SM57 in my local pawnshop... should I go ahead and buy it?

bluesnapper

bluesnapper

hot like yo' valves
Spotted a Shure SM57 in a pawnshop window yesterday for £50 - they're £85 new. Should I go ahead and buy it? Or is the warranty worth £35?

I'm looking at getting some recording gear this year - perhaps I should snap this up now. But then again I have no real cash to spend on anything else - a new computer, soundcard/mixer, software etc so it wouldn't see much use for a while.

Hmm... think I've talked myself out of it already...
 
Yep. there are lots of knock-offs. Also, IMO the SM-57 is a better instrument mic, than a vocal mic. I always preferred SM-58s for vocals. I wish I hadn't given my SM-58 to a friend of mine in 2003. At the time, I was band-less (with even less prospects for getting back in a band, than I have now), and she was doing home recording. I'm regretting giving it to her.
 
Doubt it's a fake - don't see too much knock-off gear in the UK - and the pawnshop is a reliable one.

But I checked eBay and they seem to go for £50 all day long on there, so I'm gonna leave it for now.
 
Good call.
It's not a horrible price, but its not a fantastic deal.

They go for about $110 - $120 around here with the rebate that Shure always seems to do. That's around 70£ - 75£ right?
 
For Shure stuff, you might as well buy new. There are tons of knock offs that are almost impossible to distinguish from the real thing, but the quality isn't as high. A real SM57 or SM58 will last you a life time. Well worth spending an extra $20-30 IMO.
 
Prages said:
For Shure stuff, you might as well buy new. There are tons of knock offs that are almost impossible to distinguish from the real thing, but the quality isn't as high. A real SM57 or SM58 will last you a life time. Well worth spending an extra $20-30 IMO.
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This....
 
bluesnapper said:
Doubt it's a fake - don't see too much knock-off gear in the UK - and the pawnshop is a reliable one.

But I checked eBay and they seem to go for £50 all day long on there, so I'm gonna leave it for now.
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Based off what I've seen on recording forums, there are a lot of fake SM57/58 in the UK, especially on Ebay. As Prages said, just spend the extra bit for a new one. One of mine is 12 years old and still works perfectly.
 
I have a SM57 that I use to mic my guitar and banjo for gigs and recording. It is great for that purpose, but is sounds like the chance of getting a fake is bigger than I knew. It seems you are just as well to pass on it as it isn't that big a savings.
 
Yeah, not gonna go for it. I might well end up buying a 'better' microphone anyway later in the year when I have the cash spare.

I've got an SM58 I use for vocals - can't use it to mic an up at the same time live though! I can use this for recording for now.
 
Kerouac said:
Based off what I've seen on recording forums, there are a lot of fake SM57/58 in the UK, especially on Ebay. As Prages said, just spend the extra bit for a new one. One of mine is 12 years old and still works perfectly.
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I have an SM57 and two SM58s that I bought new in 1994. All are still going strong, though I have replaced the windscreens on both 58s and had to resolder some wires on the 57 because the little retainer screw came out of the XLR jack and I yanked the whole guts out of it. :embarrassed:
 
SM57 is probably THE best "all-around-desert-island" mike. Right now, it's my only one, and I use it for singing and micing amps.
 
While it is a good all-around mic, it's kinda like a set of Auratones... They don't sound great, so if you can make it sound great with one you KNOW you're in the good.


Sent from my iPhone at a Tijuana donkey show.
 
Mark Wein said:
This. And if it works it works. They last forever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I was at a recording session once, and the engineer miked the snare with a 57. He told the drummer, "Be careful not to hit the mike with your stick. You don't want to damage your stick."
 
Flatspotter said:
I was at a recording session once, and the engineer miked the snare with a 57. He told the drummer, "Be careful not to hit the mike with your stick. You don't want to damage your stick."
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My all time favorite was a club I used to play where they would mic the kit with ll 57's and then duct tape forks or spoons on the to deflect drumsticks :facepalm:
 
I don't know why, but aside from using it for recording a ton, I also like my 57 for vocals. Just the mouthfeel of it or something.

I had more success than I expected micing a drum kit with a single 57 the other day when I was demo-ing shit. :embarrassed:
 
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