new, more accurate Chinese C12 body!

[MicMaven]

I just bought this one from this seller for 20 bucks. (Hasn't arrived yet)

I purchased that cheaper model (BM-700/800 shell) from that same seller last year with good results. It arrived about 3 weeks into the deal. James

 

[MicMaven]

I continue to ply eBay.com - which I consider light years ahead of Ali-Express concerning service, reliability, and ease of documentation. I have never lost a case or failed to prove a misguided shipment, either timely receiving the goods or a full refund with reasonable effort.

In contrast, I recently I placed an order with A Chinese mail order outfit called www.WGTCenter.com which was a very disappointing experience. First, I waited several weeks before receiving any sort of tracking information. Second, the package took forever to circumnavigate the globe, eventually making its way to Illinois, then Indiana, then Ohio, and finally Michigan, a fairly circuitous route. Third, I received less than 20% of what I ordered. I ordered and expected a few small goodies and a $30 condenser microphone shell - and received several unwanted optical audio cables, two lovely Takstar shock mounts, a pair of microphone zipper bags (replete with holes already worn in their sides), and a number of other silly items I did not expect. Multiple email inquires have gone unanswered. Therefore, I cannot exactly recommend www.WGTCenter.com as a reliable source for mic parts.

Just MY take. Perhaps your mileage may differ. James

 

[Recording Engineer]

I continue to ply eBay.com - which I consider light years ahead of Ali-Express concerning service, reliability, and ease of documentation. I have never lost a case or failed to prove a misguided shipment, either timely receiving the goods or a full refund with reasonable effort.

In contrast, I recently I placed an order with A Chinese mail order outfit called www.WGTCenter.com which was a very disappointing experience. First, I waited several weeks before receiving any sort of tracking information. Second, the package took forever to circumnavigate the globe, eventually making its way to Illinois, then Indiana, then Ohio, and finally Michigan, a fairly circuitous route. Third, I received less than 20% of what I ordered. I ordered and expected a few small goodies and a $30 condenser microphone shell - and received several unwanted optical audio cables, two lovely Takstar shock mounts, a pair of microphone zipper bags (replete with holes already worn in their sides), and a number of other silly items I did not expect. Multiple email inquires have gone unanswered. Therefore, I cannot exactly recommend www.WGTCenter.com as a reliable source for mic parts.

Just MY take. Perhaps your mileage may differ. James

No, you’re spot-on with them. Same sort of experience here; along with so many other people. Like anyone needs more of a bunch of random junk!

 

[MicMaven]

Like anyone needs more of a bunch of random junk!

RIGHT. BUT ... the joke is on them, because I can actually use the lovely pair of heavy duty Takstar shock mounts; they solve a couple of other problems for me. And yet, it seems low grade and slippery not to own up to sending the wrong stuff. I wonder whether some other bloke is equally inconvenienced receiving my stuff, or whether they just send a box of any old stuff so they can keep the money. I wonder if anyone can use FIVE (5 meter) TOSLINK cables ? . . . James

 

[StormsofVogue]

Actually the story has a happy ending, but it is a cautionary tale about purchasing from aliexpress. I eventually received it - like a few days ago. The last week in April, yet the tracking showed "delivered and signed for" April 4. First off, packages from Aliexpress are generally left in my (community) mailbox. No one signs for them and porch pirates are not an issue as the mailboxes are key-accessible. The problem was I was being asked to review a product that hadn't even been delivered so naturally I assumed it got lost. The tracking number aliexpress provides does not translate into anything that Canada Post recognizes so for them to claim it is delivered and "signed for" is blatantly untrue.
Now to contrast that with the package from UTM Industries in Poland, the rest of the U47FETLB project, Igor ships Federal Express and I was notified almost daily with the package's whereabouts culminating in a photograph of it sitting on my doorstep upon delivery! I actually forwarded that photo to the aliexpress seller and told them THIS is the way to ship internationally.
Bottom line I finally got my purchase after much anxiety and the lesson is learned. I no longer purchase anything from aliexpress. Even if I end up purchasing from the same sellers on ebay, at least I'm not patronizing aliexpress which makes a mockery of customer service.
I also do not use paypal anymore. I was going to try to contact a human, or even sub-human on the phone, but after perusing their forum and reading all the other stories about paypal not honoring non-delivery claims, I figured it wasn't worth it and was about to take up my fight with the bank that issued my credit card, when lo and behold, the package arrived almost a month after it was "signed for".

Very odd. My AliExpress packages always update with a USPS tracking number once they hit stateside. Not sure how it works in Canada.

