Thanks for updating our intro ad Brad. We ran it on facebook and got over 900 downloads in 2 days with the 2 keys free forever offer. A real success by any measure. Thank you so much being our champion. Sincerely Brent 1/4 Founder of Song
@@lordhydromage6614 That's great! So glad to hear it. You deserve success. I'll send you that hi quality version you asked for. I think it slipped my mind.
@@BlueCollarLogic our new computer person can write in android . So if this new approach to selling our app by giving away 2 free keys to try it out Is a success then we will launch a kickstart to raise the 30,000 we need to write the android app
@@lordhydromage6614 Jeeze, that's quite a high price. If you are ever looking for other (more affordable, more experienced) mobile app devs, let me know!
Hi Brad I am am an A1+ use Lacquer thinner or WD 40 for cleaning off any adhesive or old rubber. Hope this helps and makes it easier for you next time. Also shure makes a special wind screen material for the 55 use it!!!!
Brad, I love the upbeat vibe of this video, I always enjoy your videos when you’re going through amps or find cool stuff like this to fix, and this overall format and vibe is my favorite of what you’ve done.
My FB profile photo is of me holding that "Elvis Mic" at Sun Studio in Memphis. Ive lived 60 miles from there my entire 40 years of life, and never went there until about 3 years ago. You want to talk about Surreal! Standing on the exact tile Elvis stood on, and holding the very mic he sang through when recording 'That's Alright Momma' was Super Surreal! I think its the closest to having an out of body experience as I'll ever have, until I have "The Big One" as Fred G. Sanford would say. 😆
Awesome! Honestly, that blue foam worked out way better than I expected it would. Those gaps are barely noticeable, and it absolutely sounds loads better than before. Great restoration, and thanks for making another great video!
I have a 55S from 1964. Fully functional and I've even used it in a live event that was also recorded. It sounds so different than anything else in my locker, but it works phenomenally well for old jazz tunes. Love how it looks on a chrome stand, too. It's had the plug replaced with an XLR by a previous owner. Great find, glad you're restoring yours!
I just scored one of these from Goodwill online. It has the doctored piece like your describing. You didn’t happen to donate it to goodwill did you lol
Thanks for this video! I have a Unidyne 556s from 1951 that i got from a ham radio swap meet junk pile back in 1983...it came with the stand and original cable and the black mesh is complete and in beautiful shape, but apparently wasnt of interest to anyone back then so i grabbed it along with an old D-104 with the original riveted plate on the base. Both have been a cool shelf ornament for nearly 40 years, but now I think I would like to incorporate the Unidyne into my studio lineup (I have different mics for my radio set up). The condenser knocks around inside like yours did, but i never opened it up...thanks to videos like this, I feel more inclined to get off my ass and fix it up right.
We have one in about the same condition with something rattling inside. We know there are guys online who charge to restore these but after watching perhaps we have enough confidence to attempt it. Nice video, thank you sir!
nice job cleaning that up, looks great! the original grill cloth was silk, often as the silk would deteriorate with age it would turn dark or black, thus the confusion. i have an original 556 from 1947 with the original silk, it was red but it has all turned black except for one spot about the size of a nickle. silk is still used today in recording studios on the round pop screens you see on a flex arm. its great for stopping the wind but allowing the sound. also the suspension on that were little rubber feet with slots that fit nicely on the the metal tabs. i still have some new old stock of those, i started collecting replacement parts in the early 80s when a lot of replacement parts were still in warehouses. i also have two original replacement cartriges for this model, still new in the box. also Shure still offers the blue pre-cut foam to fit that model you have. its to emulate the blue silk they used back in the day.
Holy crap! I was given one in pretty much mint condition by it's original owner. Only the suspension system needed a wee bit of love, but it had a wonderful sound, and weighed a ton! I miss it badly...
Great job Brad, you working on the mic reminds me of myself as a 15 year old when I was given one. It looked great and like any 15 year old I plugged it straight in! We were having a blast playing in a friend's garage I had just played the intro to Nadine and stepped up to the mic. The next thing I remember was waking up in hospital with burnt lips and a few staples in the head! I ended up knocked out cold on a concrete garage floor. Lesson learned never plug in gear that hasn't been used in 30 odd years without it being checked out for safety!!
