SM58 sounds weird after accident

Wayneb

Hi again guys

I lent my SM58 out to a mate in another band and he decided to do the "twirl the mic around by it's cable" trick and slammed it into an amp badly damaging the grill. He said that the mic still seemed to work ok so the gig went on as if nothing had happened. They never had a sound man out the front so not really sure if the mic sounded any different or not, but it worked.

I went and got a cheap Shure knockoff grill from ebay for about $10 and it fitted ok and looked fine. Looks a little different but very similar.

A few days later I was having a jam at a pub and the local sound guy said that my mic had lost all it's bottom end (he's heard it plenty of times before) and no matter what he did he couldn't get it to sound right.

My question is, can the slightly different shape of the knockoff grill affect the sound of the mic, or is it most likely due to the crash? The mic has had a pretty rough life and has been abused in the past, and it always sounded fine after...perhaps this was the straw that broke the camels back.

highmtn

Did you look at the diaphragm of the mic when you had the grille off? The diaphragm of a 58 is just a super-thin material kind of like cellophane, with some embossing on it to keep it stiff. If that embossing was dented, or the diaphragm was torn, or the voice coil has come loose from the diaphragm, then it will never be the same again. There isn't really much about a knockoff grille that should affect the frequency response of a 58, unless it blocks airflow somehow.

Have you also checked the cable he was twirling it by? It could have sustained damage as well, and could be making poor contact at the solder joints, or have a few strands of wire making or breaking contact where they should or shouldn't.

Your buddy probably sent your 58 to the old folks' home for microphones. Just because it still can make sound doesn't mean it will ever sound good again.

I wouldn't be loaning my equipment out to anyone who treats it like that. I would feel like twirling them around, and would probably get myself into trouble.

Wayneb

Not sure how to check the diaphragm, when I take the grill off I just see a foam cover which I can't remove. Not the cable as I've tested on known good ones. I suspect you may be right...might be time to hit him up for a new one.

My kids can use the old one as a toy when they're pretending to be rock stars.

highmtn

A real mic that doesn't work would be a great toy, as long as it doesn't become a club.

:-)