Vintage bluegrass vocal mic

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Brad Harris

Sophomore
Mar 1, 2011
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I have a long run in the works down the line, and I need to find a vintage looking Bluegrass Mic to use with 3 singers for an acoustic portion of a show for their vocals.

I know KD Lang does something similar with a stereo mic with her and 2 other band members, but I can't remember what they use the few times they've come thru.

Is there anything out there of more recent, stable and not fragile, looking Can mics (or other big bodied) of old? Stick a bunch of modded 57 or 451 in a cool looking grill?

BRad
 
Re: Vintage bluegrass vocal mic

Brad Harris said:
I have a long run in the works down the line, and I need to find a vintage looking Bluegrass Mic to use with 3 singers for an acoustic portion of a show for their vocals.

I know KD Lang does something similar with a stereo mic with her and 2 other band members, but I can't remember what they use the few times they've come thru.

Is there anything out there of more recent, stable and not fragile, looking Can mics (or other big bodied) of old? Stick a bunch of modded 57 or 451 in a cool looking grill?

BRad
Click to expand...

I used one of these on the road and their quality is outstanding: AEA Replica RCA Shells and Parts – Products – RCA Replica Mic Shells and Replacement Parts

I recommend using an Audio-Technica ATM450 inside.
 
Found a pic of KDs setup. Gary was saying how well it worked for them.

Preferably looking for a real mic, under $1500
 

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Re: Vintage bluegrass vocal mic

I'm sorry, but I really have to do this:

Vintage Bluegrass vocal mic...

Doo-dah

Doo-dah

There. I'm free now...
 
Re: Vintage bluegrass vocal mic

Brad Harris said:
I have a long run in the works down the line, and I need to find a vintage looking Bluegrass Mic to use with 3 singers for an acoustic portion of a show for their vocals.

I know KD Lang does something similar with a stereo mic with her and 2 other band members, but I can't remember what they use the few times they've come thru.

Is there anything out there of more recent, stable and not fragile, looking Can mics (or other big bodied) of old? Stick a bunch of modded 57 or 451 in a cool looking grill?

BRad
Click to expand...

How vintage is "vintage"? 1940? 1950? 1960?

Just did a gig with The Haunted Windchimes. They carry an interesting microphone tree with 3 elements: an x-y pair for instrument pick up and a single transducer for vocals. It's a custom build from a guy in New Jersey, IIRC and the mechanics are all common home-improvement or hardware store items. It's very period-looking and worked better than I anticipated.

Perhaps someone is familiar with this thing... I'm trying to find a picture or other info.
 
Re: Vintage bluegrass vocal mic

Tim McCulloch said:
How vintage is "vintage"? 1940? 1950? 1960?

Just did a gig with The Haunted Windchimes. They carry an interesting microphone tree with 3 elements: an x-y pair for instrument pick up and a single transducer for vocals. It's a custom build from a guy in New Jersey, IIRC and the mechanics are all common home-improvement or hardware store items. It's very period-looking and worked better than I anticipated.

Perhaps someone is familiar with this thing... I'm trying to find a picture or other info.
Click to expand...

This?
btmhauntedwindch.jpg btmhauntedwindch.jpg
 
Re: Vintage bluegrass vocal mic

That guy on the dog-house has got "my" old blonde Kay and knows how to use it as bass/drums with the string snap and slap.

Here's a link to a concert of theirs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvRCUFO2WB4

Looks like 81's down, but I don't know what's "up" for them. Great vindication for knowing how to play together and how good an "enhanced" single mic setup can work. You can tell they can work without a sound system by their ability to over-drive the LDC when they really cut loose. Too bad the recordist wasn't paying attention to the input levels.
 
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Re: Vintage bluegrass vocal mic

Lee Brenkman said:
I have encountered those and the FOH guy for the band said he REALLY would have liked them IF the main guy in the band didn't want so much monitor level out of his ;-)
Click to expand...

I asked my monitor guys about this, and on one stage we were able to give them a surprising amount of wedge level; on another stage we had less SPL in foldback, and our other stage (the big 5 sided trapezoid), almost none. The latter does not surprise me...

My standard of comparison is a Rode NT-1 (original, not the 1a). The Rode is pretty even except for a bit of presence around 5kHz. The Josephine had her presence peak somewhere else, and it required more HPF than the Rode. I'd have liked to spent a few minutes listening to it and ringing it gently, but it was mostly "smile and dial, festival-style." As they played I finessed the EQ a bit and felt the house sound represented the artist in a sonically pleasing way consistent with their genre. Haunted Windchimes also had a pair of Eartrumpet Edwina in X-Y configuration, mounted below the Josephine for instrument pickup.

They were fun, too, and I hope to work with them again. :)
 
Re: Vintage bluegrass vocal mic

Lee Brenkman said:
I have encountered those and the FOH guy for the band said he REALLY would have liked them IF the main guy in the band didn't want so much monitor level out of his ;-)
Click to expand...

One of my Clara mics toured for a year or two with The Low Athem, and I don't think they had any at all in the monitors. Those guys were all about hearing the room sound, though. Surprising how well it worked out, though they did tour with a really good sound guy (Jesse Lauter). I saw them using it in a small Chicago club and it sounded great.
 
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