Around the Shop

For 25 years, Vintage King has been restoring classic gear from a golden era when some of the highest quality equipment in history was produced. As the world's leader in the premium servicing of vintage recording consoles, the Vintage King Tech Shop has brought new life to hundreds of desks, including historic desks from Neve, API, EMI, Helios and more. One of the most common questions asked at Vintage King by potential vintage console buyers is "What does premium servicing mean?" Read on to learn more about our premium servicing process, meet the team behind each restoration and find out why we offer this level of repair work to customers. Continue reading →

Currently in the Vintage King Tech Shop, our console team is restoring a vintage Neve 8058. We've been tracking the process of their work so far and in the coming weeks we will continue to update this blog with their efforts. Continue reading below to learn more about the history of the 8058 from Vintage King Co-Founder Mike Nehra and follow along as our team works toward completing this incredible console. Continue reading →

We've been extremely fortunate to handle some world-class microphones at the Vintage King Tech Shop, but none so far compare to these vintage Neumann U47s that recently came into our hands. The word "pristine" barely does any justice to describe these microphones, as they truly are in museum-like condition. The two sequentially numbered mics are from the mid-1950s and have absolutely blown away any other U47s we've seen from the same era. Continue reading →

After visiting the Vintage King Tech Shop last year, Santa hit us up about taking over some bench space around the holidays in 2016, so that he could work with our techs on a few special projects. True to his word, the jolly old man in the bright red suit returned earlier this week and set about exploring our warehouse for a few last-minute gifts for the good girls and boys of the studio world. Check out Santa's visit to the Vintage King Tech Shop below and see more of our latest vintage and used gear here. Continue reading →

In terms of the lore of Vintage King, there is probably no more important piece of audio gear than this vintage API 32-channel console. Previously owned by the Doobie Brothers, this console originally came to our owners Mike and Andrew Nehra during the time period they owned the White Room Studio in the early 1990s. The studio, which was located in Detroit, Michigan, acted as an epicenter for the area's burgeoning rock scene including Kid Rock, Electric Six, Howling Diablos, Detroit Cobras and the Nehra's own Robert Bradley's Blackwater Suprise. Continue reading →

Since the inception of the Vintage King Tech Shop, we've seen more than our fair share of unique items come through our doors. One of our favorites in that time has become the AM-864 broadcast peak limiter, which is a compelling mixture of both pro audio technology and American history. Continue reading →

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. Continue reading →

Twas three days before Christmas, when all through the Tech Shop, all the creatures were stirring, till a sound made them stop. It was a knock at the door and who should appear, Santa Claus and his eight tiny reindeer. We decided to take the big man on a tour of the Tech Shop to show him what our team does on a daily basis and maybe give him a few pointers for his big operation up north. Continue reading →

Over at our Tech Shop, we have the pleasure of working with some of the more rare pieces of audio gear from throughout the history of recording. With that being said, it's still always a surprise when something like this EMI TG12345 channel strip is carried through the door and placed on our bench. This very strip holds the keys to some of the most treasured recordings of the modern era of music. Continue reading →

Since the beginning of our company, we've always had an affinity for the classic consoles that have made a historical impact on our favorite albums. From Neve to API and Solid State Logic to EMI, we've serviced some of the most famous consoles in the world right here in our Ferndale, Michigan-based Tech Shop. As a part of Around The Shop blog series, we're going to begin taking a more in-depth look at the consoles that we are currently working on. This week we delve into a servicing project of a Neve console from the mid-seventies being worked on by our Lead Console Technician, Rich Hunt. Continue reading →