I don't know why, but I have never been able to get a good sound from one of these mics and I've been trying since 1969. I see others using it and it sounds great! I don't know how they do it.
My favorite mic of all times, the coolness factor just can't be beat and they sound awesome! Glad to see the old girl working how she should...your "early Elvis" ain't half bad either lol!
Man, I love this kind of stuff. I sored a Unidyne III model DY45G at a Goodwill store for like $5. It has a 4 pin Amphenol connector, and has the other impedance options depending on which of the 4 pins you wire to the cord. Mine also came with a 1/4" phone plug on the other end.
Hilarious!! Elvis mic!! True story: I was in a punk band that recorded an album (EP) on a 4 track recorder at a studio a long time ago. When it came to picking a mic for our lead singer, we used that mic because it was an "Elvis Mic", just like in your title. Lol
So glad to see you make a video that you seemed to enjoy making! I was getting worried about your state of mind, but feel a bit less worried after this video. I enjoyed it, they're great mics, my good friend is in a great Rock-a- Billy band, and uses an old Shure from the late 50's or early 60s, and with a little reverb, Chrome Daddy Disco sounds great! Don't worry, be happy Bradley my friend, Keith in RVA
Just recently picked up a early 70s pre lawsuit Ibanez Les Paul with original Maxon pickups and original hardware for somewhat of a deal/early Christmas present from the wife, it is a real pleasure to play. My first Les Paul. its not a perfect one but has soo much Character and MOJO i needed it man. i wish i could share photos of it, i think you would really dig it!!! have a good day:)
I love your channel your skills amazing , let me tell you the smile you put on my face when you were singing Elvis a nice voice you were doing , and looking Mike Drummer Legend Mr.Ronnie Tutt so Cool thank you very much ! ❤❤❤
Hello Brad!! Your project with that SHURE mic reminds me of the late fifties early sixties at Tillson Lake roller skating casino very near where I live!! they had a large public address sound system with the SHURE mic like you have nd record player and AM/FM tuner. They had three or four of these mic's that they would use during "LIVE" performances of various bands of the time! these mic's were in use up to the very late seventies or early eighties as I remember!! Had a lot of good times at the lake roller rink / Casino!! it was a "ROCKING ROLLER good time"
Very cool video Brad lol! I actually enjoyed watching that rebuild. And you sing?? I love harmonizing to Love Me Tender even though I’m awful haha! Great work! (Kinda upset you didn’t dress up though 😂)
I have one of these from when my dad was the principle at my elementary school. Have the housing and the capsule, and the switch cover, the switch is long gone. Believe it had an Amphenal conector (Hi Imp) with just a ground and center. It may have had the multi selector. Need to dig it up and make it work again. This would have been hooked up to a tube PA, with a switch for every classroom. Little 8" speakers in every classroom. I used it for a CB mic in the early 90's. It had some kind of foam material for a windscreen from what I remember.
I've picked up some speakers like you're talking about that came out of school intercom systems and showed them on the channel before. There was a time not too long ago you could still find a lot of old cool installation equipment from schools and churches. That stuff is starting to dry up in its natural habitat now. Less and less common to see it still in place.
Went to vote the other day, in the little church on the edge of our farm. My great grandfather donated the land for it. They built a big metal building there, for youth basketball and whatnot. And holy crap, they still had a pair of the old Peavey 2X10 Pa Speakers on the wall (from the late 70's. Got 2 just like them for Christmas back in the day, with an XR400 head, while the other guys I jammed with got new amps. Sucks to be the PA guy.
Not as cool as finding a Les Paul in the dumpster, but along the same lines a school here threw these away. Still shrink wrapped. Gave two away already. Would have loved one of these back in the day (and no the Friedman is just for show, not that lucky).
Crap I suck at this.. A whole case of Crystal Radio kits they threw away. Meant to post the picture but un opened. Made my first one with an old razor blade, a pencil lead (graphite) and a toilet paper role with some enamel wire. I think they used to call them foxhole radios.
Can you give more detail about the XLR connector you substituted, and how it fits to the external XLR cable? I can't make out if it's just a friction-fit on there or if you can get the XLR cable to lock-on?
