AroundTheShop
When you're surrounded by vintage and used microphones every single day, you see tons of incredible pieces that have undeniable history. Yet, it's rare to see some of these mics come into our shop in their original intended sets and groups that follow their sequential number order. In today's Around The Shop, we're taking a look at two sets of three Neumann microphones that include vintage M50/M250Bs and U67s.

AroundTheShop
Named after the year it was developed by Neumann and Northwest German Radio, the M50 is an omnidirectional tube microphone that’s similar to the M49, but with a different capsule. This microphone went through three significant changes during its production run from 1951 to 1971, including the slight change in resistor values that resulted in the M50B. The M250B is simply different because it uses a different connector type.

After its introduction, the outstanding tonal quality made the M50 the gold standard for the recording of symphony orchestras. This particular combination of two M50s and one M50B recently came into the Tech Shop, and was most likely used in the Decca Tree method of recording. This mic placement concept revolves around using these microphones to create a T-shaped pattern for recording in stereo.

The era of the U47 microphone was coming to an end, as Telefunken alerted Neumann that they would no longer be making the mics' famed VF14M steel tube formation. In an attempt to fill the void, Neumann worked towards the creation of the K67 capsule, which would be used in the brands next microphone, a prototype to be named the U60.

Officially born in 1960, the U60's name was changed to the U67 and became a studio favorite overnight, as it was known for its versatility. Ultimately, the U67 overtook the U47 in popularity, as Neumann delivered the final U47 in 1965 and carried on with their new workhorse microphone. These three Neumann U67s that recently came into the Tech Shop are significant, not only because of their beautiful tone, vintage K67 capsules and EF86 tubes, but they are also numbered sequentially (#1689, #1690, #1691).

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