GT 33s and 44

[Gus]

I saw on the web that GC has reduces the gt33 and 44s to 99 and 199. I bought two 33s and one 44 only 44 I could find. Went to two GCs.

I think I wasted my money. They have a weird resonating chamber sound to them. As I work with microphones more I am becoming more sensitve to grill reflections.

The guts look OK. in the 33 and 44.

FWIW the 44 is a hybrid there is a fet that "touches" the capsule before the 5840 did not trace the complete circuit. 5840 is wired weird the plate lead is cut off not even connected to ground to act like a shield?

The build looks like a tenlux superlux build the transformer looks alot like one inside a sampson CL7. Lams look like they might be mu more shiny than other china transformers I have seen.

The capsule looks like a ? design IMO. The diaphram is recessed and there is what looks to be a resonater disk above then there is a cloth damped grill on the capsule and the the whole mess is inside a double mesh screw on grill. Lots of refections going on.

I will take pictures. If any one is thinking about them I would say try them out first. I don't know if I like them. I think the capsule design is what I am not liking the electronics seem to be OK.

I just removed the capsules grill mesh on one it seems a little better.

I like my modded 012s better and wish I still had my modded 603s.

Zebra would you like me to send pictures?

 

[jrmintz]

Gus,

Is there a reasonably simple way to measure what the grill is doing to the sound? How can you measure reflections and acoustic effects inside such a small space? I've always wondered about this.

 

[Emperor-TK]

Yep, I agree. I was chatting with Gus about my opinion of my 44. Back when GT was splitting from Alesis, I bought an Alesis branded 44 because Fletcher was raving about them for acoustic guitars. Personally, I just don't see it. The mic sounds boomy and boxy to me. With a ton of EQ, I can get something reasonable, but that goes against my idea of a good mic/source match. I don't take it off the shelf much.

-Chris

 

[Gus]

I have been thinking about that. Its an energy storage thing maybe a very slow sweep at the frequencys calculated from the spacings of the mesh/grill. Slow so the energy has time to build up.

 

[Gus]

Chris

I just removed the grill on the capsule it helped. Take a small flat blade screwdrive face the capsule down and the grill popped out on mine. You can't use the microphone without the outside grill you get 60Hz hum.

I

 

[chrissugar]

Hi Gus

I had exactly the same experience with their jfet microphone. They also have the resonating chamber sound and no headroom.

chrissugar

 

[Gus]

I sent Zebra some pictures of both the 44 and 33.

What microphone capsule of the past did china copy for this?

The 44 is not a true tube microphone but a microphone that has a tube.

chrissugar what Jfet model microphone?

 

[chrissugar]

This is the mike: MD1b-FET
http://www.groovetubes.com/product.cfm?Product_ID=1772

chrissugar

 

[Gus]

chrissugar

I think I read the "original" GT MD1 use a sony c37 type capsule a 12at7 with the2nd part a CF into a 4:1 output transformer.

I often wondered if the MD1 microphone had any input from SPA. The reason is in the GT tube book I have there are is a picture of SP in it.

 

[zebra50]

Hi!
Sorry for the late arrival. Gus - thanks for the pix.
I missed this thread earlier - I think it had dropped off the bottom of the page already!

They must have had a reason to add the resonator/network. The shure 949 electret that I dissected a while back had one of these too. And the LD oktavas!

Here are Gus's pictures.

 

[Bear]

Is the prognosis on these guys still not good? Better to get the MXL 991/603s to mod instead?

Bear

 

[Gus]

I have not had time to go back to them. IMO modded 603 are very very nice.

 

[Gus]

I should add I read that the older capsules in the 603 might be different than the newer ones. The 603 pair I worked on were older ones.

Anyone else try the gt44s and 33s. The electronics seem to be ok even the caps.

What was groove tubes thinking with the capsule? I am thinking of fitting another capsule to the 44.

Anyone know what microphone they might be derived from?

 

[pucho812]

couldn't you Mod the grill out with liner? thus removing some of the reflections :grin:

 

[pstamler]

[quote author="Gus"]Anyone else try the gt44s and 33s. The electronics seem to be ok even the caps.

What was groove tubes thinking with the capsule? I am thinking of fitting another capsule to the 44.

Anyone know what microphone they might be derived from?[/quote]

When I first reviewed them I liked what I heard on certain instruments, but they have not worn well. At this point I pretty much reserve them for use as room mics, and on congas. As folks say, there's some weird echo-chamber effect.

It's possible there was some influence from the Shure SM81; at least, the 33 sounded a lot like one when I A/B'd them. The 44, however, didn't, although there was a family resemblance.

Very weird mics. A capsule mod or replacement would indeed seem in order.

Oh, one other thing: when I received mine they were wired in reverse polarity. I had to switch them.

Peace,
Paul

 

[tubemonkey35]

A friend bought those GT 33 and 44 mics for the same deal. I went over and checked them out. I heard the same thing you have described; I did not like the 44 at all.

I lent him try my Royer Mod mic to try and he loves it.