How to spot a fake sm57.

[nerol1st]

I think it's pretty simple to do but here are the ways you do it:

1. If it's to good to be true it probably is. This mic is usually $99 USD new so if someone is offering a new 57 for $40 more than likely a fake. Even used 57s fetch anywhere from $50-70.

2. Look at the XLR connector at the bottom, on a real sure the pins will be labled 1, 2, and 3. Fakes usually have some other brand marking or no marking at all.

3. Look at the capsule head (58 only) if there is a caution sticker... fake.

4. Unscrew the windscreen (again 58) look at the bottom of the windscreen. There will be a lip here where the threads are. If the lip is flat it's a fake, this is supposed to be rounded.

5. On both a 57 and 58 unscrew the middle of the mic. There should be 2 wires one green one yellow. Sometimes counterfeit ones have the same colors sometimes not. If it's anything but yellow and green it be a fake YAR!

6. Look at the circuit board the wires are soldiered to. There should be a red control stamp, fakes usually omit this.

7. A fake mic will usually be lighter than a real one.

8. Authentic mics ship with accessories including a microphone clip, cloth cable tie, Shure sticker, carrying pouch, manual, and warranty card. Fake microphones tend not to include all of these accessories; most obviously missing is the warranty card and cable tie. Also, the bag will be of low quality -- sometimes with a "Made in China" sticker on the inside. Remember, Shure's microphones are made in Mexico, not in China. (Direct quote from Joe Shambro).

9. Lastly, trust your ears, the real deal sounds better. :thu:

[PurpleStain]

do people seriously fake these? that's not even all that profitable.

[B Money]

do people seriously fake these? that's not even all that profitable.


yes. Fake SM57's are pretty common

[Anderton]

Indeed. SM57s are so commonly used and recommended that there's a big market for them.

Great tips, by the way. Just the kind of thing I was hoping this forum would include.

[scud133]

this is news to me too.... i like where this forum is going Craig, we could have a full repository of how to spot fake gear.

photos would be especially helpful :wave:

[GuitarHitman]

I had a fake SM57. They do look very similar.

I spotted mine from the following:

1. Crappy sticker.

2. 3 holes at the bottom side of the mic (I don't know if this varies on genuine ones but I was told some fakes have 3 - my genuine one does indeed have 2).

3. Crappy wiring inside. It fell apart when I took it apart once.

4. Wrong impedance. I can't remember what it should be but if you compare the impedance in the spec and the mics, that's a sure fire way to find out. 10 second job with a multimeter.

[subho]

Thanks for providing the useful informations.

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[dwardzala]

8. Authentic mics ship with accessories including a microphone clip, cloth cable tie, Shure sticker, carrying pouch, manual, and warranty card. Fake microphones tend not to include all of these accessories; most obviously missing is the warranty card and cable tie. Also, the bag will be of low quality -- sometimes with a "Made in China" sticker on the inside. Remember, Shure's microphones are made in Mexico, not in China. (Direct quote from Joe Shambro).



I'm not sure the comment about the bag is correct (or maybe its just confusing). I just received an SM57 from Musicians Friend for $99. The bag had a "Made in China" label sewn inside.

That said - I appreciate the heads up on tips for identifying fake gear.

[FastRedPonyCar]

See, you rarely save much money buying a used 57 on ebay. It's just one of those universal items that you always just sort of expect to pay $80~$90 for it and that's that.

I got mine used (on ebay) for $75 but it was only becuase it was a studio sale where a guy had about 30 mic's he was selling and when he has pictures of a pile of 57's, original documentation, warranty cards, owner manuals, pouch, box, etc... more or less everything that came with it brand new and the fact that it probably spent most of it's life either on the shelf or on a mic stand untouched, I jumped on it.

But I only saved $10 vs walking into guitar center and buying one. so in all reality, that's the only way I would buy one used. I've never seen anything like a 57 as far as an item that holds nearly 100% of it's original value when selling it.

[myredshoes]

Indeed. SM57s are so commonly used and recommended that there's a big market for them.

Great tips, by the way. Just the kind of thing I was hoping this forum would include.

Agreed. I am in the market for a 57 and maybe a 58 if I get lucky but didn't even realize they are being counterfeited.
Simply never dawned on me that anyone would... :idk:

[FastRedPonyCar]

well, it's the most popular and most heavily used mic in the world... makes perfect sense to fake them and sell them as the real deal.

[joeshambro]

I'm not sure the comment about the bag is correct (or maybe its just confusing). I just received an SM57 from Musicians Friend for $99. The bag had a "Made in China" label sewn inside.

That said - I appreciate the heads up on tips for identifying fake gear.


You're completely right about the label. When I fact-checked with Shure, I think we ended up more confused. The reality is, the bags are made in China -- and labeled as such.

