My first recommendation...and I suppose it's a little late for this...would be to not buy from a retailer with a stupid policy like that. I can see it for things like in-ear monitors, breath controllers and maybe even headphones and handheld microphones, but high-end studio microphones? Come on.

If you go back, speak with a manager, and insist that you will take all future business elsewhere if they don't take the microphone back you may be able to make some headway. Perhaps just an exchange for credit or something.

-Duardo

what pre are you using

for the price it's one of the best mics out there.... and has a smoother hi end than most.....

good idea to use it with a tube pre though

What was your previous mic? What do you hate about the TLM?
You could have saved $800 and got an Audio Technica 3035. We compared the TLM with the 3035 on vocals and couldn't hear any difference. I use both mics for recording stereo sound effects and can't tell any difference.

We compared the TLM with the 3035 on vocals and couldn't hear any difference. I use both mics for recording stereo sound effects and can't tell any difference.

There is definitely a difference between the two. There may well be times when the 3035 is a better choice, but they most assuredly do sound different.

-Duardo

I have an AT3035 and I like it a lot more than the Neumann(greatest mic I've gotten for the money). Its a lot smoother. This was my first "nice" microphone. I have:
Shure SM57(2)
Shure SM58
Studio Projects C1
AKG C1000
Shure SM81(2)
AKG D112
Audio Technica ATM25
Sennheiser MD421(3)
Audio Technica 3035
Sennheiser E609
Royer R-121
Rode NT-2(also not very cool but I picked it up on ebay for cheap, so eh)
I ran the Neumann through a GR MP-2NV, UA 2-610, and a Vintech X73i. When used as a room mic from 25 feet away or so it was OK on drums. Not very cool on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, or male vocals. It had too much bass and I had to de-ess pretty heavily on the vocals. The GC store manager was a real dick so I'm going to have to sell it myself. I'm hoping to get $900 for the mic and the Neumann shockmount and just eat the $200.

Sorry to say, you may be eating more than $200. These are only going for $600 or slighly more on ebay and have been for years. This mic is one of the great rip offs in my estimate that is available. It's list price is around $1000 yet its resale value 5 minutes after you leave the store is $350-$400 less.

I had a pair I picked up for $430 each and even though I got a great deal, I sold them right away because of they just don't work on a lot of sources. Mine kept sitting around and my less expensive mics got more use.

I would have suggested a better preamp but it looks like you have all the iron necessary to give the mic a chance at success. I came to the same conclusion as you.

I just returned one of my two audix d6's to GC. Kept it all they way til the last day I could and returned it, they didn't ask a single question and put a check in my hand for the full amount. Call the store manager and tell him your situation, you never know.

Tell the store manager your mom is trapped on a rooftop in New Orleans and you need the money to rent a helicopter and get her out.

If he says no, picket in front of the store with a big sign that says, "THIS GUITAR CENTER MANAGER LET MY MOTHER DIE ON A ROOFTOP IN NEW ORLEANS!!"

Have someone take pictures of you. Then post them on this forum.

Thanks.

ROFL!!

roguescout wrote: Tell the store manager your mom is trapped on a rooftop in New Orleans and you need the money to rent a helicopter and get her out.

If he says no, picket in front of the store with a big sign that says, "THIS GUITAR CENTER MANAGER LET MY MOTHER DIE ON A ROOFTOP IN NEW ORLEANS!!"

Have someone take pictures of you. Then post them on this forum.

Thanks.

roguescout wrote: Tell the store manager your mom is trapped on a rooftop in New Orleans and you need the money to rent a helicopter and get her out.

If he says no, picket in front of the store with a big sign that says, "THIS GUITAR CENTER MANAGER LET MY MOTHER DIE ON A ROOFTOP IN NEW ORLEANS!!"

Have someone take pictures of you. Then post them on this forum.

Thanks.

not funny.....

iznogood wrote: [quote=roguescout]Tell the store manager your mom is trapped on a rooftop in New Orleans and you need the money to rent a helicopter and get her out.

If he says no, picket in front of the store with a big sign that says, "THIS GUITAR CENTER MANAGER LET MY MOTHER DIE ON A ROOFTOP IN NEW ORLEANS!!"

Have someone take pictures of you. Then post them on this forum.

Thanks.

not funny.....

Not even a little bit...

roguescout wrote: Tell the store manager your mom is trapped on a rooftop in New Orleans and you need the money to rent a helicopter and get her out.

Very bad taste in humor... I usually love the "shocking" humor that makes people take a step back, but THAT is not a joking situation!!
Now, say your sorry, and lets get on with the thread.

I like what I'm reading about the 3035. I may have to check it out as an alternative "go to" mic for my acoustic guitars!

The TLM-103 shouldn't be that bad. This is a difficult one....

What is your environment like? If your room is not acoustically treated the TLM-103 will sound terrible. With the AT3035 you can get away with more. If you stand back far enough so that proximity effect won't overwhelm your recordings, and you are picking up a lot of room sound that you don't like, you will find it difficult to get a decent result. You can get in closer with the AT, so it seems more forgiving. That's just one possibility.