Does sound like you had some bad service from AliExpress, though. Always sucks. I wouldn't take the PayPal horror stories on the forums at their word. It just depends. I've had pretty good experiences (mostly). It helps if you're nice to the rep. lol

I've been buying online for over 20 years. Not much phases me at this point. I've never boycotted a vendor or even taken a significant loss. If I get screwed once, I generally assume it won't happen again... it usually doesn't.

I did have a vendor (or employee thereof) steal my CC info recently. Probably won't buy there again.

 

[rock soderstrom]

Hi, after 3 weeks my package arrived. Ordered on ebay, it came much faster than announced. The microphone was sturdily packaged, looks very good and feels very valuable.

A small scratch is on the body shell, otherwise everything is fine. A few of the supplied small screws were loose in the box.

Here is a small unboxing animated GIF.

 

[RuudNL]

I received a similar package today.
(Isn't the headbasket a bit small for a CK12 capsule?)
Next question: where do we find a shockmount that fits this microphone body?

 

[rock soderstrom]

I haven't had time to look inside the body yet, so far I'm pleasantly surprised for the money. The rest we will see, I'll keep you posted.

 

[rock soderstrom]

Next question: where do we find a shockmount that fits this microphone body?

As already described, the simple shockmounts from some t.bone mics would fit. But your question is spot on, because a higher quality affordable option would be very welcome.

 

[RuudNL]

I just measured the internal diameter of the headbasket: almost 35 mm.
That is going to be a tight fit!

I am not impressed by the quality of those low cost shockmounts.
Usually weak elastic bands and often a plastic(!) 5/8" to 3/8" stand adapter.

 

[rock soderstrom]

I just measured the internal diameter of the headbasket: almost 35 mm.
That is going to be a tight fit!

You are right, this body is pretty slim for CK12 style capsules.

 

[rock soderstrom]

I am not impressed by the quality of those low cost shockmounts.
Usually weak elastic bands and often a plastic(!) 5/8" to 3/8" stand adapter.

I agree, even the aluminum ones are not really suitable for everyday studio use.

These are more a temporary solution for the build and testing phase.

 

[rock soderstrom]

Small addendum. Today I had the free time to look into the microphone. Inside I do not like the whole thing so well. The body shell is difficult to separate from the innards. The reason is that the rods are quite bent. Not so good...

 

[kingkorg]

Small addendum. Today I had the free time to look into the microphone. Inside I do not like the whole thing so well. The body shell is difficult to separate from the innards. The reason is that the rods are quite bent. Not so good...

View attachment 109532

I'll just point to one important thing that affects the response significantly. I'm not sure what the original c12 headbasket looks like on the inside, but it seems to me it doesn't have this 90° wall i mention in this post. I'm battling this issue in almost every mic i make/mod. It makes me crazy. Such a small overlooked detail but very important.

Awesome in that case, the one i had wasn't. Not sure if the ridge is the right term, like here you see how the ring of the headbasket goes above the platform to which the capsule holder is screwed to, making a 90° wall.

 

[rock soderstrom]

Small addendum. Today I had the free time to look into the microphone. Inside I do not like the whole thing so well. The body shell is difficult to separate from the innards. The reason is that the rods are quite bent. Not so good...

View attachment 109532

@RuudNL : Were the innards of your mic also bent like this? I almost can't get the shell down or back, it's quite annoying. Even if you bend the frame to shape, it doesn't fit very well.

 

[RuudNL]

I was lucky enough to receive a microphone body with straight side bars.
(But the metal isn't very thick, so it will be easy to reshape them.)

 

[rock soderstrom]

Thanks for feedback! Indeed, the metalbars are pretty soft.

Edit:

Even after bending back, the body shell is hard to fit. The whole frame is warped, the person who did the final assembly didn't have his best day! I will contact the seller.

 

[wjohn]

I also ordered two of these bodies and received my shipment around the same time as Ruud and Rock. The frame rails on mine were very slightly bent, but not like Rock's. The quality is otherwise quite good, although the headbasket mesh does not line up perfectly.

The comparison pictures below are against a Chunger body with Type 1 headbasket.

Size differences:
Overall length:
Chunger: 248mm
2013madeinchina: 230mm

Diameter:
Chunger: 46mm
2013madeinchina: 43mm

The Chunger headbasket will not fit on these bodies.

The mic fits well in a Rycote USM.

 

[tony hunt]

Has anybody managed to mount a 34mm capsule in these?
I measure 34,6 to 35,0mm inside the headbasket and feel like this is going to be a huge rabbit hole.

 

[RuudNL]

Has anybody managed to mount a 34mm capsule in these?

That's my biggest concern. I doubt if you can fit a 34 mm capsule inside without getting into trouble.
I suppose a 32 mm capsule would be better. (But where do you find a good quality 32 mm. CK12-style capsule...)