Ribbon dilemma.

[kung_fu_elvis]

So, I grabbed an Apex 205 ribbon on the cheap, more as a character, fun mic. I have a fathead, which serves most of my ribbon needs.

Working on a project, grabbed the 205 for an acoustic guitar part, and it sounded great. Loved the sound. Moved it afterwards, any contact with the body made a horrible distortion noise, which leads me to think a retension is in order.

My question... will the retension make it sound better? My fear, is that I’ll fix it, but will I potentially lose what I’ve got? The guitar tone was stellar, I loved it.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

It'll be fine. Don't sweat it.

[vvv]

If it sounds good ...

... leave it the fuck alone! (Joe Meek, paraphrased.)

FWIW, a test for ribbon tension is to have it plugged in and turn the mic sideways, upside down, etc. "Clunk" might be bad ...

Another is to shake keys onna key ring in front of it - sound accurate?

But even if it "fails" those tests, see first lines, above.

[drumsound]

The distortion happens when you touch the mic? That does seem odd.

I'd just be sure to mute it anytime I wanted to move it around the room.

Maybe open it up and check/repair the soldering.

[Nick Sevilla]

If the buzz/noise happens when you touch the mic, without moving it at all, then it is a wiring
issue.

Did you change the mic cable?

If you did and it still does this, did you change the mic preamp?

If you did that, and it still does this, are there other devices in the signal chain?

Once you determine FOR SURE that it is the mic, if it hums only when touched, at any angle,
then it is a wiring issue inside the mic, or a bad component like a capacitor gone bad.

Not necessarily the ribbon. They do not hum when they go bad. They either go completely silent,
or they "clunk" when the mic is moved.

[floid]

Distortion, as in electrical? Or mechanical?
As others have said, holding the mic horizontally and rotating it, listen for a metallic "clank", this would be a sign of a slack ribbon.
Tapping the body resulting in ringing would be resonance that can be tamed by putting a piece of foam in the lower part of the body.
Buzzes/cutouts could indicate loose/faulty wiring.
IME ribbons can have quite a bit of handling noise, especially because the gain is usually cranked pretty high.

[DrummerMan]

My 205 sounded great before the ribbon started sagging. After it started sagging it still sounded great, but anything that could make it thunk would make it thunk, including floor vibration, as I used it often for drum OH. I haven't gotten around to figuring out how to retension myself as that feels a tad scary. But the sonic character was consistent before and after.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

The difference you're hearing between the 205 and Fathead likely has to do with the length of the ribbon.

[drumsound]

Distortion, as in electrical? Or mechanical?
As others have said, holding the mic horizontally and rotating it, listen for a metallic "clank", this would be a sign of a slack ribbon.
Tapping the body resulting in ringing would be resonance that can be tamed by putting a piece of foam in the lower part of the body.
Buzzes/cutouts could indicate loose/faulty wiring.
IME ribbons can have quite a bit of handling noise, especially because the gain is usually cranked pretty high.

I wonder what heat would do... Got a small cooking blow torch?

[kung_fu_elvis]

It’s happening when I move the mic, not just contact it.
Definitely tried alternative cables, etc.

Noticed it when I picked up the stand and set it down.
But sounds like a mechanical plosive, if that makes sense.

I’ll aim to do a sideways test. Outside of that some explorations internally. I’ll be using it for a session tomorrow; and then take it to the bench.

Thanks for all the replies... I found myself sidelined the last few days, before I could check back in (warm audio WA-47 landed...lol)