I used one as lead singerin my band back in thr mid 60's. We kids thought it was old fashioned. I remember if nothing else that it had decent bottom end. I've toyed around getting a repro.
The foam for the 55 series mics is available from Shure. I called them up and they sent me a pair for free. It's much thinner and more porous than what you installed. I also used foam weather stripping for the bracket. The original noise isolation/shock absorber for the capsule is molded rubber.
Put it through an old RCA tube preamp and a Watkins copicat, you'll have the Elvis sound nailed. It sounded very nice, with a warm fat low end. I like large diaphragm dynamic microphones. I bet the new ones doesn't sound like this at all, as it's just a Beta-58 in another shell. (Cheapo version just for gimmics.)
Hey Brad! Late comment so I know you'll miss it, but just in case: The correct foam is only about 0.125" thick, so it doesn't bind bad on the innards. Search ebay for "Shure mesh refurb kit Super 55". You can get the correct foam for $8. Good guy selling them too (not me). If you find colorful sheets of the foam, please be sure to let us know. I've been looking for a while without knowing exactly what to search for. I made a set for my "Fat Boy" out of black fishtank filter media, but it's only "okay." Curious about how you attached the XLR in the Amphenol hole. I 3D printed a system for my XLR cable to stay locked in (let me know and I'll send you one). It looked like you took the ring off the Amphenol plug? How'd you do it?
Literally just found an old one at an antique shop quite recently and I was wondering if it even works or if I can repair it, and if it’d be worth it. Your video was exactly what I was looking for!
I did the same thing with the windscreens while performing the restoration of my shure 55. I did notice a huge difference in the sound quality though. The windscreen made the microphone sound very muffled in comparison to without it.
Hey brother love your crap affixed Fridays you did a Friday post using a Russian accent that i almost pissed my pants i laughed so hard !!! If you can do any others that would be great !!! Keep them coming .
i have the shure 55s from the 50s, and im trying to get it to work on my PC. I can get sound, but since the cable im using is the old 91-mc3m to a newer XLR cable for my preamp, i actually end up getting a ton of electrical feedback. I was considering ripping off the XLR and attaching a 2.5mm since it shouldnt need any additional power, but im not too sure on the direction to go
Hi! good job on the restoration. I 've got one Shure 55as but i believe the capsule is bad. Is there any way to be fixed/replaced that you know of? thanks!
I scored one of these from goodwill online. It doesn’t work but someone has doctored it and soldered the opposite end of a mic cable to the bottom. Not sure if I need to make a new cable or what
9:40 This part on the one I got from goodwill looks doctored. Like they changed it to the regular mic style plug. We will see if it works I’m sure it does.
I found a 1940’s Shure 55c Fatboy which is in great condition but the silk lining is destroyed, I still can’t find a replacement to this day so would be interested if you can suggest somewhere or a good replacement. Such a shame for it to be left unused.
Sweet! I just got one from goodwill online. 55S. Looks like yours. Not sure on exact date yet. Haven’t received it but I’ll let ya know. Ps. Wow your mic sounds great !
They actually make kits you can buy on ebay for the foam grill cloth. I ended up ordering one of those kits and replacing what I did here. You should do the same if your cloth is bad. Good luck with it! They're great mics that are still useful today.
I wonder if the "handling noise" would go away if the wind screen wasn't in contact with both the case and the capsule. The mic itself was in a suspension to isolate the sound of touching it from the actual capsule, but by adding a thick foam windscreen, you remove the isolation by making contact directly. Just a thought as I was watching the repair.
I got one of these recently when a friend was going to throw it away m - they said it didn't work but I rewired the cable that was attached and it looks like it was just broken connections in the cable but works fine otherwise. it does rattle so I am going to open it up and try to replace the padding that I am sure rotted over the years but my question if anyone knows - is there somewhere that I can get the correct thread adapter to connect this to a modern mic stand?
Denatured alcohol works better than rubbing alcohol. No scraping required. Also the back and front wind screens are available online and required no cutting or trimming it will fit right in there. I refurbish the 1970 version of this microphone using this method. Also some good metal polish work well after the glue was cleaned off
Try using Berryman’s Chem-Dip carb cleaner. Comes in 1 gallon paint can with a parts basket inside. Cleans all that junk off real well and you can reuse it if sealed back up. Auto Zone $30
4 года назад+2
You'll have to mic up your 1958 GA-40 with this and let us hear your '58 Les Paul or Flying V through it, Brad... ;-)
Nice work, Brad. Are you using a mic preamp, and if so, which one? I have a modern version of this mic, and I need a preamp to use with Zoom and other applications.
