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The Neumann U 67 is a legendary large diaphragm condenser microphone, introduced in 1960 as the successor to the U 47. There were several technological advancements made with the U 67, including a new glass vacuum tube, a dual-diaphragm capsule with Mylar membrane, and a switchable high-pass filter and pad. The mic also departed from the U 47's tubular body and cylindrical grille, adopting a slender, tapered body and an angled grille.
More than six decades later, the U 67 remains the ultimate go-to microphone for engineers and producers. Its iconic, full-bodied sound suits practically every source you put in front of it. In particular, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better tool for capturing vocals, drum overheads, acoustic guitar, and piano. This is a studio workhorse in the truest sense.
Back in March, Neumann U 67 #2277 arrived at the Vintage King Tech Shop as part of a vintage gear acquisition from a private client. The microphone was in rough shape, but Vintage King's longtime microphone technician, Tim "Timmo" Johnson, has built a reputation for reviving even the most troubled microphones. Read on to learn more about the restoration of this classic U 67.
While every microphone that comes through the Vintage King Tech Shop is a different story, the typical bench time for the average Neumann U 67 in decent condition is only a couple of hours. Neumann U 67 #2277 was definitely an outlier, as Timmo spent around 20 hours on this mic.
His process started with disassembling the entire microphone system and assessing what was there and what wasn't. For this particular U 67, all of the microphone parts were present, but the entire system needed to be serviced, including a tube upgrade.
Timmo's work began with the shockmount, which had been severely mangled and had become extremely rusty. He removed the rust, rebuilt the shockmount, and laced it back up with new elastic bands. There was also some work to be done on the power supply, including switching out the European-style output connector and removing a bunch of stickers and sticker residue from its enclosure.
Next, Timmo turned his attention to the microphone itself. The U 67's body had been covered with an aftermarket clear coat, which wouldn't do. He removed all of the electronic components and ran the body through his ultrasonic cleaner. After it dried, he bumped the body and head grille back into their traditional shapes, backfilled the original Neumann badge in its signature black, and added new black pinstriping to the microphone.
After completing the aesthetic repairs, Timmo began working on the electronic side of the microphone. He installed all-new capacitors, new XLR output and IEC AC connectors complete with new wiring, and repaired the original cable. He installed a NOS EF86 tube, swapped out a few resistors, installed a brand-new K870/67 capsule, and put everything back together.
