Vintage Neumann U 87 AI Condenser Microphone With Goodies

Description: This is by far the best sounding u87 I’ve ever owned and comes with all the goodies and extras, even multiple mounting systems and an extra capsule! Looking for the very best vintage money can buy? You found it. Every inch of each item has been gone over Aug 2024 for this sale. The upgraded rebuilt swivel mount has a new cable with Neutrik connector, new elastic bands on shockmount, mic was serviced, etc. This mic is the Real deal with all the accessories including a pelican case. This has been the studios favorite FET mic in the locker of our 200+ mics since we got it and I’ll be sad to see it go but it’s time. Extremely clean and well taken care of, never dropped and always stored in its case in a climate controlled smoke and pet free studio. This U87 is not shrill like a new U87 AI’s either, just warm and clear like they should be. A perfect specimen of the greatest FET mic ever made. Comes with a completely rebuilt Swivel Mount as well (see last few pics). These are worth about 600-800 alone! The old green plastic Switchcraft connectors notoriously dry rot and disintegrate in the barrel so this one was completely rebuilt with a brand new inner barrel jack, new 17’ cable and genuine Neutrik connector on the end. All the old solder was replaced with leaded Kester solder too. I can shorten the cable or make it a pigtail if you prefer, at no cost. The mic also includes a ton of extras such as a new pelican style waterproof case as well as a red velvet vintage U87 original mic case (hinge and latch work fine). A metal shockmount with new elastic bands is also included so you can use either the swivel mount or shockmount at your discretion. The shockmount has brand new black elastic bands on it. Also included is an extra vintage Neumann K87 capsule (the dirtier one shown in pics)! The mic has a brand new Neumann K870 capsule installed 2023 (an extra $700 value). The old K87 capsule is ALSO included and although it could use a reskin. The one side is perfectly fine but the backplate is slightly warped and unacceptable for Omni and figure eight operation. The mic currently sounds flawless and has zero issues. You can easily reskin and reinstall the original capsule and sell this one for $600 if you like (new capsule is in brand new condition). This is the 1980’s U87 A I P48 vintage (NOT the Ai). Fun fact, you can tell an 80’s vintage by the way they wrote U87 on the bottom black sticker band. The “A” and the “I” have a space between them before the P48, unlike new reissues that just say “Ai” ( instead of “A I” ). That’s why the 80’s U87 is often referred to simply as the “U87 A.” Since it has a slightly different design than the new brighter Ai versions, this model is known to be one of the best sounding u87’s ever made. This is because it is not so old that the electrlytic capacitors are shot (vintage caps were designed to last 15-20 years, whether the mic was used or not) but also old enough to have a closer sound to the older darker generation, with the improvement of better SNR and improved 10db output. A lot of people will tell you that the 60s U87s are much darker, which is more desirable. I staunchly disagree. Firstly, the design is almost exactly same, they share the same capsule and topology (minus the useless battery compartment) and often, the reason they can appear darker is because they are losing fidelity due to the 70 year old dried out electrolytic capacitors and the resistors are brittle. The dark character can equate to a general mud and a more difficult fold-in job while mixing. Engineers at Neumann fixed this with the following “A” version, which I believe is the best of both worlds. The 1980’s U87’s have an almost identical design with the improvement of a slightly higher bias voltage (thanks to a slightly modified transformer) that yields 10db hotter output and a quieter noise floor, while retaining the same warmth and improved SNR! That’s why the 80’s vintages have often been heralded as the best sounding 87’s ever made by many engineers. I’ve had about a dozen of these and I slowly sold them off and kept the best for last. Now that I have a 60’s AKG C24 and my trusty old vintage U67‘s I just don’t use the 87‘s on anything anymore, so it’s time to go. Let someone who’s going to use it own it instead of it just sitting on a shelf in its case over here in our locker. Any questions please ask. Thanks for looking. No trades on this one please (unless you got something super cool like a refurbished Jupiter-6, C-37, oberheim x-a, 60’s strat or something I couldn’t say no to). Pickup or available in NYC area. Delivery to NJ or NY also available for nominal fee. Thanks for looking. Follow our shop! All the best - JML

Price: 6345 USD

Location: Nutley, New Jersey

End Time: 2025-01-24T16:59:20.000Z

Shipping Cost: 40 USD