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mertzi 11 January 2014

Hello!

I have two Beta 58's that I had never examined until yesterday and I discovered that they don't look the same. Here's a comparative picture:

 

I think the one on the left is the oldest one but I'm not at all certain. I tried gently to see if the plastic cover on the right one, which I guess is a popkiller of some sort, was removable but I didn't dare to try harder risking to damage the membrane. Is there a way to determine which one is oldest? I can't really hear any difference between them but I figure older = always better.

And another quick question, I use these to record vocals (it is an amazing microphone for my voice) and I've always used a regular mounted popkiller and I wonder if I can/should record with the microphone cover/lid screwed off like in the picture? It struck me that it seems a bit unnecessary to have double the popkilling? Actually this is what led me to start this thread as I discovered the difference between the mics when I tried recording without the cover.

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dvdhawk Sat, 01/11/2014 - 19:23

Did you buy them both new from a Shure dealer, local used, or online?

If not, there are a lot of fake Shure mics being sold on eBay to unsuspecting buyers. Then they in-turn sell them to the next unsuspecting buyer when they realize that bargain price was for an inferior/copy mic. Google the phrase "counterfeit Shure Beta58a" and compare yours to the numerous pictures of cosmetically convincing copies.

Good luck, I hope you didn't get ripped off.

mertzi Sun, 01/12/2014 - 02:39

Thanks for answering!

Yes I've read about the fake shure mics. Both are bought used, locally in sweden, the left one in 2001 and the right one 2008 but I don't know how old any of them were originally. Were there fake ones already circulating 2008? In 2001 I don't even think you could buy from ebay in Sweden, or sell from China.

anonymous Sun, 01/12/2014 - 03:10

Well, you never know how far these fake models permeated the market. They could have been purchased somewhere outside of your locale by the person you bought them from, who bought them from someone else, yada yada yada...

Although, if you aren't really hearing a tonal difference between the two, as you said they both sound good, it's doubtful either are fake, as the counterfeit models have a noticeable difference in sonic character and gain
(or so I've been told by a friend of mine who ended up with one).

As far as the differences in construction, it's possible that Shure made some slight modifications over the years, for example, the AKG 414 has had some slight changes made to its construction as well, over time.
"Older" doesn't necessarily mean "better". A newer 58 should sound just as good - of not better - than an older model that has been screamed and spit into in smoky bars for 10 years. ;)

FWIW, Bouldersound posted this link in another thread here, it might be helpful:[="http://fakesm58.wor…"]

[/][]][="http://fakesm58.wor…"]
[/]
[[url=http://="http://fakesm58.wor…"]How to Spot a Fake Shure SM58 | This blog post will show you the quickest way to spot fake Shure SM58s[/]="http://fakesm58.wor…"]How to Spot a Fake Shure SM58 | This blog post will show you the quickest way to spot fake Shure SM58s[/]

mertzi Sun, 01/12/2014 - 13:31

Thanks for the input! I wonder if it's worth trying to contact Shure over this. I found a great (minus the bad auto focusing) comparative video and as far as I can tell the newest of mine are the real deal:

What I meant with older = better is that if it's older it might be made in USA or mexico, at least not in china, which to me means less "planned obsolescence". I believe everything made prior to moving production to asia (except japan) is more reliable.

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