UREI Graphic EQs

[joninc]

hey guys -

i was wondering if any of you have modded the UREI 533 eqs at all?

a much more experienced mixer guy i know told me about em as the poor man's API. it's a 10 band graphic and can be had for pretty cheap these days. same frequency points as the API. of course i am sure that's where the similarities end but still i am wondering if there are some upgrades that could be done to get it more in the ballpark.

anyone else used these at all?

[joel hamilton]

Yes. not quite API 560, but certainly sound pretty good. if it had knobs on it instead of sliders it would cost double what they are going for at LEAST.
They sound good, especially after a re-cap/rebuild. Really tightens them up a lot to use better quality caps, not to mention newer caps.

If you dont have a ton of choices for EQ, this could be a cost effective solution, for sure. They sound pretty great.

[Mradyfist]

Someone on the Minneapolis Craigslist is selling a UREI 539 graphic EQ for $80. I've already responded, since they seem to go for over that on eBay, but do you know if this model is in the same class as the 533?

[joninc]

thanks for the replies - i don't think the 539 is similar - might be one of the 30 band eqs? i don't really know.

how hard is "recapping" as a DIY project joel?

any idea what you might expect to pay someone to do it?

i wonder if you can replace the opamps
with API if it would really start to do something ...

[i am monster face]

I like it for drastic eq changes. I love turning up the input gain until it turns to red, then back a little bit. Throw some drums through it and you got a great little drum smasher-upper that you can eq as well. I have the 535 however.

Ian

[The Real MC]

Just watch out for the slidepots. They dry out and get sticky. Replacements are not easy to get.