[Robert Orban]

In 1964, I bought three Neumann U67s for use in my live recording
service, with which I made a bit of extra spending money when I was in
college. Thanks to having a father in the import/export business, I was
able to get someone in Germany to remove the Neumann badges, thereby
allowing the mics to be imported without having to pass through Gotham
Audio, which owned the rights to the Neumann trademark in the US at the
time. The mics cost me $100 each (in 1964 dollars), which was far less
than Gotham was charging.

I have used them frequently over the years, most often for vocals. The
singers with whom I work are used to the U67 sound. However, 43 years
after my original purchase, all three are noisy, with various hisses and
crackles. Additionally, the plastic sockets in mic side of the cable are
cracked so that the setscrews no longer prevent the sockets from
rotating inside their metal shell.

Given these problems, I tossed in the towel and ordered a U87, which I
presume can be made to sound close to the U67 on vocals because the
capsules are ostensibly identical.

The leaves the question of what to do about the U67s. I don't feel that
I am qualified to work on them -- this is definitely work for a
specialist. If they could be refurbished at a reasonable price, it seems
to me that this would be worth doing. However, they are over 40 years
old, and electronics of that era are difficult to keep in working order.
I know that there is a certain amount of fetishism about the U67, but I
would like to approach the decision in a more clear-eyed way.

So my questions are these:

1. Is there anyone out there who is known to be reliable and to do good
work in overhauling U67's? By this, I mean replacing or repairing
components (including power supply capacitors) as necessary to achieve
as close to "factory-new" performance as possible.

2. What is a reasonable price to pay for an overhaul?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Bob Orban

[Rick Ruskin]

Doug Walker Microphone Repair in Canada. Should be easy to find on
line but if not get back to me and I'll dig up the contact info.

RR



On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:46:18 -0800, Robert Orban
wrote:

In 1964, I bought three Neumann U67s for use in my live recording
service, with which I made a bit of extra spending money when I was in
college. Thanks to having a father in the import/export business, I was
able to get someone in Germany to remove the Neumann badges, thereby
allowing the mics to be imported without having to pass through Gotham
Audio, which owned the rights to the Neumann trademark in the US at the
time. The mics cost me $100 each (in 1964 dollars), which was far less
than Gotham was charging.

I have used them frequently over the years, most often for vocals. The
singers with whom I work are used to the U67 sound. However, 43 years
after my original purchase, all three are noisy, with various hisses and
crackles. Additionally, the plastic sockets in mic side of the cable are
cracked so that the setscrews no longer prevent the sockets from
rotating inside their metal shell.

Given these problems, I tossed in the towel and ordered a U87, which I
presume can be made to sound close to the U67 on vocals because the
capsules are ostensibly identical.

The leaves the question of what to do about the U67s. I don't feel that
I am qualified to work on them -- this is definitely work for a
specialist. If they could be refurbished at a reasonable price, it seems
to me that this would be worth doing. However, they are over 40 years
old, and electronics of that era are difficult to keep in working order.
I know that there is a certain amount of fetishism about the U67, but I
would like to approach the decision in a more clear-eyed way.

So my questions are these:

1. Is there anyone out there who is known to be reliable and to do good
work in overhauling U67's? By this, I mean replacing or repairing
components (including power supply capacitors) as necessary to achieve
as close to "factory-new" performance as possible.

2. What is a reasonable price to pay for an overhaul?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Bob Orban

Rick Ruskin
Lion Dog Music - Seattle WA
http://liondogmusic.com

[Frank Stearns]

Robert Orban writes:

The leaves the question of what to do about the U67s. I don't feel that
I am qualified to work on them -- this is definitely work for a
specialist. If they could be refurbished at a reasonable price, it seems
to me that this would be worth doing. However, they are over 40 years
old, and electronics of that era are difficult to keep in working order.
I know that there is a certain amount of fetishism about the U67, but I
would like to approach the decision in a more clear-eyed way.