Hey Brad, I had a boss katana have it's input transformer fail on me. Any reason why that would happen? Could it be the power coming from the wall/surge protector or a fault of the component itself?
@@TheGuitologist it is under warranty currently, so a local BOSS service center is repairing it for me. Thanks to covid the new parts are taking a while to come in. I asked what failed and they mentioned the input transformer is what died. It happened a few months ago, was playing, left it for about 20 minutes and when I came back and flipped the power switch nothing lit up on the Amp, it was a brick.
Cool vid Brother. Bought back memories of being taught to fold gold foil for ribbon mic servicing, way back. Watching you cleaning that shell and wondered if you've ever tried an Ultrasonic Cleaner? I use one on grimy guitar hardware and cleans up great without doing any damage, just a thought (they're cheap but effective) Take care Brad, all the best buddy. 👍✌😎
Hook up autotune and some beats and you could be Lorde! Gratuitous South Park reference. Anyway, wonderful, inspiring video. You are still the shit my friend!
Goo-Gone for getting rid of old adhesive. If it's really bad, the next stronger stuff is Goof-Off. But don't get Goof-Off anywhere near plastic or paint.
@@geldner Hahaha. Tired of those pesky thoughts? Ever wonder why stupid people seem so...content? Wipe away doubts and fears with the fresh scent of Goof Off.
It looks like a 50's-60's Astatic microphone. The address on the badge and comparing to another piece of gear. I realized the company was/is Audio Technica. Like the REC it takes a different low z cable
Try the Song Guitar Chord App for FREE!
magicalpick.app.link/YIQF9BxQL4
Thanks for updating our intro ad Brad. We ran it on facebook and got over 900 downloads in 2 days with the 2 keys free forever offer. A real success by any measure. Thank you so much being our champion. Sincerely Brent 1/4 Founder of Song
@@lordhydromage6614 That's great! So glad to hear it. You deserve success. I'll send you that hi quality version you asked for. I think it slipped my mind.
It sounds cool. But what about us Android rubes?
@@BlueCollarLogic our new computer person can write in android . So if this new approach to selling our app by giving away 2 free keys to try it out Is a success then we will launch a kickstart to raise the 30,000 we need to write the android app
@@lordhydromage6614 Jeeze, that's quite a high price. If you are ever looking for other (more affordable, more experienced) mobile app devs, let me know!
there is something to be said about restoring a piece of history. great job bud.
Hi Brad I am am an A1+ use Lacquer thinner or WD 40 for cleaning off any adhesive or old rubber.
Hope this helps and makes it easier for you next time.
Also shure makes a special wind screen material for the 55 use it!!!!
Aaahhh, thank you!
Thank you very much!
We'll be here all week!
God Bless!
Brad, I love the upbeat vibe of this video, I always enjoy your videos when you’re going through amps or find cool stuff like this to fix, and this overall format and vibe is my favorite of what you’ve done.
Brad has left the building
#BradLives
@@spitefulwar Yes, better comment!
Sounds great, looks solid...I'd rock the heck out of that. Nicely done and thanks for sharing.
My FB profile photo is of me holding that "Elvis Mic" at Sun Studio in Memphis. Ive lived 60 miles from there my entire 40 years of life, and never went there until about 3 years ago. You want to talk about Surreal! Standing on the exact tile Elvis stood on, and holding the very mic he sang through when recording 'That's Alright Momma' was Super Surreal! I think its the closest to having an out of body experience as I'll ever have, until I have "The Big One" as Fred G. Sanford would say. 😆
"I'm coming to see ya, 'Lizabeth!!"
Awesome! Honestly, that blue foam worked out way better than I expected it would. Those gaps are barely noticeable, and it absolutely sounds loads better than before. Great restoration, and thanks for making another great video!
I have a 55S from 1964. Fully functional and I've even used it in a live event that was also recorded. It sounds so different than anything else in my locker, but it works phenomenally well for old jazz tunes. Love how it looks on a chrome stand, too. It's had the plug replaced with an XLR by a previous owner. Great find, glad you're restoring yours!
