Dunno if it's the right place to post this, but I'm pretty hacked off at the moment, so it'll have to do...
I think a friend has been conned. She's a singer without much money, and was bought a 'new' second hand mic for her birthday by one of her friends.
They both went to a music shop which I had regarded as being a decent place to buy the mic, a SM57, and were bemused that the shop man insisted on plugging the mic in and shouting things into it, despite the fact that they hadn't asked, and he made no pretence of singing. No matter, the deal was done.
When she came to try it, there was no signal from it at all.
At some point she unscrewed the body and found that the wires inside were broken.
Then she asked me to fix it, but not to say anything to the friend that had paid for it.
As above, it's an SM57. But I think it's a fake. (No. I'm sure it's a fake
)
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3953_zps69124538.jpghttp://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3946_zpse561082f.jpgCorrect number of holes near base & grille below the top is the right colour
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3952_zps38c853e5.jpgRecess around XLR connector rings alarm bells.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3957_zps8b6ad390.jpgWeight is wrong? Should be ~280g??
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3950_zps14c3a2d6.jpgThe screw needs to be turned *clockwise* to screw it in and release the XLR connector (aren't the real ones left hand threaded?)
The wires to the XLR connector are blue/red as expected.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3951_zpsf704a9b0.jpghttp://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3936_zps155dc3d5.jpgPCB looks genuine...?
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3937_zps3ba66305.jpgBut there is *no* continuity between pins 2 & 3 of the XLR with the capsule wires broken off, but I would expect to measure a low resistance due to the transformer, whether the capsule is connected or not.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3940_zps234b0738.jpgBut, there is continuity between pins 2 & 3 of the XLR and the yellow and green capsule leads
:-/http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3942_zps611ecd10.jpghttp://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3943_zps1d68a1ef.jpg I shouldn't see anything here, should I ?
There's no serial number on the top part of the mic, either
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3945_zps82443914.jpghttp://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3944_zps2278a0e8.jpg(And the printing on the 'Sure' logo looks off - the end of the leg of the R should be vertical, I think, not at right angles)
She'd unscrewed the top of the mic at some point, too. The top doesn't rotate as I understand a genuine SM57 should.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3938_zps78e0b0fe.jpghttp://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3939_zps61530df0.jpgThe resistance between the red and black wires is 235 ohm.
The mic came with a Sure branded XLR cable which felt cheap & nasty with a Christmas-cracker XLR connector on the end.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3954_zps987f0b12.jpghttp://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/webstuf/SM57/DSC_3955_zps0f834593.jpgThe various bits seem to be intact, so I could solder the wires back on and make it functional.
The friend insists that she did nothing with the mic until she couldn't get it to work, which suggests that it was faulty from the start. The insistence of the shop man to prove that it worked stinks to high heaven, almost like he switched it for a duff mic that he was trying to get rid of when two females came in to buy one.
SO:
Should I tell her of my suspicions?
Does anyone think it's a genuine mic and I'm a paranoid fool?
Should I just solder it together & say nothing?
Refuse to touch it in case the shop claims it's all somehow my fault?
Solder it back together so she can take it back to the shop as a working fake?
Get trading Standards involved?
What.....?
Addendum:
What rights does she have if she bought 2nd hand from a shop? Is it strictly 'Caveat Emptor?' (i.e. none!)
Comments
ETA: It used to have a decent stock of 2nd hand guitars, so buying used gear there isn't unexpected. (Last time I was in, they had virtually no 2nd hand stock, though.)
Probably a fake but that really does not matter if it didn't work. Faulty Shure mics are rare as rocking horse droppings. Faulty NEW Shure mics are almost unheard of.
In any case the salesman was a pratt since a singer would surely want an SM 58? The differences have been debated ad.n. but the 58 is THE singers mic.
Dave.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Apologies for off topic I'd read they're essentially the same?
Anyway, go for a refund. They can send it back to manufacturer or inspect it themselves. Perhaps ask them to check it is genuine?
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Yeah, that's another part of it - when I saw it, the green/yellow wires were both broken, tightly twisted together and tucked back into the base, so if I trust the singer not to have done it, there's no way that the mic could have worked, and it makes me suspicious about the shop man. I've asked her what he said about any guarantees (bear in mind this was 2nd hand).
Thanks for confirming that I'm not going nuts! Yes, the blue/red wires seem to morph into green/yellow inside the goop. There is what looks like a transformer core inside the goop, but I've seen references to these just being dummies in other fakes. There's definitely no continuity between the green & yellow pair or the blue and red pair which I'd expect if there was a transformer.
At the moment, I think I should screw it all back together and get her to take it back to the shop for a refund.
(Then there's the "This isn't the mic I sold you...." possibility).
Ta.
While I feel sorry for a small shop that got caught buying a second hand fake like this, they can't simply pass that on to someone else, and they should learn to be more careful.
In all honesty, I would never buy a second hand vocal mic unless I knew exactly where it had come from anyway! It seems an odd choice for a birthday present. I don't even like *using* mics that other people's mouths have been in close contact with.
(When I was in a band with three vocalists, I bought them a set of new SM58s and engraved their initials on them, so they never had to use the usual horrible rehearsal-studio and club gig mics.)
Wisdoms for @Drew_fx for being so certain it was a fake to begin with.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Shop said "no guarantee as 2nd hand" when they bought it.
Will be going with them to take it back tomorrow...
Good luck and check this out " Fit For Purpose"
http://www.moneywise.co.uk/cut-your-costs/shop-smart/your-rights-when-buying-second-hand-goods
7 Day cooling off period as well
Fingers crossed you get it sorted
Sounds like a highly dodgy place to be honest. I wouldn't hesitate to call Trading Standards if they refuse a full refund.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Have sussed out the S.O.G.A. & would have no hesitation going to Trading Standards if it all goes pear-shaped (have to go via CAB, first now, apparently).
1
Sorry >:D<