So my questions are these:

1. Is there anyone out there who is known to be reliable and to do good
work in overhauling U67's? By this, I mean replacing or repairing


Hi Bob -

There is a world-known fellow out here in my neck of the woods (NW Oregon) whose
first name is Klaus (originally from Germany) who can refurb/modify most of those
older mics.

The two major studios in town plus two independents have used him with excellent
results for upgrades and repairs on both SD and LD Neumanns.

Perhaps someone else will know exactly who I'm talking about and can provide current
contact info; if not I have three, probably four, sources for references and for
contact info.

If no one comes up with the contact info do feel free to reply via email to this
post directly and let me know; I can then get that for you.

Best,

Frank Stearns
Mobile Audio

--

[Scott Fraser]

There is a world-known fellow out here in my neck of the woods (NW Oregon) whose
first name is Klaus (originally from Germany) who can refurb/modify most of those
older mics.

Klaus Heyne. Doesn't have a website, you need to call him. Last I
heard he was not taking any new orders until he caught up with a
several year long backlog of work.

Bill Bradley Mic Shop might be worth a call.

Scott Fraser

[Mikey]

"Robert Orban" wrote in message
...
In 1964, I bought three Neumann U67s for use in my live recording
service, with which I made a bit of extra spending money when I was in
college. Thanks to having a father in the import/export business, I was
able to get someone in Germany to remove the Neumann badges, thereby
allowing the mics to be imported without having to pass through Gotham
Audio, which owned the rights to the Neumann trademark in the US at the
time. The mics cost me $100 each (in 1964 dollars), which was far less
than Gotham was charging.

Well, I'll give ya TWO hundred apiece for 'em & you can make DOUBLE your
money.

Sorry, I just wanted to be first to say it.

Mikey Wozniak
Nova Music Productions
This sig is haiku

[Scott Dorsey]

Robert Orban wrote:

1. Is there anyone out there who is known to be reliable and to do good
work in overhauling U67's? By this, I mean replacing or repairing
components (including power supply capacitors) as necessary to achieve
as close to "factory-new" performance as possible.

I believe Neumann actually will still work on the U67, and they have some
of the more commonly failing parts. I'd call them first.

2. What is a reasonable price to pay for an overhaul?

Dunno, a lot depends on what needs replacement.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Joe Kotroczo]

On 26/09/07 15:44, in article , "Scott Dorsey"
wrote:

1. Is there anyone out there who is known to be reliable and to do good
work in overhauling U67's? By this, I mean replacing or repairing
components (including power supply capacitors) as necessary to achieve
as close to "factory-new" performance as possible.

I believe Neumann actually will still work on the U67, and they have some
of the more commonly failing parts. I'd call them first.

http://www.neumann.com/?id=service_s...points&lang=en

"Neumann repairs all of its microphones produced since the second world war,
to a large extent using the original spare parts! Your service center will
be pleased to prepare a cost estimate for you in advance.(...)"


--
Joe Kotroczo

[Robert Orban]

In article , says...


On 26/09/07 15:44, in article , "Scott Dorsey"
wrote:

1. Is there anyone out there who is known to be reliable and to do good
work in overhauling U67's? By this, I mean replacing or repairing
components (including power supply capacitors) as necessary to achieve
as close to "factory-new" performance as possible.

I believe Neumann actually will still work on the U67, and they have some
of the more commonly failing parts. I'd call them first.

http://www.neumann.com/?id=service_s...points&lang=en

"Neumann repairs all of its microphones produced since the second world war,
to a large extent using the original spare parts! Your service center will
be pleased to prepare a cost estimate for you in advance.(...)"


--
Joe Kotroczo


Thanks for the advice. It's nice to know that Neumann still stands behind its
very old mics. I will contact them first.

[WillStG]

On Sep 26, 5:44 pm, Robert Orban wrote:
In article , says...





On 26/09/07 15:44, in article , "Scott Dorsey"
wrote:

1. Is there anyone out there who is known to be reliable and to do good
work in overhauling U67's? By this, I mean replacing or repairing
components (including power supply capacitors) as necessary to achieve
as close to "factory-new" performance as possible.

