U47-style bodies - who can make one?

[Jeremy.Starseed]

Nice that this is still being refined and that I still have the chance to build one.

Looking forward to it!

 

[Skylar]

...waiting for final quote from the wire cloth company on turnkey headbaskets.
Should be good—their quote on just the wire mesh was under $20.


...waiting to hear back from the shop about the discrepancies on some of the parts from the 2nd round of prototypes.
I'm working on an agreement with them about what will happen if parts come in that don't match the specs.


From a logistical standpoint, I'm determining the best way to organize the production of these parts.
The bodies will be shipped unfinished from the machine shop company based out of CA.
The headbaskets will be shipped turnkey assembled/finished from the wire cloth company in TN.

The trouble is you want whoever is doing the matte finish on the headbaskets to also do the matte finish on the bodies so that they match.
This would mean that I'd have to ship bodies to TN (or have the machine shop ship bodies to TN) to have them matte finished while 30% of the headbaskets are also being matte finished.
Extra shipping, Extra cost.
More importantly, though, I wouldn't want 60 or so mic bodies to be shipped to TN, finished, shipped back to me, then I inspect them and notice that there are problems and they need to be re-manufactured. In that scenario, I just wasted several hundred dollars on finished bodies that will be thrown to the bin.


So, what I'm thinking is have the machine shop go ahead and matte nickel plate the bodies and send them to me.
If there are problems at all, I can send them back, and they will fix or redo at their expense.

Meanwhile the headbaskets are being built and finished in a polished nickel plate ONLY.
This way we can have the finishing done in two separate facilities and there is no matching to worry about.
This option MAY reduce cost.

OR just have the matte nickel done in two different places and not worry about if they match or not...


What do you guys think?



I'm about to give the green light on production as soon as I get a good headbasket proto.


So, as mentioned earlier in this thread, the payment situation will have to work like this:
Everyone pays up-front, I place the order, parts are made (production time is TBD, but we've talked about 30 days...the machine shop said they could do 100 in 15 days!), mic bodies are shipped to you.
If something crazy happens and this whole thing cannot be completed, everyone will get their money back in full.
After you place an order, I'll give you my full name, email, physical address, mobile #, work #, etc., etc. so you can get in touch with me in any way you need.
I will also put some of my own $$$ in here so that we can get this going sooner and not have to wait for all of the orders to come in before production can begin.


But you guys will get to see a final, fully finished unit before the ordering starts.


Any questions/concerns?

 

[MagnetoSound]

Hi Skylar,

Perhaps some hi-res shots of a finished proto with the matte basket would answer the matching question?

Then maybe they don't all have to be shipped one way or the other ...

presumably the issue is whether the sand (or whatever it is) used for blasting is of the same grade in both locations - I mean nickel is nickel, right?

Is it possible to specify the type of material used for blasting?

 

[barney]

I'm down for a a 2x matte head baskets but if it's easier for them to be in the polished finish i'm ok with that. 

 

[tommypiper]

Doing the headbaskets in polished nickel only is a good idea and gets my vote.

However, if people want the matte headbaskets, then maybe they'll have to accept the chance that the finish won't perfectly match the body finish.

Personally, I would also take both parts unfinished -- if that were an option. 

 

[maxwall]

Skylar,

Is there a estimated price on these bodies yet ?

 

[TheJames]

I had myself in for matte finish headbasket...But if it makes things easier I'm down with the polished finish.  Whatever is easy and looks, fits great.

 

[Skylar]

Okay, the price on these is going to be somewhere between $175 and $200.

It all depends on the turnkey headbasket price.


I'm going to try to get some samples done of matte finishing at both places and we'll see if they match.
I will specify the finish the same at both places, but I'm sure a lot things will affect what the end result looks like...
bead material/size/grade, nozzle size/shape, air pressure, distance the part is blasted from, etc, etc.

 

[ubxf]

you've done such a great job and if you say that it needs to be a polished basket to be up to your specs i would totaly go with it even though i voted the other way before.
Thanks for the great work
francois

 

[fazeka]

If it were me, I'd do the headbaskets in nickel, they we don't have to worry about matching or not to the matte bodies.