Of course you might have a great studio, and just dislike your TLM-103.

Sorry to hear that your experience of the mic has been so disappointing. I hope you have better luck with your next purchase 8-)

John Stafford

hey.. i was interested in buying the tlm103.. currently got Røde NT2 and want a step up in sound quality... but now i'm reconsidering.. do you have any sound clips recorded with the mic unprocessed that you can share with us?

roguescout wrote: Tell the store manager your mom is trapped on a rooftop in New Orleans and you need the money to rent a helicopter and get her out.

If he says no, picket in front of the store with a big sign that says, "THIS GUITAR CENTER MANAGER LET MY MOTHER DIE ON A ROOFTOP IN NEW ORLEANS!!"

Have someone take pictures of you. Then post them on this forum.

Thanks.

Phuk ewe (0). Not funny!!

I've returned mics to GC at least a couple of times. As long as there's no lipstick, beer stink, or dorito chucks, I think you'll be OK.

Acoustronic wrote:

I like what I'm reading about the 3035. I may have to check it out as an alternative "go to" mic for my acoustic guitars!

The 3035 has been an amazingly dependable mic for me. I especially like it on female vocals, some male vocals, electric guitar amps, tenor sax, trombone.....the list goes on & on.

The guy I usually go to at GC said that he could exchange the mic for a different one, but can't give me a refund or store credit. I really really want a Soundeluxe U195 but they said there's no way they could get it.

The "Pro Audio" manager also tried to sell me a C414 or a Kiwi for like fifteen minutes. He kept saying they could do a shootoout between the mics but he couldn't give me a refund. Totally sleazy salesman.

You might like the Kiwi. Also, doesnt the Banjo Barn also carry Rode? K2. Or perhaps an EVRE20 and a 421 Senn.....should be pretty close to an even swap....(edit)...I see you have 421's...How about a couple of KM184's..A great compliment to your SM81's.. Have you tried a KSM44? Great Mic. On everything. Really solid through the Great River stuff. A really good mic is the KM105 Neumann. Really really good.You might find your self using this as a tracking mic through your pre selection......BTW I cant imagine a TLM103 being 'bassy'....or any of the TLM's......

Get a k2 and a brick for the money- should be about even and you'll be happy you did.

get a blueberry, itll be an even swap, for a fantastic mic. you might have to wait while it gets sent in from another store, if they dont stock it at that location. just be nice, us gc saleshumans are understanding, and can bend rules to make a customer happy, if we feel they deserve it. be nice.

just be nice, us gc saleshumans are understanding, and can bend rules to make a customer happy, if we feel they deserve it.

Why do you even have that rule in the first place?

-Duardo

tringlesceo wrote: get a blueberry, itll be an even swap, for a fantastic mic.

agreed . also check out the AT stuff.

the no returns on mics rule is due to some health code thing, which could be b.s. but im not sure. imagine a singer with herpes, sars, or bubonic plague getting up on the mic, doing the performance of a lifetime, then returning the mic. you then buy that returned mic and do an incredible performance of your own. on the positive tip- youve captured an excellent recording. negative- you have an incurable disease that will seriously downgrade your sex life. the fifty dollar pop screens may last a lifetime but i dont think they stop airborne pathogens. as for other mic choices, audio technica would also come correct. you might check out an at4060 along with the blueberry.

the no returns on mics rule is due to some health code thing, which could be b.s. but im not sure.

Yeah, that's what I've heard, but I'm sure it is BS. If that really were the case it would be everyone's policy, and you wouldn't be able to bend the rules to make a customer happy.

-Duardo

a singer with herpes, sars, or bubonic plague getting up on the mic

where do you work? It must be a hell!!! God bless you man! That's dedication!!!

I gotta weigh in on this. I rented one of these after reading a rave review, can't remember where.
To my ears, on vocals it sounded like a sibilant hiss machine. It looks good though.

Well I love my 103. Fantastic through the Sebatron.
Different strokes huh?

WRX07 wrote: The guy I usually go to at GC said that he could exchange the mic for a different one, but can't give me a refund or store credit. I really really want a Soundeluxe U195 but they said there's no way they could get it.

The "Pro Audio" manager also tried to sell me a C414 or a Kiwi for like fifteen minutes. He kept saying they could do a shootoout between the mics but he couldn't give me a refund. Totally sleazy salesman.

Does anyone know WRX07 email? I'm trying to get in contact with him.

FWIW, Zzounds has the same mic return policy:

This is a non-returnable item. Microphones (all types), Harmonicas, Ear Plugs, In-Ear Monitors, Heil Talk Boxes, and any other items that touch your mouth, your nose, or your inner ear cannot be returned once opened due to health laws. You should ask again if you believe you know of a store where you can purchase this product and return it, as it is generally not returnable.

As for the TLM, I have a friend with one and he had to go through a couple of preamps before finding one it sounded good with.

Two words...

Sweet

Water!

