i thought this would be the perfect place for this...

just scored an original 50's BBc stc/coles 4038 ribbon for $100 (!). anyway, it works 100%, but the 'body' of the mic (above the cradle holder), the part that moves slightly, seems to be a bit looser than the other coles i've come across. is there any way i can tighten it up? i can't work out how the damn thing opens up...

jx wrote:i thought this would be the perfect place for this...

just scored an original 50's BBc stc/coles 4038 ribbon for $100 (!).

jerk.























i don't have a 4038, so i'm of no help. i just had to say, fucking JERK.
where'd you land that deal?

yeah... JERK!

i just found this golden cup called the holy grail for $7, but it is a little tarnished... can anyone recommend a polishing solution?

thebookofkevin wrote:jerk.

Seconded. Wanker.

Tell us how you got it for $100.

I almost picked up an ex-BBC AKG C12 for buttons from Ebay before some toss-pot had it removed because the oblivious seller had accepted an offer from them. I bet they paid fuck-all for it.

seriously, it was a complete fluke. there was an ad in the paper- 'old mic, offers'. i rang the guy and he described it to me, down to the padded wooden case with 'BBC' stamped on the side(double !). i kept my cool and asked how much he wanted for it; he asked for £50. i didn't even bother to haggle. the way i see it, he got what he wanted, and i sure as shit got what i wanted. this thing is crazy, one of the darkest but smoothest mics i've ever heard...

i know this doesn't help my cause, and eveyone is willing the damn thing to die on me now...

To tighten it up, I'd start by blowing heavily into the grill, I'd then wash the mic in soapy water before hair-drier-ing it......

But seriously, maybe you could post a picture if it would help. Someone here will definitely know. Alternatively, you could email Coles on the interweb super highway.

i'd like to hear a solution to this problem too. I have the same problem with a 4038. Very difficult to position the microphone when the head keeps moving.
thx

I don't understand, is it the housing that's loose or the handle?

it's the 'join' that's exactly halfway along the handle/body. essentially, the handle/body is coming in two.

If you're talking about the motion of the head being too loose with respect to the body where the audio connector is, then there is a screw you can tighten at that hinge. You need a pin wrench to do it.
If you are talking about the 3-hole suspension mount ring being loose- I don't know.
There is the flexible audio adapter release band that you pinch to remove the audio connector. Are you talking about that?

It might not be a bad idea to send it to Coles for a once-over. If it sounds "dark" I would bet you a hundred dollars (or the mic) that the ribbon is a little past its prime. You can check it yourself. Under the head of the mic where the patent #s are there are 2 screws. Unscrew them (don't lose the badge), and pull out the bottom-front of the grill. The rest of the front grill is mounted on a peg at the top. You should be able to lift it up and off. The ribbon will be right there in front of you. It should look uniform from top to bottom, no tears, and not flop back and forth under its own weight.
Check out the pictures [url=http://www.electrical.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=491&start=120[/url]here[url/].