Off-Shore Ribbon Microphone Modification (Apex 205, 210 and similar) $329 *(re-ribbon service only, $219)
*introductory special

Ribbon mics are very simple devices: a floating aluminum 'ribbon' suspended between two magnets fed through a transformer for impedance and gain matching. Because of the simplicity of this design, the quality of each component and the precision with which it is assembled is key in the sound quality that is achieved. The finicky nature of working with finer ribbon material accounts for a large portion of the high cost of top-shelf ribbon mics.

For costs, durability and ease of manufacturing, the ribbon elements in off-shore mics are made of a heavier material and often shielded with a 'wind' guard that also acts as a HF booster. The weight of the ribbon makes it less sensitive to sound (and often it is installed with too much slack which makes matters worse) and the guards distort and colour the frequency response. The stock wire and transformer are also not of the highest quality. This modification includes the replacement of the stock ribbon with either 1.8µ or 2.5µ ribbon, the stock transformer with a great-sounding Cinemag CM-9888, new solid-core wire, removal of 'wind guards' and layers of mesh from the headbasket as needed, addition of a protective foam or cloth layer (for the sake of the more sensitive ribbon and longevity), and treatment of all connections with Caig DeOxit Gold.

The dynamic response and sensitivity of this mic is dramatically improved as well as its frequency response. It will sound beautiful and give you that classic 'ribbon' sound. Check it out the samples page.