Yeah those mic sounds so unique, excellent for b side songs or something outside of your styles, I just love that series
I just scored one of these from Goodwill online. It has the doctored piece like your describing. You didn’t happen to donate it to goodwill did you lol
Thanks for this video! I have a Unidyne 556s from 1951 that i got from a ham radio swap meet junk pile back in 1983...it came with the stand and original cable and the black mesh is complete and in beautiful shape, but apparently wasnt of interest to anyone back then so i grabbed it along with an old D-104 with the original riveted plate on the base. Both have been a cool shelf ornament for nearly 40 years, but now I think I would like to incorporate the Unidyne into my studio lineup (I have different mics for my radio set up). The condenser knocks around inside like yours did, but i never opened it up...thanks to videos like this, I feel more inclined to get off my ass and fix it up right.
There are foam kits on eBay if you decide to replace cloth.
We have one in about the same condition with something rattling inside. We know there are guys online who charge to restore these but after watching perhaps we have enough confidence to attempt it. Nice video, thank you sir!
nice job cleaning that up, looks great!
the original grill cloth was silk, often as the silk would deteriorate with age it would turn dark or black, thus the confusion. i have an original 556 from 1947 with the original silk, it was red but it has all turned black except for one spot about the size of a nickle. silk is still used today in recording studios on the round pop screens you see on a flex arm. its great for stopping the wind but allowing the sound.
also the suspension on that were little rubber feet with slots that fit nicely on the the metal tabs. i still have some new old stock of those, i started collecting replacement parts in the early 80s when a lot of replacement parts were still in warehouses. i also have two original replacement cartriges for this model, still new in the box.
also Shure still offers the blue pre-cut foam to fit that model you have. its to emulate the blue silk they used back in the day.
Just picked up one of these for real cheap. It needs a lot of work and cleaning like yours . Thanks for documenting the process.
I didn’t know this at the time, but they sell foam kits for these on eBay.
Hey, Brad. Good to see a new video. Hope you're doing well.
Who needs therapy when ya can just watch
The Guitologist!
Holy crap! I was given one in pretty much mint condition by it's original owner. Only the suspension system needed a wee bit of love, but it had a wonderful sound, and weighed a ton! I miss it badly...
It's a very nice mic. I may try it on a guitar cab next time I do a demo.
@@TheGuitologist dude YESSS.
Great video Brad! This is fantastic content, history, documentation, and craft.
Great job Brad, you working on the mic reminds me of myself as a 15 year old when I was given one. It looked great and like any 15 year old I plugged it straight in! We were having a blast playing in a friend's garage I had just played the intro to Nadine and stepped up to the mic. The next thing I remember was waking up in hospital with burnt lips and a few staples in the head! I ended up knocked out cold on a concrete garage floor. Lesson learned never plug in gear that hasn't been used in 30 odd years without it being checked out for safety!!
I don't know why, but I have never been able to get a good sound from one of these mics and I've been trying since 1969. I see others using it and it sounds great! I don't know how they do it.
AGAIN, i want one !!! Thanks for the restoration video, now i know to put the foam inside the mic.
My favorite mic of all times, the coolness factor just can't be beat and they sound awesome! Glad to see the old girl working how she should...your "early Elvis" ain't half bad either lol!
Man, I love this kind of stuff. I sored a Unidyne III model DY45G at a Goodwill store for like $5. It has a 4 pin Amphenol connector, and has the other impedance options depending on which of the 4 pins you wire to the cord. Mine also came with a 1/4" phone plug on the other end.
Just thinking about you, Brother. We should do that online chat I flaked on before. Shit is even weirder now.
-Dave
Hey Dave. I'm game. Just tell me when. Plenty to talk about.
Next time you decide to move your house, why don't you come on to Louisville and park here for a bit? Could be fun.
It's nice to see you back to doing what you're so good at - I do miss shit-post Friday though.
Great vid man. The history and the TLC. Thanks.
18:30 was great! nicely done
I've got TONS of those Shure Mics. We use them for CB Radio Base Stations.
Hi candycane, I brought the pink champagne. *shutters* CBs remind me of the movie Joy Ride.
