Monday, March 19, 2007

Beware of Fake Shure Mics

From the Trademe site, a reseller points out the salient differences between the real SM58 and the typical fakes that abound.
Click for larger image
Click for larger image

Click for larger image"Be aware that there have recently been quite a few fake Shure SM58's on trademe, if you buy one of these you may as well just go down to Dick Smith and buy a $20 mic as that's all it's worth.

"If you have bought a SM58 on Trademe and are concerned that it's a fake then have a look at the pictures on this auction. In all these pictures the one on the left is genuine, the one on the right is fake. If yours is not identical to the one on the left in all aspects then Click for larger imageyou've got a fake.Take a look at the metal ring under the grille, if it is flat then it's fake. If it is contoured like the one on the left it could be real but it's still not gauranteed. And yes they even copy the warranty card too although this is different to the genuine one.

"If your mic comes with a cable packaged in the box then it is also sure to be a fake as real ones don't come with a cable. Most of the fakes are of the switched version so if you have a bought a switched one then be even more careful.Lets face it if it seems too cheap then it's likely to be a fake, no-one in their right mind is going to be selling a real SM58 for less than $180 unless it's stolen or fake, just look at the cheapest price you can buy in the US, add on the shipping and do the maths!!"
Other references:

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bugger, I've got a fakey - but I guess at least it'll look cool in my pile of gear...

Anonymous said...

Great info but two small things to clarify here. One, the MAP or advertised price on the SM58 is $99.99USD. And two, it does come with a cable as the SM58-LC.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

To be totally accurate the SM58 that comes with the cable is boxed as the SM58-CN. The SM58-LC is the one without cable but the guys who make the fake ones sometimes put a cable in the box that says SM58-LC (the LC stands for cardioid not cable) The SM58-CN is not sold by the official distributors in New Zealand.

Anonymous said...

To be totally accurate the SM58 that comes with the cable is boxed as the SM58-CN. The SM58-LC is the one without cable but the guys who make the fake ones sometimes put a cable in the box that says SM58-LC (the LC stands for cardioid not cable) The SM58-CN is not sold by the official distributors in New Zealand.

Jonno Hopkins said...

Thanks for this. I've always assumed mine to be real but having taken it apart it's obviously a fake. Think I'll stick to the high street for the next one. Hey ho, wont mind using it to mic my drums!

Anonymous said...

Isn't the one on the right the real thing in the second picture? It has the shure logo but the one on the left does not.

Unknown said...

Hi good info - I have been stung and put up a page at sm58sk.com with more info about fake SM58 mics , including a link to you. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Re: the second picture - I checked my legit SM57 (bought from an authorised retailer) on that basis, actually, and the XLR jack does look like the left. It actually does say SHURE on it, just above the middle pin (or below, rather, as the word would be upside down in the position in the picture). If you enlarge the pic you can just make out the S.

Also, LC actually stands for "Less Cable", not "cardioid".
http://shure.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/shure.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=122

Anonymous said...

less cable! ahah how clever let me guess the sm stands for small mic

GGG Audio Ltd said...

Actually, SM stands for Studio Microphone. If you find you now own a fake, don't try and sell it on Trademe as you risk having your account disabled. I would suggest removing any reference to it being a Shure, and selling it as an unbranded mic. (Or keeping the grille as a spare and throwing the rest away). I think the SM58-SK stands for "SucKer"

ihazid said...

Bought three used SM-58's all the real McCoy, for $75 for the lot, who said pawn shops have no bargains left