U47-style bodies - who can make one?

[speakercoil]

Since you've gone through all of this work... You should save measurements, calculations, etc... I am sure the demand here is much greater than the supply. So you could do an order for them a couple of times a year after the hard work is done, and probably make a good chunk of money selling them here, and over on gearslutz or tapeop. Could end up being a little profitable adventure, especially with so many people interested in building a G7... Just a thought!!!!

Of course then I would end up buying like 6 of those fuckers over the next year or two.

-Grant

 

[dangeruss]

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!

Skylar, I've already emailed you about this, but I just stumbled onto this thread while doing some research for my new project (makingmyu47.tumblr.com) and I am blown away!

I'm attempting to make as near a replica of the U 47 as I can—in electronics and sound, not with a fake badge or anything—and I was researching the body when I happened upon this little project of everyone's. Great job guys, I learned so much while reading this thing! I read this thread from beginning to end like a novel and the climax made every moment worth it!

As I understand it, there still aren't finished microphone bodies produced, but there will be in the not too distant future. Are there any spare mic bodies left? I would love to put my name on one! I also greatly look forward to chatting with the rest of you guys as I go through the process of building my microphone as I'm sure I'll need your expertise from time to time!

Nice!

 

[Skylar]

Thank you, Russ. Welcome to the forum.


Today, I received the invoice for the first run of 200 mics.
The production of the first sample begins next week.

I expect to have the first sample in my hands 2nd or 3rd week of January.


And now some important news:
(good news for those who were not part of the original feeler)
Based on some discussion with the manufacturer...

What I would like to do with the ordering process is leave it entirely open.
That means, the number of people who place an order will be the total number of mic bodies that get made this time around.

After I have approved the sample for production (don't worry, I'll show it here & I'll try to get some professional photos done!),
I will open up an order system and alert all of the folks who participated in the feeler.
I will also post here and purchase a White Market spot.

So, if 389 mic bodies get ordered, that's how many will be made this time around.
Now, a bit of fore-warning: orders placed after the first 200 or thereabouts may be delayed a month while the additional raw materials are acquired (but this may not be the case—so we'll just have to wait and see).

This way, I think everyone should be able to get their mic bodies with minimal waiting, and no one gets left out.

 

[Davo]

;D ;D ;D Can't wait!!
Thanks Skylar!

 

[dangeruss]

Thanks for the welcome, Skylar!

Looking forward to becoming a part of the forum!

 

[desol]

Thanks for the update Skylar.

D.

 

[MediaWorksOKC]

Hi Skyler.

Thank you for everything you have done!

Will a percentage of the bodies still be available raw (no plating)?

Keep up the good work.

Regards,
Chris.

 

[bugfight]

woohoo! rockin good news

 

[TheGuitarist]

Sounds good, any updates on pricing?

 

[oceres]

Great news! Awesome job Skylar!

Can't wait for the pics 

 

[tommypiper]

Hi Skyler.

Thank you for everything you have done!

Will a percentage of the bodies still be available raw (no plating)?

Yes, I would prefer this option too.  So we can do our own plating, painting, powder coating, or leave it raw, etc.

Let us know.  Thanks.

 

[rodabod]

Skylar, did you look into the subject of effectively copyrighting your design work (yes, I know the design is a copy of another design) to stop other manufacturers from stealing your work? It would just seem a shame to see very cheap tube mics made from the same parts in the future.

Regards,

Roddy

 

[matta]

Hey Skylar,

Are the same company doing your lovely PSU case as well? I'd love to be able to purchase them together, if an option. I think many of us bought the PCB for Max's PSU design and it would be great to have a 'matching set'. The other REAL nice feature would to have some way to mount the MK7 sets into the mic body, if not a stock, maybe an option?

Thanks again for all your efforts, MUCH appreciated!

Cheers

Matt

 

[tommypiper]

Ditto, Roddy and Matt.    Important concerns and questions.  

 

[Skylar]

Hi Skyler.