How does a d104 compare?
@@JordanSSears Way better!
Hilarious!! Elvis mic!! True story: I was in a punk band that recorded an album (EP) on a 4 track recorder at a studio a long time ago. When it came to picking a mic for our lead singer, we used that mic because it was an "Elvis Mic", just like in your title. Lol
Nice job...Sounded great! Love the Elvis inspired medley!
Thanks Kevin. Glad you enjoyed.
So glad to see you make a video that you seemed to enjoy making! I was getting worried about your state of mind, but feel a bit less worried after this video. I enjoyed it, they're great mics, my good friend is in a great
Rock-a- Billy band, and uses an old Shure from the late 50's or early 60s, and with a little reverb, Chrome Daddy Disco sounds great! Don't worry, be happy Bradley my friend, Keith in RVA
Just recently picked up a early 70s pre lawsuit Ibanez Les Paul with original Maxon pickups and original hardware for somewhat of a deal/early Christmas present from the wife, it is a real pleasure to play. My first Les Paul. its not a perfect one but has soo much Character and MOJO i needed it man. i wish i could share photos of it, i think you would really dig it!!! have a good day:)
Too cool! Glad you got it all fixed up. 😎
You have a nice voice. The Elvis mike is alive....
Elvis has left the mic,a hunk a hunk of burnin love for your video Brad
🤣👍🇺🇲
Awesome restoration 👍👍
Really nice sounding microphone. The blue looks snazzy in there too.
I love your channel your skills amazing , let me tell you the smile you put on my face when you were singing Elvis a nice voice you were doing , and looking Mike Drummer Legend Mr.Ronnie Tutt so Cool thank you very much ! ❤❤❤
Amazing job, nice singing! You should know that they used to apply glue to make the fabric (foam) stick flat to the inside of the grill.
Mic sounded awesome at the end ha
Great job! and nice vibrato too.
such an awesome find, sweet restoration brother!
Hey Brad you okay? Hope your taking the Time and relaxing! Have a good Holidays!
You Have a Great Voice! wow!
Hello Brad!! Your project with that SHURE mic reminds me of the late fifties early sixties at Tillson Lake roller skating casino very near where I live!! they had a large public address sound system with the SHURE mic like you have nd record player and AM/FM tuner. They had three or four of these mic's that they would use during "LIVE" performances
of various bands of the time! these mic's were in use up to the very late seventies or early eighties as I remember!!
Had a lot of good times at the lake roller rink / Casino!! it was a "ROCKING ROLLER good time"
Nice work fella, its great to see that amount of TLC go into
such an historic and iconic piece of kit, brilliant,
(just don`t put your hip out )
That was cool and sounds great at the end- nice Elvis too :)
Wow! This is REALLY cool!
Happy holidays!
Very cool video Brad lol! I actually enjoyed watching that rebuild. And you sing?? I love harmonizing to Love Me Tender even though I’m awful haha! Great work! (Kinda upset you didn’t dress up though 😂)
What did you have in mind? Black leather or white jumpsuit? I'm probably more white jumpsuit at this juncture. :D
@@TheGuitologist nah you can still pull off the leather! Unless of course, you grow some big ol’ pork chops 🤔😎!
They’re already grown, just gotta prune around them to reveal their majesty.
@@TheGuitologist indeed 🤭
I have one of these from when my dad was the principle at my elementary school. Have the housing and the capsule, and the switch cover, the switch is long gone. Believe it had an Amphenal conector (Hi Imp) with just a ground and center. It may have had the multi selector. Need to dig it up and make it work again. This would have been hooked up to a tube PA, with a switch for every classroom. Little 8" speakers in every classroom. I used it for a CB mic in the early 90's. It had some kind of foam material for a windscreen from what I remember.
I've picked up some speakers like you're talking about that came out of school intercom systems and showed them on the channel before. There was a time not too long ago you could still find a lot of old cool installation equipment from schools and churches. That stuff is starting to dry up in its natural habitat now. Less and less common to see it still in place.
Went to vote the other day, in the little church on the edge of our farm. My great grandfather donated the land for it. They built a big metal building there, for youth basketball and whatnot. And holy crap, they still had a pair of the old Peavey 2X10 Pa Speakers on the wall (from the late 70's. Got 2 just like them for Christmas back in the day, with an XR400 head, while the other guys I jammed with got new amps. Sucks to be the PA guy.
