Shure SM57... fake?

Thared33 · #1 03-14-2007, 02:14 PM

A while back I bought a Shure SM57 off of Evilbay from a seller in Texas, and I went with that seller because it was the cheapest deal and it's close to where I live. The seller had 100% feedback and was a member for years, so I thought everything would be A-OK. I used 'buy it now' and sent payment immediately, and then literally 2-3 minutes after I sent payment, Evilbay sent me an email saying the account I bought from had suspicious/unauthorized acitivty.

To get to the end of it, I thought I was going to be ripped off, (I might have been - read further) but the person who broke into the seller in Texas' account actually shipped me a Shure SM57 from China. Like I said, I thought I was going to be ripped off -- that the guy would take the Paypal cash and run -- but he actually shipped me a mic -- and broke into an account to do it. Why oh why all of this happened, I don't know, but the reason for this thread is this:

I'm micing my amp with the SM57, running into a preamp that my friend built me, then into a Presonus Firebox and then to my PC. For some reason I can't get a good sound out of it for the life of me, and the biggest problem is getting a good volume from it. I've tried turning the preamp up and my amp down, and tried turning my amp up and the preamp down -- even using multiple mic positions, but I still have the same problems. I have to avoid clipping of course because it starts to pop and click when the levels are too high, but the volume still seems very low and the tone isn't so great. I'm not familiar with recording stuff (I'm totally new) and I'm trying to get to the bottom of this -- finding out what the problem is, and I think it's possible that the mic I bought is just some Chinese bootleg. Here is the weird thing: the SM57 that was shipped to me came in a box, had the mic bag, mic clip, and even some paperwork/manual/etc, but I'm still not sure if this is just a scam -- making me think I have an original by putting together a nice package.

Is there any way I could maybe find out if this is a cheap Chinese bootleg or not? I'm not sure what I'd have to look for on it to see if it's a boot, but I want to be sure before I invest in another mic and avoid buying another one when I don't need it.

alex10 · #2 03-14-2007, 03:45 PM

post pics

Thared33 · #3 03-14-2007, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alex10

post pics

Oh yes... Pics will be posted as soon as my camera arrives, which will probably be within the next hour.

brbizzle in a lil' whizzle

Thared33 · #4 03-14-2007, 07:30 PM

You can't see it very well, but in the 4th picture -- at the top of the inside -- it says Shure, but it's really dark. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I won't rule out the possibility that the Chinese kid who shipped me this really did rip me off and that people out there really are willing to put this much detail into a scam. The box for it has Chinese writing and so does the manual/warranty card, etc, but I'm not sure if that's supposed to be there in the first place on all SM57s or not.

projectjem · #5 03-14-2007, 07:34 PM

the thing itself looks genuine but i do not recognise any of that text. i dont have mine to hand but that doesnt quite look right.
ps is that a fkn heart shape on that text label?

Thared33 · #6 03-14-2007, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by projectjem

the thing itself looks genuine but i do not recognise any of that text. i dont have mine to hand but that doesnt quite look right.
ps is that a fkn heart shape on that text label?

It's some kind of symbol. It looks like buttcheeks, and that's probably true, because a lot of people get raped by people like him. And speaking of it not looking right, the text itself (DYNAMIC) doesn't look like the same font and the symbols on it don't appear on any other SM57s that I've seen.

waylay00 · #7 03-14-2007, 08:35 PM

This should help you. Apparently that symbol is normal...

http://www.bassworld.co.uk/pn/index....asc&highlight=

**elcid** · #8 03-14-2007, 08:40 PM

It looks fine

Thared33 · #9 03-14-2007, 10:06 PM

It's fake. The SHURE logo is screwed, just as the fake one in that thread. The R on mine seems to be raised just like the fake one the guy got from the Chinese kid (probably the same one I got ripped off by.) The little plastic band thing that has the SHURE logo on it isn't wrapped around the mic very well and is off-center -- not to mention I can tell someone cut the little band and glued it. The top of it won't spin freely and if I put any more pressure on it, it would most likely break off. It's definitely looking like a boot to me.

Not only am I out the cash that I paid for this mic, but I'm out over 3 months of time trying to get my recordings to sound decent because of this ripoff. I'm not employed and don't have any real income, so this is surely more of a set-back for me than most would consider. Now I'll have to save up and buy another one.

Thanks for all your help guys.

kennydoe · #10 03-14-2007, 10:56 PM

jeez - how much did you pay for that 57? They're $99 full retail...

Are they that exspensive that you needed one off @bay?

you can get them on sale even cheaper. Why would you even take your chances?

~K

kennydoe · #11 03-14-2007, 11:02 PM

I'm looking at mine...i see what you mean about the "R" in SHURE being raised above the top line. The band on mine isn't as shiny as your either, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

One thing i see in mine that i don't see in your (and it's VERY subtle) is that on mine, if you look in the bottom where the pins are, under the 3rd pin, the word 'Shure' is embossed like the numbers are - i don't see that on yours...i tried to take a pic, put my camera won't get it.

edit: Got the pic...

K

kennydoe · #12 03-14-2007, 11:11 PM

Yellow & Green wires inside mine too

Thared33 · #13 03-15-2007, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennydoe

jeez - how much did you pay for that 57? They're $99 full retail...

Are they that exspensive that you needed one off @bay?

you can get them on sale even cheaper. Why would you even take your chances?

~K

It's just that the cash I paid is an awful lot to be ripped off for -- for me -- because I've never really been scammed before. The thing I am most pissed about is wasting a few months worth of time not knowing what was going on. I didn't take my chances either since the seller had 100% feedback and was a member for years, so if I can get something a bit cheaper and receive it faster, why not? That's why I went with it. I'm not employed at the moment as I've said, so that cash was important to me -- no matter the amount. People's dishonesty is what bothers me most.

The wires in mine are orange and blue. There is the 'SHURE' logo on the bottom like on yours, but mine is at the reverse side. It appears yours is on the bottom, but mine is on the top. Thanks for the pic!