Hey there,
I was looking at getting the Beyer m-160 Ribbon mic. I have seen some on ebay for pretty reasonable prices, but was wondering if its a good idea to buy these mics used because of ribbon wear and such. Anyone have any specific instances with these mics, good or bad?
Thanks

Hey dfm3,
I have a pair of M 160 and really like them. The M 160 is a very useful mic for a lot of applications. I like it for drum overheads (great tom sound!) and electric guitar cabs, then often together with coincidenced condenser mic, or a M500, ... or just as. You need a good, quiet preamp if you want to use it on quieter instruments. I bought them used and never had problems with them because Beyerdynamic has a great support for their products. So don't worry about ribbon wear, they can be replaced.
I had one of them re-ribboned about two years ago and it costed me less than 50 Euro (about 60 $), if my memory serves me right. I needed a new transformer on one of my M 260s and that wasn't a problem, either, just a bit more expensive. The shipping wasn't an issue because I lived in Germany, back then. Shipping to the US or Canada can be expensive (about 70$, to Germany and return).
Two or three years back you could get Beyer ribbons real cheap on German ebay, www.ebay.de , but then a run for ribbon mics began and most Beyers went to American buyers. I think you shouldn't pay more than 200 $ for a used M 160.
It's the same old story about the boys from the south went up north to dig the Klondike and fish our grounds. I feel a bit homesick as I'm typing this.

If I buy anything, especially ribbon mics, off eBay I always figure in extra cash to have it reconditioned. You never know what you're going to get. Plus if you like what you buy based on the condition you get it, buy another used one, then discover they sound radically different due to age and use...you'll be kicking yourself. So I believe it's a good idea to get a ribbon mic serviced once purchased used.

--Adam Lazlo