Thank you for everything you have done!

Will a percentage of the bodies still be available raw (no plating)?

Yes, I would prefer this option too.  So we can do our own plating, painting, powder coating, or leave it raw, etc.

Let us know.  Thanks.

None of these will have a raw finish.
The body tube and end cap will be clear, anodized aluminum.
The headbasket will be brass with a polished nickel plating.

If you want to paint or powder coat the body, just do it over the anodized aluminum.
Many finishing processes on aluminum work best if you anodize the aluminum first anyway.
If, for some reason, you want to remove the anodized layer, use oven cleaner then polish the aluminum (details via Google).
Be warned that after you do this, your aluminum is no longer protected from oxidation, and you'll have to refinish it with paint, plating, or anodizing!
So, I don't really recommend removing the anodize layer.
Besides, I've heard experts say that anodizing is the strongest & most resilient finish known to man.

If you want to take the headbasket down to a raw state, use muriatic acid (concrete cleaner); it will remove the nickel plating without damaging the brass.
Or use Caswell MetalX B-929 Nickel Stripper.

If you remove the nickel plating from the brass, you will want to seal it with some type of laquer to prevent tarnish.
Or just leave it as-is if you prefer the brass patina look.


I might try this with a body or two and document my processes & results.

Skylar, did you look into the subject of effectively copyrighting your design work (yes, I know the design is a copy of another design) to stop other manufacturers from stealing your work? It would just seem a shame to see very cheap tube mics made from the same parts in the future.

Regards,

Roddy

If I understand US copyright laws correctly, a work is instantly copyrighted once it's created.
You increase your chances of winning in a dispute if you register with the US Copyright Office.
I plan to do just that, copyrighting the mic body as a sculptural work.

But I have no control over anything that happens in China.
I am signing an agreement with the manufacturer, but if they break the agreement, there is not a thing I can do.
Honestly, if a bunch of cheap mics started cropping up with this body, that could be a good thing
because at that point, the factory would probably be producing them in high quantity, meaning the price would be reduced.
I see that as a positive.
This whole project is about making a well-designed mic body available for DIY enthusiasts...not about me making money.



Speak of the devil...

Sounds good, any updates on pricing?

The price is planned at $200.
I was really trying to get it down to $175.
The shipping & import duties are going to be hefty, and I want to make sure that the US tax doesn't end up costing me money.
But, I am going to throw in a $13 binder 7-pin connector for no charge.

Hey Skylar,

Are the same company doing your lovely PSU case as well? I'd love to be able to purchase them together, if an option. I think many of us bought the PCB for Max's PSU design and it would be great to have a 'matching set'. The other REAL nice feature would to have some way to mount the MK7 sets into the mic body, if not a stock, maybe an option?

Thanks again for all your efforts, MUCH appreciated!

Cheers

Matt

I am working on the power supply enclosure too.
I wanted to get everything cleared on the mic body before I jumped in on the PSU enclosure to simplify the development.
If everything works out, these enclosures will be available with the mic bodies, which is convenient & money-saving for everyone.
I cannot promise anything with regards to the PSU enclosure yet, however.

 

[tommypiper]

Many thanks. 

 

[mich]

Good news.Good job.Good luck.Waiting..

 

[audiovisceral]

How many polar patterns will the PSU's be marked with? The MK7 PSU's sold here were built to support 5 patterns.

 

[Skylar]

How many polar patterns will the PSU's be marked with? The MK7 PSU's sold here were built to support 5 patterns.

As currently planned, the PSU enclosures will have no markings.

They will be totally blank with the exception of a hole cut-out for a fused IEC connector on the back.

So it will be up to you to drill the drillings & mark the markings.

 

[Kingston]

The MK7 PSU's sold here were built to support 5 patterns

That was just a convenience feature. It's still *extremely* easy to make the pattern switch anything between 1 (single pattern, no switch) to five. Just divide the resistors accordingly and short if you need to. It's a generic PSU, and not specifically for the MK7.