Not as cool as finding a Les Paul in the dumpster, but along the same lines a school here threw these away. Still shrink wrapped. Gave two away already. Would have loved one of these back in the day (and no the Friedman is just for show, not that lucky).
Crap I suck at this.. A whole case of Crystal Radio kits they threw away. Meant to post the picture but un opened.
Made my first one with an old razor blade, a pencil lead (graphite) and a toilet paper role with some enamel wire. I think they used to call them foxhole radios.
Beautiful restoration my man.
Can you give more detail about the XLR connector you substituted, and how it fits to the external XLR cable? I can't make out if it's just a friction-fit on there or if you can get the XLR cable to lock-on?
Awesome! Thank you very much!
A classic.
I used one as lead singerin my band back in thr mid 60's. We kids thought it was old fashioned. I remember if nothing else that it had decent bottom end. I've toyed around getting a repro.
The foam for the 55 series mics is available from Shure. I called them up and they sent me a pair for free. It's much thinner and more porous than what you installed. I also used foam weather stripping for the bracket. The original noise isolation/shock absorber for the capsule is molded rubber.
Go for it brother !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The mic sounds great
Put it through an old RCA tube preamp and a Watkins copicat, you'll have the Elvis sound nailed.
It sounded very nice, with a warm fat low end. I like large diaphragm dynamic microphones.
I bet the new ones doesn't sound like this at all, as it's just a Beta-58 in another shell.
(Cheapo version just for gimmics.)
I agree. Different mic entirely.
Hey Brad! Late comment so I know you'll miss it, but just in case:
The correct foam is only about 0.125" thick, so it doesn't bind bad on the innards. Search ebay for "Shure mesh refurb kit Super 55". You can get the correct foam for $8. Good guy selling them too (not me). If you find colorful sheets of the foam, please be sure to let us know. I've been looking for a while without knowing exactly what to search for. I made a set for my "Fat Boy" out of black fishtank filter media, but it's only "okay."
Curious about how you attached the XLR in the Amphenol hole. I 3D printed a system for my XLR cable to stay locked in (let me know and I'll send you one). It looked like you took the ring off the Amphenol plug? How'd you do it?
Literally just found an old one at an antique shop quite recently and I was wondering if it even works or if I can repair it, and if it’d be worth it. Your video was exactly what I was looking for!
There are eBay kits for the blue foam I didn’t know about when I made the video.
I did the same thing with the windscreens while performing the restoration of my shure 55. I did notice a huge difference in the sound quality though. The windscreen made the microphone sound very muffled in comparison to without it.
Hey brother love your crap affixed Fridays you did a Friday post using a Russian accent that i almost pissed my pants i laughed so hard !!! If you can do any others that would be great !!! Keep them coming .
i have the shure 55s from the 50s, and im trying to get it to work on my PC. I can get sound, but since the cable im using is the old 91-mc3m to a newer XLR cable for my preamp, i actually end up getting a ton of electrical feedback. I was considering ripping off the XLR and attaching a 2.5mm since it shouldnt need any additional power, but im not too sure on the direction to go
It’s warm and furry almost ribbon like. Nice
Nice thick wiring in those old microphones.
Hi! good job on the restoration. I 've got one Shure 55as but i believe the capsule is bad. Is there any way to be fixed/replaced that you know of? thanks!
The new 55 uses a Beta 58 capsule I think.
I scored one of these from goodwill online. It doesn’t work but someone has doctored it and soldered the opposite end of a mic cable to the bottom. Not sure if I need to make a new cable or what
nice deep sound
maraming salamat po!!! MABUHAY!!!
Very good
9:40 This part on the one I got from goodwill looks doctored. Like they changed it to the regular mic style plug. We will see if it works I’m sure it does.
Nice job OG...
I found a 1940’s Shure 55c Fatboy which is in great condition but the silk lining is destroyed, I still can’t find a replacement to this day so would be interested if you can suggest somewhere or a good replacement. Such a shame for it to be left unused.
Sweet! I just got one from goodwill online. 55S. Looks like yours. Not sure on exact date yet. Haven’t received it but I’ll let ya know. Ps. Wow your mic sounds great !