I believe Neumann actually will still work on the U67, and they have some
of the more commonly failing parts. I'd call them first.

http://www.neumann.com/?id=service_servicepoints =en

"Neumann repairs all of its microphones produced since the second world war,
to a large extent using the original spare parts! Your service center will
be pleased to prepare a cost estimate for you in advance.(...)"

--
Joe Kotroczo

Thanks for the advice. It's nice to know that Neumann still stands behind its
very old mics. I will contact them first.

FWIW BLUE did some nice complete refurbishing of Vintage Neumann's
U67's and Telefunken U47's, rechroming and the whole deal. Made them
look great, but they have no website links for that kind of service
anymore.

Will Miho
NY TV/Audio Post/Music/Live Sound Guy
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

[David Satz]

Bob, the people who steered you to Neumann are correct--Neumann still
supports the U 67 completely (apart from the non-availability of the
NU 67 power supply). They even did a complete reissue edition of the U
67 with all original parts at one point during the 1990s. They can
normally supply anything that may be needed, including replacement
capsules of the proper type. Those have never even been out of
manufacture--the SM 69 and USM 69 stereo microphones use[d] the same
exact capsule type, as does the present-day model U 87Ai.

But it's not correct to assume that the U 87 is simply the solid-state
counterpart of the U 67. The U 67's amplifier circuit uses a fairly
complex feedback arrangement to tailor the capsule's rather bright
"native" response, with 16 kHz sensitivity that is some 7 dB reduced
relative to 1 kHz. The U 67 was introduced in 1960; by 1968, when the
U 87 was introduced, it was considered desirable to make it just a
little brighter and more incisive sounding. So the U 87's amplifier
circuit has a different, simpler feedback arrangement, with response
at the highest frequencies that is slightly more extended and elevated
relative to that of the U 67. Thus the sound of the U 87 has never
been quite as round and smooth as that of the U 67.

--best regards

[David Satz]

On Sep 27, 8:36 am, Will Miho wrote:

FWIW BLUE did some nice complete refurbishing of Vintage Neumann's
U67's and Telefunken U47's, rechroming and the whole deal. Made them
look great, but they have no website links for that kind of service
anymore.

Will, BLUE's refurbs were always very beautiful to look at, but they
substituted BLUE's own capsules for the originals, and in some cases
other important parts such as output transformers--even for
microphones where the original parts were still functional and/or
authentic Neumann replacement parts were readily available. This was
certainly no secret. But any Neumann (or other) microphone refurbished
by BLUE is definitely not going to sound like the original, and people
should understand that clearly. What they did to microphones such as
the U 47 or M 49 made them very difficult and expensive to restore to
Neumann specifications and sound later on, if that's what a person
really wanted.

As you mentioned, though, they've since discontinued this service.

--best regards

[Ty Ford]

On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:06:35 -0400, David Satz wrote
(in article .com):

Bob, the people who steered you to Neumann are correct--Neumann still
supports the U 67 completely (apart from the non-availability of the
NU 67 power supply). They even did a complete reissue edition of the U
67 with all original parts at one point during the 1990s. They can
normally supply anything that may be needed, including replacement
capsules of the proper type. Those have never even been out of
manufacture--the SM 69 and USM 69 stereo microphones use[d] the same
exact capsule type, as does the present-day model U 87Ai.

But it's not correct to assume that the U 87 is simply the solid-state
counterpart of the U 67. The U 67's amplifier circuit uses a fairly
complex feedback arrangement to tailor the capsule's rather bright
"native" response, with 16 kHz sensitivity that is some 7 dB reduced
relative to 1 kHz. The U 67 was introduced in 1960; by 1968, when the
U 87 was introduced, it was considered desirable to make it just a
little brighter and more incisive sounding. So the U 87's amplifier
circuit has a different, simpler feedback arrangement, with response
at the highest frequencies that is slightly more extended and elevated
relative to that of the U 67. Thus the sound of the U 87 has never
been quite as round and smooth as that of the U 67.

