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Best Mic for bass cab to-$500

#21
The king of mics for bass is/was the AKG D12, which did NOT possess the same hideous scooped-mids characteristics as it's successor, the D112. There is one on eBay right now for $449, and that would be my first choice, but it IS a vintage classic, so unless it's for your studio mic locker, forget.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-AKG-D12_W0QQitemZ220158383062QQihZ012QQcategoryZ133001QQcmdZViewItem

Good modern roadworthy alternatives are the Sennheiser MD421-II and Shure Beta 52.
 
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#23
Hey Rod, I've tried a couple different mics on my Berg.

mics3333333rig.jpg


keep your eyes open for a good deal on a used Sennheiser 421 u5 in good condition. This older 421 model is known to sound better than the current 421-II model and is a world class dynamic mic for bass, vocals and nearly anything else you stick in front of it. I've bought 3 of them for way under $200 each and they all sound better than the brand new (421-II) I bought on sale a few years ago for $300.

Its the "tube-amp" of bass-cab mics... ;)

Here's some info:
http://www.google.com/search?source...&rlz=1T4DMUS_enUS221US222&q=Sennheiser+421+u5

If you stumble across a deal on nice used Sennheiser 441, grab it instead. Mine sounds very similar to my 421(s) but has a very tight pickup pattern to help block mic bleed from the other amps/drums on stage.
http://www.google.com/search?source...F-8&rlz=1T4DMUS_enUS221US222&q=Sennheiser+441
 
#24
I have been looking into mics also, so far my short list includes the e609 and MD 421 although there is a great price difference between the two. Can anybody here tell me what happens when a dynamic mic is fed phantom power (PP)? A lot of mixers have global or section PP and I would hate to see smoke coming out of my mic! I have thought about a condenser mic but they can be more fragile and may not neccesarily get fed a decent amount of PP voltage depending on the mixer, hence my looking into only dynamic mics.
 
#26
anderbass said:
Hey Rod, I've tried a couple different mics on my Berg.

mics3333333rig.jpg


keep your eyes open for a good deal on a used Sennheiser 421 u5 in good condition. This older 421 model is known to sound better than the current 421-II model and is a world class dynamic mic for bass, vocals and nearly anything else you stick in front of it. I've bought 3 of them for way under $200 each and they all sound better than the brand new (421-II) I bought on sale a few years ago for $300.

Its the "tube-amp" of bass-cab mics... ;)

Here's some info:
http://www.google.com/search?source...&rlz=1T4DMUS_enUS221US222&q=Sennheiser+421+u5

If you stumble across a deal on nice used Sennheiser 441, grab it instead. Mine sounds very similar to my 421(s) but has a very tight pickup pattern to help block mic bleed from the other amps/drums on stage.
http://www.google.com/search?source...F-8&rlz=1T4DMUS_enUS221US222&q=Sennheiser+441
Click to expand...
I agree that a 421 would be a great choice, especially with that cab. A new 421 in Oz is north of $600. For about 1/3 of the new price you can get a D2 and through a PA I think you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. In a mix, blended with a DI, forget it.

The 421 has a more extended range, both high and low. If you put the D2 as close to the cone as you can to maximise the proximity effect and sit it dead in the centre of the cone to get the highs, it will get the job done. Promise. :)
 
#27
has anyone ever considered blending direct signal with miced signal? what type of gear would you use for this? just a small mixer with a few inputs and then boost te volume of each to taste? some type of blend knob? ive been considering buying my own small unpowerd mixer and mic to combine direct and miced signals. get the mic for the atack/tone and the DI for the bass feel. i know there are many people who do this sort of thing but ot sure how it is acomplished.

anyone ever sue the AMpeg SVT mic preamp or DI box? it has a tube in it to get more awsomeness out of your sound.
 
#28
el_Kabong said:
Here's some real pain... the rrp for a shure ksm9 vocal condenser in Oz is $1499. :mad:
Click to expand...

Ugh! Don't get me started! Lately I've gotten into the habit of importing smaller/cheaper items from overseas, eBay is also a useful source of discounts which is helping to fuel my G.A.S.! :eyebrow:

As for mics - definitely depends on your sound. I use an Audix D6 for my style of music (pickstyle technical punk) as the mid cut is lower than my 'washboard' upper-mid pick attack (~1.5kHz). For those with more of a prominent midrange (ie 600-1000Hz) this mic wouldn't work well. :bawl:

My advice - look at the way you've set up the EQ on your amp and research an instrument mic with a response to match - most mic manufacturers have graphs available for download from their websites. Testimonials are great but in the end it's gotta work for you and your sound. :bassist:

Who knows, you may find something totally outta left-field which works for you. :smug:
 
#30
Thanx Anderbass, for the info & links-good stuff.

The BLUE BALL I can get at a good price for here in Aus. There are a cuppla D2's on ebay(US) atm. One by itself - $20.00 now!!! One with a D3 as well for $145 for both 'buy now'. ???????? Are ppl "faking" these as they sometimes are with Shure SM58's & betas???? These worth looking at?
Thanks all so far! GREAT!!!!
 
#31
I'm in love with blending my Shure Beta 52 with direct signal. I've done this for a couple of years. I'm using a Presonus TubePre now but I haven't gotten to try it with the Beta 52 yet. I really like the character I get with that mic. Then I use the direct to fatten up the bottom and get high end definition.

I can't believe no one else has love for the Beta 52 on here.
 
#35
I use a Shure Beta 52 on my low end cabinet and run direct for my upper end. Our engineer then can blend and mix the 2 signals to get the best tone for FOH. I have been running this way for about 5 years now. I do like the AKG D112, but the Shure is a much more defined sound, IMO
 
#36
Jeff Scott said:
Can anybody here tell me what happens when a dynamic mic is fed phantom power (PP)? A lot of mixers have global or section PP and I would hate to see smoke coming out of my mic!
Click to expand...
I have global phantom power on my VLZ Pro 24.4 console. PP does not injure dynamic mics, but can be fatal to ribbon mics.

I had this problem when doing FOH last weekend. One band had four DI circuits in use. Two in-amp (SWR) and two boxes. They could not use my +48v powered DI, because I refused to turn on global PP to the DI in the SWR amps. My SWR IOD specifically states PP will kill it.
 
#37
It is too bad that most board manufacturers have abandoned individual channel PP switches. Sure would make life easier. I used to have a Western Electric 639B, dummy me sold it years ago. I loved the sound of that ribbon mic for recording; I used two amps running ROS and I would put each amp on either side of the mic and switch the polarity of one cab if needed to maintain the best sound.

I guess there may be a dynamic mic in my future, only thing is I want one that will be good for my bass and also make my Rickenbacker 12 string acoustic guitar sound great. I can't afford multiple mics.
 

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