, a gb. i use a 707a bullet some these days and a friend is reworking it with the knotted cable in place. we'll see how well it works.
If you do that, be careful of one thing: I seem to have a memory of the ground being attached to the cable spring sleeve (the portion that's inside the shell).. at least it was on the 520dx that I have. Once it came loose it was a son of a gun to reattach properly.
@ Harp boy,.. The 520 DX was designed & meant to be a hand held Harp mic by Shure ,..The problem is they stayed cheap with the cable an never went with a Switchcraft / Amphenol 5/8" connector !
Yup. The cable WILL fail, inside the mic. Converting to a screw-on connector is the way to go. However with the 520DX, the retaining ring of the female connector (on the cable) will interfere with the volume knob. You can shave the volume knob down but it will be ugly and more importantly, very hard to get to with thumb and forefinger. I make a custom lengthened knob to get around this - so that it can be grasped below the fat section of the connector.
Before you put any money into the 520DX though, recognize that you can spend a lot of money to improve it - screw on connector, knob, upgraded element - but you'll still be left with the biggest heaviest bullet shell out there. Consider purchasing a different shell - like an older Shure 520 or 707 shell, or JT30/bluesBlaster shell, or one of my custom lightweight wood shells - which is smaller in diameter, lighter weight and easier to cup. Put your money into that one to upgrade it over time, including installation of the screw-on connector. I have some and I'm sure Rharley does too. ---------- /Greg
Funny - my green bullet internal cable has never failed - while the screw on amphenols on my JT30s are a constant pain. One just failed on me during a jam at Velma's this past monday night. (shoulda had a backup - I know I know)
At this point I re-solder them myself, layer on shrink tubing etc.
Greg -How bout a nice little tutorial with pictures on how to make one up right ?
Is someone selling a quality one that wont break every few months? ----------
@ harp boy Your original question was: "is there any way to stop the cable from pulling out??"
Yes ,.throw the cord over your shoulder an have some slack in it ,.That way when You step on the cord you won't pull on the Mic or pull the cord outta the Mic <>
@ Greg,. The stock 520 DX VC knob is close to the ring but does not interfere (Bind) when turning the Volume up or down <>
@ bonedog569,.The Original cable will fail as it becomes Old an brittle,..In the pic below that cable was hard as a rock from bending back an forth over time (Work-Hardened)<>
Anything other than intalling a new connector is only a temporary fix, however as bonedog suggested, if you have it apart to do a repair, I recommend placing several layers of shrink wrap tubing where the cable and spring protector meet. This will help keep the cable from twisting inside the shell, which was how mine continually failed.
I keep my DX as a backup and now have an older 520 with a custom connector, like the builders suggested...no more problems ---------- MBH member since 2009-03-24
@rharly - re: "@ Greg,. The stock 520 DX VC knob is close to the ring but does not interfere (Bind) when turning the Volume up or down <>"
Yes, it can. Especially when you install the connector all the way flush. (Looks like you put an o-ring on to hide the knurled portion? I make sure that it is installed flush.) But it is a matter of thousandths of an inch. Depends on the mic and how accurately centered the hole ends up after you drill it out for the connector. Sometimes it barely rubs, sometimes it turns free, sometimes it binds badly. No matter what it is really difficult to turn because getting two fingers on it is much harder with the connector right there. ---------- /Greg
The cable came out twice on my Green Bullet. Now I limit my cord length, so I can't step on the cable. It's still under warranty and Shure sends out a new microphone. But I have to pay shipping and do without my mic for awhile.
That is a bad design, Shure should definitely have a screw on connector. They are losing profit also, they didn't make much on me, since I am on my 3rd Green Bullet.
my first adventures with a screw on connector were, i had the female side wired to the cable. typical, right? except that the solder button on the inside of the connector, where it contacted the spot on the female side of the connector- would fail. i was resoldering about every 3rd time i had it out. this mic i had greg mod for me, i had a screw on installed, and then got a screw on to 1/4" female so i can use any guitar cord. i have had NO issues with this setup, having used it a lot at gigs and jams.
Jbone - the screw-on connectors are designed so that there would be contact between the center conductor of the cable and the mic, even if there were no solder there at all. People mistakenly build up too much solder on one connector or the other - then, through repeated overtightening of the connectors, end up warping the center disc inward leading to bad connections. Properly made ones are very reliable. The 332 adapter plus 1/4" cable works, but I find the rig much less comfortable to play when there is 5 inches of rigid appendage sticking out of the mic. I also hate interrupting my solo if I accidentally step on the cable. So I like a screw-on cable attached to the mic. To each his own. ---------- /Greg
@ Greg,..(Good Eye) Yep ,.that's the trick to getting the Stock VC knob to work ,. First 520 DX I did Flush rubbed bad,.I had to tell the guy I couldn't use his stock Knob,. ( Most owners of the 520DX luv that Knob because of it's grippe cover) So now on the 520DX,..I leave the knurled portion on the 2501MP when the customer wants the original Knob.
I agree,. the 2501F screw-on cable connector is Best if you step on the cord while playing ,. But as you do ,.gotta make sure the cord is around the neck/shoulder with slack or you'll pull the mic outta your hands,.. ---------- Simply Unique Kustom Mic's By Rharley
Last Edited by on Jan 10, 2011 12:10 AM
@ Harp boy in progress,. "is there any way to stop the cable from pulling out??"
Yes,.down & dirty cheapest way to fix it would be to do what Shure did back in the 1940's<>
They used a crude form of epoxy,. Open your mic,.get some 2part epoxy & push your cord up into the mic a lil so the cable is showing about 1/2",. Drizzle the epoxy down & over the cable at the rear of the mic,.let it sit over night,.your good to go,.
Shure did this on their 707 style mics with Chrystal elemnets,.the original cords are still en-tacked to this day on most,. ---------- Simply Unique Kustom Mic's By Rharley
