Historic Vintage Neumann U 48 Tube Microphone  From Neumann

Few microphones in the history of the planet are more revered and more evasive.   While legends like the C12, 251, and U47 were produced and used plentifully, a much rarer microphone that era was also manufactured.  

The Neumann U48 while so similar to the U47 is both rarer, and arguably the more famous due to its history with George Martin, the Beatles, and Abbey Road (who notoriously modified many of their U47s to offer the figure-8 pattern only available in the U48).   This was both for functional reasons (the side rejection of the 48 using its figure 8 pattern) allowed for more isolation in multichannel recording settings, but many argue they also preferred the subtle difference in its beloved tone.  While all of this is debatable and arguable, what is undeniable is the scarcity and rarity of the U48.  With less than 800 produced globally, more than 60 years ago, so few of them remain intact in any real functional way that truly represent the sound that they were born with.  For those that survived, through the many years of maintaining these extraordinary microphones in any semblance of working order, many have seen massive modifications departing from their original historical sonic character.  And frankly so many have simply deteriorated.   While some that remain (as few as there are) may look good in a glass case in a museum, so few actually perform with historic accuracy or are truly usable as the brilliant microphone they once were.   

This brings us to THIS microphone.  The Sound Pure team worked intimately with microphone industry legend John Peluso to bring these back to their original glory.   Few folks on the planet have his level of understanding of the history, functionality, and scarcity of this particular microphone.  An absolutely extraordinary original and vintage specimen, that has undergone an extremely high effort of authentication, inspection, and most specifically an extremely slow and methodical cleaning - proving its performance, it was also placed in an anechoic chamber to confirm its actual performance.    Note through the internal images the lack of evidence of rust and oxidation you typically see when these microphones have been subjected to higher levels of relative humidity in the way that they were stored, or worse, in the ways that they were used.  Not until John was fully satisfied with the cleaning and analysis, was he able to send these on to us as authenticated, and arguably more importantly functionally certified.  

A careful review of the enclosed frequency response indicates EXACTLY what you would hope to see when this unbelievable tone monster was released - a lift in the low frequency range providing the famed body the U47/U48 family distinctively possesses, along with the gorgeous upper mid ethereal “bright air” so many of the current vintage mics in existence can be found lacking.  The frequency range from top to bottom is rather hard to believe if you take into account the scarcity and age of these microphones, representing the unbelievable construction quality of these microphones, the way this particular microphone was stored and preserved, and the meticulous cleaning at the hands of a master.  

So few of these remain, and only a handful can post the originality, and perform with this spec frequency response performance as identified by the enclosed frequency response taken earlier this month.    For the truly serious vintage enthusiast, and someone who has seen the price of these only continue to rise, this represents a unique purchasing opportunity. 

The microphone is supplied with vintage cable, PSU, an after market flight case, and a vintage, velvet-lined box.  This microphone is safely in our hands and available for on site viewing and testing (for the pre-qualified purchaser) at our Sound Pure’s Grammy-nominated facility, in Durham, NC.   Due to the value of this microphone, standard terms are Bank Wire Prepayment, with shipping only via FedEx overnight, fully insured.  We are able to ship this microphone globally to most international destinations.