COLLECTING VINTAGE MICS
Collecting vintage mics might seem like a strange hobby to many people, and your spouse may think you've lost your marbles, but collecting old harp mics, or other vintage mics can be a very rewarding, not to mention an interesting and intriguing hobby. It can be a very expensive hobby as well. Like collecting stamps (how boring!), the older and rarer the mics are, the more they will be worth to a collector, and the more it will likely cost to acquire. Unlike stamps, old mics made in the 30's, 40’s and 50's could have some very interesting stories behind them. You can't help but wonder where it was first put to use and what it was used for, and how much it cost back then. A police dispatch mic, a WWII communications mic, a PA mic used in an old school, or just a mic used to record family stories in an era where recording was a new concept.
Back in the late 30's, for the first time in history, regular people were able to make recordings on wire recorders, or recorders that put the messages onto vinyl discs that were the first ways for families who had family members in the military overseas, to send messages to their loved ones. To me, each microphone has its own mystique to it. You can't help but wonder where it's been or who spoke into it. I have found mics from the 40's and 50's with ID markings on them that gave clues as to what the mic may have been used for, such as hand written names or decals that had the identification #'s of certain military units, or old ham radio call signs on them, and certain other markings that may give clues as to what the mics may have been used for.
Unless you can really relate to the mystique and stories that these collectable mics may have behind them, it may be hard to understand why some people, like me, get so excited about receiving a new mic to add to the collection. You really need to be able to relate to the importance that these mics had to the early forms of radio communications, and the development of more modern mics that came about in the years following. Putting together a collection of vintage microphones makes for a very cool and interesting display in any room of your home.
Personally, my collection is limited to mics that are popular with harmonica players of today, and the early days of amplified harp. You won't see many, if any pictures of the old harmonica greats like Little Walter, or the 2 Sonny Boy Williamson's using bullet mics to play amplified. The truth is, is that they usually used the mics that were available to them at the time. There is a picture of Little Walter that is quite popular showing him with a Shure model 777 Slim X in his hand. Many people believe that this was his mic of choice, and is the mic that helped him develop his signature tone. This simply is just not the case. I believe that the picture was a publicity shot that just happened to show him with a Slim X in his hands. I've seen this mic on auction sites described as, the "Little Walter mic". This really is not the case.
Most of the early recordings of the great blues harp players were made using vocal mics, or whatever was available to them in the recording studios at the time. Much of the tone was generated by the early tube amps and the speakers they used which were not quite as refined as the tube amps of today.
I never started out as thinking that I was going to collect microphones when I began building them. But after seeing all the really cool vintage mics and the detail built into them, I though it might be fun to collect mint condition specimens if I could find them. It didn't take long for me to become bit by the bug as they say, and I became a collector as well as a custom mic builder. The mics I buy for my collection are usually models that are NOS, or in mint or near mint condition and all original. Working or not, mics in original condition are more valuable than if they are spruced up with new paint or a working element.
Where to find Them
The majority of my mics were bought on auction sites for a fairly good buck, but some of them I acquired dirt cheap at other places. If you're looking for something in particular, you're best off looking on all the auction sites, but if you're out to find vintage mics of various types, you're best bet is to check out flea markets, garage sales, estate sales, and my favorite place to find cool vintage mics, hamfests. Ham fest's you say? Why would you find old mics at a ham fest? Well if you've never heard the term "hamfest", it's not what you're probably thinking. No, I'm not talking about a public pig roast! It has nothing to do with ham at all. It refers to amateur radio operators, otherwise known as "ham operators".
Hamfests are usually pretty good sized flea markets set up for one day, or sometimes the larger ones will run for a weekend. Amateur radio operators gather to sell their old, used, and sometimes new equipment, and you can usually find a huge selection of vintage electronic items including microphones, at giveaway prices. You'll also find a good selection of used and NOS vacuum tubes, as well as vintage mic parts like adapters, connectors, vintage amp parts, all kinds of electronic parts and just about anything that has to do with electronics. I recently acquired some NOS tube sockets for 25 cents each that you can find on certain amp parts sites for $20 each! I found some hard to find NOS Switchcraft input jacks for 25 cents each that sell for $7 each at parts suppliers who stock them. These are just a couple of examples of the deals to be had at these events.
My first green bullet was a Mexican made 520D that I paid close to $90 for new. My second green bullet was a 1950 model, with it's original black label CR element in it and only a very small chip of paint loss on the edge of the shell. I found it at a hamfest, and it cost me all of $25.00, in near mint condition. It turned out to be a rarely seen model made Shure Brothers for the Stromberg Carlson Company of Rochester, NY., which is where the hamfest was taking place. You can see it in the pictures section of this site. I also found a vintage JT30 with a CR element in it at the same hamfest that cost me $25 as well. $50, not bad for a couple of awsome harp mics that I would have had to pay close to $400 for, if not much more for on eBay! Deals like these are common at hamfests and garage sales, so if you want to find some fantastic deals on mics, look for hamfests in your area and go "garage sailing" on the weekend once in a while instead of taking the boat out for a ride!
You never know what you might find, and keep your eyes peeled for amp's and old speakers too. Some little old lady might have her 18 year old grandson drag an original 59 Bassman down from the attic with a $50 price tag on it! Seems like this is only wishful thinking, but it's not. I'd probably feel guilty paying that little for an original Bassman, so I'd probably buy a few of her old pots and pans for the wife too! Deals like this are out there but you'll never find them from the bow of your boat, or your favorite recliner! Get out there and look around, even if it's only once or twice a month, and the wife might even want to tag along. So you can spend some quality time with your spouse while finding some great bargains, but don't let the wife get carried away and bring home a "trunk full O junk" every time you go out!
Look in the paper for swap meets and estate sales too, and check them out. You won't find something every time you venture out, but when you do find some great deals or rare items, it makes up for all the times you went home empty handed, especially when you see the grandson dragging that amp down the driveway and you say, "how much for tha-SOLD"! Happy hunting!!
I hope you enjoyed reading through my website, and I hope you learned something even more. Check out all the pictures on the next few pages and feel free to email me with any questions you may have about anything related to this site that I can help you out with, or if you're interrested in my "Harp Fanatic" amp. It's the real deal when it comes to top quality boutique amp's, and it looks as good as it sounds!
Come back soon! I'll be adding new stuff, pictures and links to other great informative sites probably for the next year or so, or until I run out of space! Until next time, keep blowin' the BLUES! Contact me at GRBULLETS2@AOL.COM.