Around the Shop

Here at Vintage King, we love gear—especially vintage gear. There’s nothing quite like the rush of cracking open a box to discover a piece of music history. It’s why we get out of bed in the morning. But even after 30 years, every once in a while, we come across something truly remarkable that reminds us of why we do this in the first place.  Recently, Vintage King was lucky enough to purchase a massive collection of pristine vintage studio gear from a longtime customer, which dates all the way back to 1993—the same year Vintage King was founded. This once-in-a-lifetime find includes dozens of classic preamps, EQs, compressors, microphones, and more—a one-of-a-kind collection that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. Continue reading →

“These reverb units are really rare. I’ve actually never seen one quite like this before. It’s truly one-of-a-kind.” Meet Justin Weiss, the talented technician at the Vintage King Tech Shop who has been working hard on restoring a vintage EMT 252 reverb unit. Justin is an expert at restoring classic gear and getting them sounding better than ever. The EMT 252 Digital Reverb is no exception. Continue reading →

We’ve worked on a lot of amazing consoles at the Vintage King Tech Shop over the last 30 years, but every once in a while, something one-of-a-kind comes through the door. This month, the Tech Shop team has been hard at work restoring a custom Neve 80 Series console. According to the paperwork, this custom “Remix Console” rolled off the Neve factory floor in 1978, just before the brand released its iconic 8078 consoles. And while this desk shares a lot in common with the beloved 8078 consoles, there are a few key differences.   Continue reading →

We’ve seen lots of amazing gear over the years, but nothing compares to the mint-in-box vintage Neumann U 67 that recently came through our workshop. A once-in-a-lifetime find, this 50-plus-year-old mic is still in the original box with all of the packaging, including the original power supply and shock mount, as well as the original XLR and AC cables.  We...

Hidden deep underground where no light dare come, there is a team of mad scientists hell-bent on reviving vintage and used recording gear. They're cooking up chemical concoctions, trying direct injections, inducing electrical current, and just about anything else they can dream up to bring this gear back to life. Continue reading →

The Telefunken ELA-M 251 is one of the most storied large diaphragm condenser microphones in recording history. It came about after the fruitful relationship between Neumann and Telefunken dissolved, and AKG stepped in to help manufacture a new microphone for Telefunken. We recently had a number of Telefunken ELA-M 251s come through the Vintage King Tech Shop for servicing. Two of the microphones are incredibly close to being numbered sequentially (917 and 919), and since these mics were made in blocks of ten, that's an incredibly rare sight. Continue reading →

For over 25 years, Vintage King Audio has been home to a world-class tech shop that lovingly revives the gear of the classic recording studio era. This one-of-a-kind restoration process extends to even the biggest of projects, as our technicians have breathed new life into hundreds of recording consoles throughout our history. Over at the Vintage King Tech Shop, our console techs are currently preparing to start work on a vintage Neve 8058. Perhaps one of the best known recording consoles, the Neve 8058 was introduced to the world in the mid-70s and quickly earned a reputation for its larger than life sound. They are considered by many to be the holy grail for tracking and mixing. Continue reading →

When talking about classic pieces of gear heard on hit records, the AMS RMX16 has easily earned its spot at the table. The reverb microprocessor became a must-use piece of gear in the 1980s and has gone on to become one of the most revered reverberation units ever. Just ahead of the 2020 NAMM Show, AMS has announced that they’re giving the classic unit the 500 series treatment with a new version of the RMX16. While the original units were coveted and sonically magical, they also carried a massive price tag and thus were fairly rare and unattainable. With this new offering in 500 series form from AMS, a new generation of engineers will be able to use this reverb classic in their 500 Series rack for much less. The RMX16 500 series module is set to carry a price tag of just $1295, making its cost almost as small as its new, compact footprint. Continue reading →

While walking around the Vintage King Audio Tech Shop, we saw microphone tech Tim Johnson (lovingly referred to as "Timmo" around these parts), working on something pretty special. It's not every day that we get a Neumann SM2 in for work, so we thought we'd shed a little light on the history of this fantastic mic. Let's go back in time. The 1950s were revolutionary in terms of recording technology and Neumann was at the forefront of the industry. The brand set out to create the first stereo condenser microphone and did so with the SM2 in 1956. Here's an excerpt from the original Neumann SM2 brochure Continue reading →

Justin Weiss, a technician at the Vintage King Tech Shop, has been hard at work restoring and modding 16 vintage Neve 31102 modules. These input modules were designed and intended for use in Neve's large-format recording and mixing consoles, including the 8058 and 8068. These were the first "in-line monitor" desks on the market and gave the engineer tracking and monitoring options at each channel. We'll let Justin explain his review:"Think of a quad summing mixer with a small fader and extended mixdown capabilities and a global Mic/Line input switching option. This is the main reason a 31102 is different from all other 10-series (1066, 1073, 1084, etc) modules. The module, on its own, was built with a 10468 Mic input transformer inside and sensitivity switch (gain) setup for only mic levels. The line input signal comes from a companion 32430 Mixdown Switching Module (Line or Tape Returns) located directly below the 31102 in the 8058/68 desk. The switching module gives the user a Line trim missing from the sensitivity of the 31102 gain switch. So, again, the 31102 module was designed around the 8058/68 signal flow. It is worth realizing the purpose of the BA106 board being a buffer between the output of the line input switching module and the EQ built within the 31102 circuits. Continue reading →