Should a Beyer m500 be able to handle a 100 watt Marshall?

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deadair
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Should a Beyer m500 be able to handle a 100 watt Marshall?

Post by deadair » Sat Jun 13, 2015 7:28 am

I just picked up a used m500 and only had about ten minutes to test it out. I put it about three inches from a 4x12 with a 100 watt jcm800 and it was distorting/buzzing pretty badly. I know folks love these on guitar, but am I dreaming by throwing it on a 100 watter? Or perhaps I bought a clunker?

Any knowledge or advice would be appreciated. Of course I'll be trying it on a lower wattage amp soon to see how that fairs.

On a possibly related note, who does reputable work on these now a days? :)

Thanks!

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Post by Matt C. » Sat Jun 13, 2015 8:47 am

I had one re-ribboned at Samar Audio a couple years ago, it took a while but sounded good once I got it back.

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Post by Scodiddly » Sat Jun 13, 2015 3:49 pm

I got one as a gift from a friend a year or two ago - basement cleanout, rotted case foam, etc.

Turned out the resonator (mechanical filter thingy) was loose inside because the glue had gone bad.

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Post by cgarges » Tue Jun 30, 2015 11:20 am

If you don't feel a large blast of air on the back of your hand where you're putting that mic, it should be fine. However, since you bought the mic used, there's a good chance that the ribbon has stretched.

Jon at Shiny Box will repair these. (He does Beyer M260sm as well, but not M160s.) I haven't needed to send him mine yet, but he just did a stellar job on one of my Coles 4038s. He's gonna be my go-to repair guy for that kind of stuff now. There's an easy reference page on his website for it.

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Post by vvv » Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:03 pm

I had him repair a damaged 23L I bought used - did a great job.
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Post by deadair » Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:05 pm

Thanks for the info, that's good to know! Luckily I was able to return the mic to the person I bought it from, so no repairs needed at this moment! :)

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Post by cgarges » Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:07 pm

For whatever it's worth, the M500 is a really under-rated mic. I hate that they stopped making it.

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Post by trodden » Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:57 pm

cgarges wrote:If you don't feel a large blast of air on the back of your hand where you're putting that mic, it should be fine. However, since you bought the mic used, there's a good chance that the ribbon has stretched.

Jon at Shiny Box will repair these. (He does Beyer M260sm as well, but not M160s.) I haven't needed to send him mine yet, but he just did a stellar job on one of my Coles 4038s. He's gonna be my go-to repair guy for that kind of stuff now. There's an easy reference page on his website for it.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC
Another satisfied customer of Jon here. He fixed my Beyer m260 and also souped up my TOMB ribbon. Great guy who builds some great mics and preamps. His ribbon mics and his Si 4 preamp gets used on every session.

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Post by vvv » Tue Jun 30, 2015 2:23 pm

I have a stock M500 but never use it on anything but vocals; I think of it as smoove.

I recall roscoenyc reco'd it some time ago, here.

(Just used it this month and it can be heard on all vocals here and here - rest of the recording chain is listed below the lyrics.)
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Post by Scodiddly » Tue Jun 30, 2015 7:05 pm

Speaking of M500 repairs, anybody know anything about getting fresh foam for inside the grille? It all rotted out on mine.

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Post by gregnrom » Wed Jul 01, 2015 9:05 am

Scodiddly wrote:Speaking of M500 repairs, anybody know anything about getting fresh foam for inside the grille? It all rotted out on mine.
Call Beyerdynamic...

The M500 won't be able to take loud amps or drum close micing without distorting.
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Post by cgarges » Wed Jul 01, 2015 8:31 pm

vvv wrote:I recall roscoenyc reco'd it some time ago, here.
He used it to record lead vocals at my place a few years ago. Sounded awesome. I've done it a few times myself since then.

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Post by roscoenyc » Thu Jul 02, 2015 6:21 am

cgarges wrote:
vvv wrote:I recall roscoenyc reco'd it some time ago, here.
He used it to record lead vocals at my place a few years ago. Sounded awesome. I've done it a few times myself since then.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC
It's still a real favorite at our place.
Thanks for the tip on Shinybox ribbon repairs!
A hyper cardiod ribbon makes the M-500 a really unique mic.

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Post by vvv » Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:29 am

Plus, they look cool. :twisted:

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Post by Matt C. » Thu Jul 02, 2015 8:08 am

one other thing to consider about repairing these mics, not everyone will replace the ribbon with the same style originally used in the mic. When I bought a couple of these they had been re-ribboned using a more "traditional" corrugation pattern. One of the reasons I had mine re-done at Samar audio is he's able to do the original Beyer style corrugation.

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