Less hassle as well, with not having stuff getting lost in transit, etc. I'd have to think?

Chris

 

[speakercoil]

So how do I sign up... If I PM you my e-mail, can you e-mail me so I don't miss the green light!? What are we looking turn key price for the body. I read 100 and then 175-200... It doesn't really matter, I just want to set it aside. Also what time frame are we looking at?

I am SOOOOOO excited about this project. Now the next question... Does anyone know anybody who is making U47 PCBs? I was thinking of putting a Gyraf design within this, but if someone has a U47 schematic or PCB, that would ROCK!


Thanks
-Grant

 

[gyraf]

I am SOOOOOO excited about this project. Now the next question... Does anyone know anybody who is making U47 PCBs? I was thinking of putting a Gyraf design within this, but if someone has a U47 schematic or PCB, that would ROCK!

There's severe availability-problems with parts for the u47 - schematic is easy to find though (isn't it on the gyraf/diy/G7-page?).

Jakob E.

 

[tommypiper]

Yeah, there is really no PCB for a U47.  It was just a few components like on a turret board. 

And yeah, about the parts.  The original tube is more or less not available and would cost too much.  People use other tubes, everything from EF86 (see MK47 thread.  Also see G7 project.) to whatever.  Capsules are also an issue.  Therefore, a "real" U47 clone is not possible on a DIY budget.  Doesn't matter.  Great mics can still be made with cheaper parts DIY. 

There are no other parts shortage issues.  The transformers are available in a hi-fi version from Cinemag for ~$120 in single pieces, less in bulk, and true clone transformers are available from Oliver for three times that price... 

Anyway, again, a true U47 is not really feasible on a DIY budget, and cloning a U47 is not the point of this mic body project.

 

[speakercoil]

I am SOOOOOO excited about this project. Now the next question... Does anyone know anybody who is making U47 PCBs? I was thinking of putting a Gyraf design within this, but if someone has a U47 schematic or PCB, that would ROCK!

There's severe availability-problems with parts for the u47 - schematic is easy to find though (isn't it on the gyraf/diy/G7-page?).

Jakob E.

Probably... I haven't read it in a couple of months... However I feel that I already knew that. Especially the tube... Also isn't there an issue with the transformer as well or something like that? So Jakob maybe you can help me with this, but this is probably already mentioned on there as well... Is there anyone making a board for the Gyraf G7?

 

[EEMO1]

what about the fet model?

 

[gyraf]

.. Is there anyone making a board for the Gyraf G7?

Yes.

Jakob E.

 

[Sredna]

I

what about the fet model?

I don´t think Skylar is going to offer an U47fet body at this time! 

(Possibly a Nuvistor body  ;D)

Sorry for OT,

Anders

 

[Paul G]

I haven't read all the way through this thread yet but does anyone have an idea what a ball park price would be to put this mic together?  Yeah, I know, lots of variables.  How about what you're doing and an approximate cost.  Thanks.

Paul ;D

 

[Skylar]

Well, with this body, you could build any mic.

But if you're talking about ioaudio's MK7 mic, here's what I have spent or will be spending:
~$250 - MK7 PCB/transformer (don't remember the exact price, but something like that)
~$375 - Thiersch "M7" capsule and mount
~$100? - PCB parts/PSU parts—haven't bought any of this yet.
~$200 - mic body
~$50 - PSU enclosure
~$25 - connectors
=$1000


The G7 would probably be a less expensive mic to build.
PCB + transformer can be had for under $100.


There's a lot of money you could save in the capsule area, but you get what you pay for.

 

[Paul G]

Well, with this body, you could build any mic.

But if you're talking about ioaudio's MK7 mic, here's what I have spent or will be spending:
~$250 - MK7 PCB/transformer (don't remember the exact price, but something like that)
~$375 - Thiersch "M7" capsule and mount
~$100? - PCB parts/PSU parts—haven't bought any of this yet.
~$200 - mic body
~$50 - PSU enclosure
~$25 - connectors
=$1000


The G7 would probably be a less expensive mic to build.
PCB + transformer can be had for under $100.


There's a lot of money you could save in the capsule area, but you get what you pay for.

Thanks Skylar.  That's what I was looking for.

Paul ;D