They WILL do whatever they can to make the client happy. (Short of giving you the mic for free!) They may occassionally be a couple $$ more expensive than your local GC or Musician's Friend or ZZ, but sometimes convenience and service outweigh (or is worth) a few dollars.

J.

PS -

I hate the TLM 103 for most purposes. For $1k, there are better mics - Gefell M930 is a GREAT example. I think had the Neumann engineers of 1970 or so would hang themselves if they had to put their name(s) on the 103.

Sorry to bring you down, but I happen to love my 103 paired up with my Great river preamp. At first I didnt like it when I ran it with a UA 610 preamp.. It shines with the right preamp, though.

As far as not being able to return it, I am sorry you feel that way but next time you should audition a few mics from a more professional source (and no I dont consider GC a professional source for anything)...

Any reputable Pro audio store will allow you to try out a few mics for a week or 2 and let you decide which one you want to keep..

I learned my lesson along time ago.. Stick to GC for strings and accessoires and leave the important purchases to the Real pro audio stores.

I owned a TLM103 and it was horrible thru my focusrite red7
brittle high end, harsh, unforgiving. I like my AT4047 much much better.

I also was disappointed in the TLM103 when first heard through my Focusrite Red-7. Kind of horny and honky sounding. While not a fantastic mic, I still find it quite useable. Works well for me most times with my API 512, ViPre, Neve 1272, Vintech x81, Manley mic pre, Meek VC1Qcs.

Yeah but still for that type of change you'd expect more. Then again what do I know, my LCD is a studio project C1

Stickers has it right. For that kind of dough and the badge on it you'd expect a LOT more. I agree that its entirely pre-amp dependant. Seems the more mid responsive the pre the better the thing sounds. While I dont like this mic all that much, it still has a touch of the Neumann 'air'...I love some of the other TLM series...the 170 is a great mic IMO.. The 193 is a great instrument mic. Still, for that kinda money, I'd look at a LOT of other mics first.

Wow, I never thought I'd hear so many people express dislike for the 103! I'm loving mine, though I haven't tried it on some of the preamps you guys mentioned. I've had mine on Avalons, little cheapie Presonus Tubepres, and even on the mBox built-ins, and gotten VERY satisfying sounds for rock vocals. And the low self-noise is great for ambient/experimental/electroacoustic work, too, on a variety of sound sources. It is relatively expensive for what you get, but then again it smokes the low-end ATs and Rodes and Studio Projects and MXL mics, to my ears. And it's not that I don't like those mics, either--I just REALLY like my TLM103!

I have 2 and I totally agree with the whole "what does your room sound like" comment posted earlier in the thread. My room is pretty dead with lots of bass-traps and these work really well for me.

I've used this mic to record a guy with a Jim Morrison kinda vibe (the band Not Again - http://www.ironlungrecords.com - you can listen to a song there recorded with this mic) and tried almost all the mics in the cabinet and none could touch the TLM.

Also - for a pair of overheads for non-thrash-metal-nu-metal-dealth-metal-screamo drums, they're all I need. No snare mic, no kick. Nothing. Into one of those new Trident pre-amps, I get a really nice balanced sound. If they come off a little boomy, I just use the highpass filter a bit. Oh yeah, a little compression too.

Yes - the depreciation sucks!

As for the whole policy of returning the mic, I'd call GC corporate. Some of the sales associates are either opportunitists or dumb as a box of rocks, but there are one or 2 I've run into that can get things done which suggests there may be some reasonable folks to listen to you.

Good luck.

P.S.
I, too like the Blueberry, but I've found the Baby Bottle more versatile.

Guitar Center swapped the Neumann and its shockmount for an AT 4033 and a 4050. The sales guy I usually go through knows I'm a pretty big commission so he worked pretty hard to fix the situation.

I've only used the two on acoustic guitar so far and I really really liked 'em.

I used the Neumann in a really dead room on drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and vocals and it was OK.

I also used it on drums, vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica in a room with marble flooring and twenty foot high ceilings. Again-not that cool

In all the applications it was just OK. For $1200(including the stupid shockmount) it just wasn't worth it to me. My other LDC's that are a 1/4 of the price work just as well.

I owned a TLM-103 back in the early 90's and it was a fine mic. Not as well loved as my 414B-ULS but a fine mic nevertheless. I more recently built up a digital studio and bought 3 Rode mics to start out with. I am surprised at the flippant attitude towards the Rode product in general, as if it was second rate. I have also worked with a number of the top Audio Technica's, CAD's, AKG's, Neumann's and several others. My personal findings were that the Rode's were supplying less self noise, had more uniform response, less exaggeration in the high end and low end then most, and were overall a superior built microphone........at a lowered price in most cases as well. I now use a NT1-A, NT2-A and my most recent baby the NT2000, which AFAIAC is the virtual equal of any mic under $3000 I've ever touched. Now I'll admit I do mostly vocal and acoustic guitar with my mics, so if you all are doing entirely other things perhaps I'll have to listen and understand. But otherwise I still have to say Rode is the most overlooked mic out there for TOP flight performance..........