Nothin' Quite Like a "Mic'd Up" Uke

[DaveY]

I'll throw this into the mix (pun kind-of intended): I have ukes with pickups, but when playing one that doesn't have a pickup, while I'm singing I've found that sharing the mic - in this case, a Rode M3 live/stage condenser (with built-in power, if you supply a 9v battery) picks up both vocals and instruments -- at least with a baritone uke, which is how I've used it. But I think you could adjust the mic location and amp/speaker settings to make it work with ukes of other sizes. (The Rode M3 is $149, by the way.)

 

[Milesaway71]

Interesting that no one mentioned that little clip-on mic for wood instruments that sells for north of $500... I tried it and doesn't have near enough volume; a big thumbs down.

 

[Yukio]

The SM57, from what I have read, is basically an SM58, with its grill cut right back so that it can be used to close mic instruments.
It was never intended to be a vocal mic (that's what the SM58 is for). Disregard any/most video's you may see of an SM-57 being used as a vocal mic, its just there as a prop for the video.
I've seen all kinds of ridiculous prop microphones being used in video's. Pencil condensor mics get used as props ofen because they are so skinny and don't obscure peoples faces. Probably the same logic behind an SM57 being used as a prop mic.

There are lots of people who use an SM57 as a vocal mic, not just the uninitiated or the (mala) props department. Yes, it was intended as an instrument mic, but that doesn't stop people from using it for vocals when that is what they are comfortable with. A 57 is a great all-around microphone.

 

[Yukio]

Interesting that no one mentioned that little clip-on mic for wood instruments that sells for north of $500... I tried it and doesn't have near enough volume; a big thumbs down.

Bummer! Thanks for sharing. I never thought of a little clip-on microphone, just something mounted on a stand. I am sorry to hear that the expensive clip-on thing was such a disappointment.

 

[anthonyg]

There are lots of people who use an SM57 as a vocal mic, not just the uninitiated or the (mala) props department. Yes, it was intended as an instrument mic, but that doesn't stop people from using it for vocals when that is what they are comfortable with. A 57 is a great all-around microphone.

Sure.
I was responding to someone who claimed they were cutting their lip on the SM57's grill.
To whit, the 57 is a 58 with a cut back grill, and was never made by Shure to be a vocal mic.
That's what the 58 with its smooth bulbous grill is for.

 

[mangorockfish]

What a timely thread. That is exactly what I'm planning on doing. I'll be using a 58 plugged into a Fender Accoustasonic am. I think it will be a winning combo.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

I have nothing constructive to add but it's refreshing to see that the pop up ads are directly relevant to the mic thread. Thank you, new Mods!

 

[Canada Jim]

For a while in the early 2000s or earlier, I used a $20 Radio Shack lavalier mic, about the size of a cigarette filter, in my D-21 guitar. I wrapped it in velcro and had a piece of velcro fastened inside the sound hole. The velcro is still there, though I haven't used it in years. It gave a surprisingly good sound and I'm not sure why I quit using it.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

For a while in the early 2000s or earlier, I used a $20 Radio Shack lavalier mic, about the size of a cigarette filter, in my D-21 guitar. I wrapped it in velcro and had a piece of velcro fastened inside the sound hole. The velcro is still there, though I haven't used it in years. It gave a surprisingly good sound and I'm not sure why I quit using it.

I often find myself missing Radio Shack. The one in our town was managed by a huge guy named Jack. Jack was so broad that he had to use a special chair and had an oversized, 4-legged stool custom-upholstered with the Radio Shack logo. The tiny, jam-packed store was in an old retail strip center whose northernmost wall was about 10 yards from the L&N tracks. The local WCHK AM radio announcer handled an interview type ad that ran several times each day. He always began the ad with, "Snortin' Norton here, talkin' with Ole Big Jack at the Radio Shack, all laid back by the railroad track."

 

[Bill Sheehan]

For a while in the early 2000s or earlier, I used a $20 Radio Shack lavalier mic, about the size of a cigarette filter, in my D-21 guitar. I wrapped it in velcro and had a piece of velcro fastened inside the sound hole. The velcro is still there, though I haven't used it in years. It gave a surprisingly good sound and I'm not sure why I quit using it.

Jim, it's amazing how we kind of "made do" in the older days, and sometimes the things we rigged up really got the job done quite nicely!

 

[Bill Sheehan]

I often find myself missing Radio Shack. The one in our town was managed by a huge guy named Jack. Jack was so broad that he had to use a special chair and had an oversized, 4-legged stool custom-upholstered with the Radio Shack logo. The tiny, jam-packed store was in an old retail strip center whose northernmost wall was about 10 yards from the L&N tracks. The local WCHK AM radio announcer handled an interview type ad that ran several times each day. He always began the ad with, "Snortin' Norton here, talkin' with Ole Big Jack at the Radio Shack, all laid back by the railroad track."

Hahahahaha! That is a great memory, OSF !!