They actually make kits you can buy on ebay for the foam grill cloth. I ended up ordering one of those kits and replacing what I did here. You should do the same if your cloth is bad. Good luck with it! They're great mics that are still useful today.
Nice work brad
Beautiful
And I thought you just played guitar....ahh, such soulful pipes.
Nice!
I wonder if the "handling noise" would go away if the wind screen wasn't in contact with both the case and the capsule. The mic itself was in a suspension to isolate the sound of touching it from the actual capsule, but by adding a thick foam windscreen, you remove the isolation by making contact directly. Just a thought as I was watching the repair.
Brad I would like you to do a video sometime in the future on satellite amps/guitars
I got one of these recently when a friend was going to throw it away m - they said it didn't work but I rewired the cable that was attached and it looks like it was just broken connections in the cable but works fine otherwise. it does rattle so I am going to open it up and try to replace the padding that I am sure rotted over the years but my question if anyone knows - is there somewhere that I can get the correct thread adapter to connect this to a modern mic stand?
Denatured alcohol works better than rubbing alcohol. No scraping required. Also the back and front wind screens are available online and required no cutting or trimming it will fit right in there. I refurbish the 1970 version of this microphone using this method. Also some good metal polish work well after the glue was cleaned off
I see them now. Didn't think to just search for a kit. They have them on ebay.
My buddy has one of these mics. I'm gonna share this video with him, and maybe him and I can get that thing working right.
Got it “all cleaned up, mmmhmm”
(all shook up)
Try using Berryman’s Chem-Dip carb cleaner. Comes in 1 gallon paint can with a parts basket inside. Cleans all that junk off real well and you can reuse it if sealed back up. Auto Zone $30
You'll have to mic up your 1958 GA-40 with this and let us hear your '58 Les Paul or Flying V through it, Brad... ;-)
nice restoration! ending with....copyright strike in 3, 2... :P
Nice work, Brad. Are you using a mic preamp, and if so, which one? I have a modern version of this mic, and I need a preamp to use with Zoom and other applications.
Interesting!
Hey Brad, I had a boss katana have it's input transformer fail on me. Any reason why that would happen? Could it be the power coming from the wall/surge protector or a fault of the component itself?
A failed power transformer is not a common failure. How do you know it’s the transformer? Did you check the fuse?
@@TheGuitologist it is under warranty currently, so a local BOSS service center is repairing it for me. Thanks to covid the new parts are taking a while to come in. I asked what failed and they mentioned the input transformer is what died.
It happened a few months ago, was playing, left it for about 20 minutes and when I came back and flipped the power switch nothing lit up on the Amp, it was a brick.
Cool! :)
Cool vid Brother.
Bought back memories of being taught to fold gold foil for ribbon mic servicing, way back.
Watching you cleaning that shell and wondered if you've ever tried an Ultrasonic Cleaner?
I use one on grimy guitar hardware and cleans up great without doing any damage, just a thought (they're cheap but effective)
Take care Brad, all the best buddy.
👍✌😎
The ultrasonic cleaners are very cool. If I did much restoration work, I'd buy one of those and a media blaster for sure.
Great video Brad
Thank you very much
*Mic drop
I dig the background music.. mind if I spark up a " J " ?
Free country...sort of.
very cool.....
Nice vid bro
Thanks Shaun.
Hook up autotune and some beats and you could be Lorde! Gratuitous South Park reference. Anyway, wonderful, inspiring video. You are still the shit my friend!
Goo-Gone for getting rid of old adhesive. If it's really bad, the next stronger stuff is Goof-Off. But don't get Goof-Off anywhere near plastic or paint.
Yeah. Goof-Off is brain-damage level shit. Like throwing 10,000 magic markers and a chemical plant into a paper bag and huffing it up.
@@BruceRichardsonMusic Goof-Off is lighter fluid on steroids.
@@geldner Hahaha. Tired of those pesky thoughts? Ever wonder why stupid people seem so...content? Wipe away doubts and fears with the fresh scent of Goof Off.
It looks like a 50's-60's Astatic microphone. The address on the badge and comparing to another piece of gear. I realized the company was/is Audio Technica. Like the REC it takes a different low z cable