The article where those tips were printed was updated here:

http://homerecording.about.com/od/microphones101/a/Fake_Shure_Mics.htm

[UMT]

I just bought a SM57 Beta on Ebay from a major audio store for 99.00 delivered. Have been using SM58's for years and bought this one strictly for vocals and I love it.

My bag is also says Made In China. Interesting to note: the first thing I did was to check in 'XLR pins' for the 1-2-3 markings and not only did it have the numbers but also had 'Shure' melted into the plastic. Looks like Shure is trying to make it tougher to counterfeit.

I had sent them a email regarding some obvious fakes on Ebay and they emailed me back saying that they were very aware of it and working closely with Ebay on the fakes.

Try the 'Beta's' , you'll like them

[iamjoe2]

i just bought an sm57 for like $55 on ebay,

got em in, sounds alright, but when i check to see if its fake, it has 2 red wires, not green and yellow.

the confusing part is it came with all the documentation including a two year warranty.

what do yall think?

[hubberjub]

Yep, I got suckered about two years ago. I was taking a sound engineering course at a college and decided I would buy a couple of 57s for my studio. I went on ebay and the first thing that came up was 10 new SM57s for $300 with free shipping. The seller was located in Chicago and had 100% positive feedback. I clicked buy it now and payed instantly with Paypal. I received an email from Ebay the next day stating that the seller's account had been hacked and the item I bought wasn't his listing. About 10 days later I received a package from China. Inside were 10 "SM57s" in boxes with clips, bags, manuals, and warranty cards. I was even able to sign on to the Shure website and register the mics. I sold about five of them for $30 bucks a piece to friends. When one of my friends had an issue with one of the mics he looked up information online and sure enough, they were fakes. I hadn't even heard of such a thing. I ended up refunding everyones money and just ate the cost because I knew I wasn't going to ge my money back from some dude in China. Too good to be true? Yes, but it still sounded better than any $30 dynamic mic I've tried.

[stellaguy]

Thanks for the heads up on this, I wouldn't have thought people would go to the trouble of faking these in all honesty, interesting to hear all your stories though, certainly makes one think.

[TRevMFB]

osp makes knockoff sm58's and 57's... yet they do not advertise them being real.

i bought a 4 pack of "knock off" 57's and 6 cables from them for $120.

57's are labeled as osp dl-330

and honestly they're very close to the real thing, and the perfect investment for recording a drummer who's accuracy isn't the worlds best.

i've had a capsule broken completely off from a stick hit, losing $40 bucks is much easier on the mind than $100+


yet everything stated above is regarding the osp products, which i own quite a bit of and completely stand behind their products. i haven't came across any of the true fake "57s"

[yem]

Great checklist. Thanks!

[kpfluger]

Thanks for posting this. I just found out that one of my 57's was a fake for a few of the reasons you listed! This was super helpful, glad the someone's looking out for the Greater Good.

[jak83]

Interesting to see this at the top of the pile. I was just looking for a 57 on eBay today and saw a "new" one for $40... seller based in Thailand. That was enough of a giveaway right there. Thanks for the heads up on these items, OP.

[Eirick]

I stupidly fell for this too. I was looking for a couple 57s really quick on the computers at work and jumped on what looked like a good deal. When I got home and looked at the listing again I knew it was fake, and sure enough, i've received them in the mail and they are fake. I haven't plugged them in to test the sound, I mean, if they sound like 45 dollar mics, I guess they'll have a use somewhere. You get what you pay for.

http://eleavell.users.sonic.net/ebay/sm57-01.jpg

http://eleavell.users.sonic.net/ebay/sm57-02.jpg

http://eleavell.users.sonic.net/ebay/sm57-03.jpg

http://eleavell.users.sonic.net/ebay/sm57-04.jpg

they're mostly convincing, except for the low quality plastic at the top and the wire colors. The weight on them is really good.

[nerol1st]

That sucks man, I have actually not fell pray to this. I just did the internet research and posted it up here (in fact as you can see in the OP I gave credit where credit is due).

Sucks to because someone who is buying for the first time wouldn't know the difference, that's a pretty convincing fake.

I always just suck it up and hit up my local music store OR buy locally from studios who are unloading some old ones etc...

Basically I need to see the mic before I buy because of these knockoffs kicking around so rampantly.

[andrew_face]

this is easy...realize you sound like shit and kill yourself

[gbb]

I got suckered for 2. I immediately knew something was up cause they were noticably lighter then the other 57's I have. I got my money back but only after threatening him that it was illegal and threatened to turn him in. Worked though.

[ChrisAlbertson]

If you are going to buy 58's or 57's off eBay. it's better to simply go to Orange County Speaker and buy their "Copies". They are up front and say right out they are copies and charge $29.

I can pull it apart and see that it's a "fake". But really "fake" does not apply when it was never represented as a Sure product and comes instead with "GLS" written on it. The $29 GLS was the perfect mic for my 10 year old "rock-star" vocalist daughter. The sound is actually good and the pattern is more directional than a real 58.