--best regards



I have heard two different tubes of the same model number in a U 67. They
each made the mic sound very different.

Regards,

Ty Ford

--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demos http://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

[WillStG]

On Sep 27, 7:13 pm, David Satz wrote:
On Sep 27, 8:36 am, Will Miho wrote:

FWIW BLUE did some nice complete refurbishing of Vintage Neumann's
U67's and Telefunken U47's, rechroming and the whole deal. Made them
look great, but they have no website links for that kind of service
anymore.

Will, BLUE's refurbs were always very beautiful to look at, but they
substituted BLUE's own capsules for the originals, and in some cases
other important parts such as output transformers--even for
microphones where the original parts were still functional and/or
authentic Neumann replacement parts were readily available. This was
certainly no secret. But any Neumann (or other) microphone refurbished
by BLUE is definitely not going to sound like the original, and people
should understand that clearly. What they did to microphones such as
the U 47 or M 49 made them very difficult and expensive to restore to
Neumann specifications and sound later on, if that's what a person
really wanted.

As you mentioned, though, they've since discontinued this service.

--best regards

BLUE did restore Telefunkens and Neumanns without replacing the
capsules with their own, and the Blue power supply replacement is a
pretty good one. Someone here as I recall (Ted maybe?) did a shootout
of 3 different versions of U47 longbodies and prefered the BLUE
restoration to originals (buying it from the Guitar Center in
Westchester NY I mentioned had it on the shelf.) Also Mark Linett
says he likes the BLUE version best too - and he has several U47's in
his mic cabinet.

Me, nearest thing I have to a U47 is my Soundelux U95S with the
Blue capsule... Nice mic but somehow not quite as popular as it once
was...

Will Miho
NY TV/Audio Post/Music/Live Sound Guy
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

[rmburrow]

Originally Posted by WillStG

On Sep 27, 7:13 pm, David Satz wrote:
On Sep 27, 8:36 am, Will Miho wrote:

FWIW BLUE did some nice complete refurbishing of Vintage Neumann's
U67's and Telefunken U47's, rechroming and the whole deal. Made them
look great, but they have no website links for that kind of service
anymore.

Will, BLUE's refurbs were always very beautiful to look at, but they
substituted BLUE's own capsules for the originals, and in some cases
other important parts such as output transformers--even for
microphones where the original parts were still functional and/or
authentic Neumann replacement parts were readily available. This was
certainly no secret. But any Neumann (or other) microphone refurbished
by BLUE is definitely not going to sound like the original, and people
should understand that clearly. What they did to microphones such as
the U 47 or M 49 made them very difficult and expensive to restore to
Neumann specifications and sound later on, if that's what a person
really wanted.

As you mentioned, though, they've since discontinued this service.

--best regards

BLUE did restore Telefunkens and Neumanns without replacing the
capsules with their own, and the Blue power supply replacement is a
pretty good one. Someone here as I recall (Ted maybe?) did a shootout
of 3 different versions of U47 longbodies and prefered the BLUE
restoration to originals (buying it from the Guitar Center in
Westchester NY I mentioned had it on the shelf.) Also Mark Linett
says he likes the BLUE version best too - and he has several U47's in
his mic cabinet.

Me, nearest thing I have to a U47 is my Soundelux U95S with the
Blue capsule... Nice mic but somehow not quite as popular as it once
was...

Will Miho
NY TV/Audio Post/Music/Live Sound Guy
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

The best EF86's for the Neumann U67 are original Telefunken and Amperex Bugle Boy. I have two new JJ Electronic EF806's I am going to try. The tube situation for Neumann and AKG microphones is becoming critical. NOS AC701's becoming unaffordable, many EF86's are too noisy for microphone use so one needs to stock a bunch and use the best one..and the VF14 is unaffordable to many. Neumann U67 owners are fortunate the EF86 is still made and NOS tubes are affordable.