Lawson L47 MPII - Mic repair, Shockmount replacement and capsule care

[@sadberrybois]

Thank you for recording and posting this video, looking at getting a Lawson and it is nice to know they are responsive 👍

[@breakburrito]

I'm not sure they are responsive. I've had the opposite experience. I tried to get a new shockmount but they blew me off. Now I'm trying again this week and so far no response to my phone call. I will try again.

[@ralphacquaro6134]

Is there a way to tension the capsule shock mount? Mine seems to have more give than it should to the point that when I put it horizontally the capsule touches the grill.

[@amp_mechanic]

The shock mount threads into the capsule and into the mounting plate, both secured with a nut with captive star washer. If all that is snug, you likely need a new shock mount. Lawson has a kit for replacing it. That's what this mic originally came in for.

[@toddwilson-qw7fz]

Hey there. I am curious about how you acquired the replacement capsule mount. I have an L47 with same exact issue and have tried every way I can to get a hold of Lawson Mics but cannot get a reply to save my life. Any suggestions? I'm sorry to bother you with this, I'm just shooting in the dark, at this point. Thank you. Todd

[@amp_mechanic]

I don't have any better advice than, send an email. If I remember correctly, it took Gayle a few days, maybe a week, to get back to me. Keep trying.

[@breakburrito]

Same situation here. I'm wondering now if I'm going to have to figure out a diy solution for the shockmount. Does anyone know the type of material?

[@toddwilson8253]

@@breakburrito The material is sorbothane. And Mr. Lawson, WILL finally call you back. He sold me a new replacement and offered to put it in at the factory if I didn't feel confident in doing it myself. It's a small operation and they're rather busy.

[@breakburrito]

@@toddwilson8253 Thanks for the info, and optimism! The sorbothane apparently has a finite lifespan. Maybe there is a better material...

[@breakburrito]

@@toddwilson8253 Update. It's been over two weeks and no response from Lawson to my email or phone call. I moved forward with fabricating a solid internal capsule mount and retrofitted an external shock mount to hold the 251. Sad that it had to come to this. I will be wiring up the capsule this week. Hopefully it works.

[@jamescassidy4045]

Hey bro! Just curious is if I could ask you something. Sorry it’s a bit of a long message, but I’m just kind of in a crappy situation, and just looking for some insight/guidance. So, just curious before I get into my issue, did you actually replace a shockmount, and like transfer the capsule to a new shockmount? Just asking because I’m wondering how straight forward it is? Reason I’m asking is, I just got my Lawson, picked it up from the guy, and when I got it home, and took the mic out to show my buddy, I heard something banging around, and thought it was maybe the head basket slightly loose at first, but believe it or not, the capsule was actually flopping around front to back, and side to side with any slight tilt, but when the Mic is standing straight up, the capsule actually manages to sit basically straight. I thought maybe also, the mount, where it screws in was loose, but I opened it up, and what is actually happening is that rubber piece is actually flexing, or at least that’s the point where it’s bending, and the capsule basically droops over, and even hits the inside of the head basket. You can even see on the outside edges of the capsule where it’s been hitting, for probably quite some time, because there’s tiny little scores/dents, but I’m hoping that it’s not something that’s affected the capsule in a negative way. The diagphrahms look good other than being pretty dusty, and the Mic works, and seems to sound okay! Anyway, I’m thinking of trying to send it to Gene, because I don’t think it would be a bad idea to at least give the mic/capsule a once over, aside from the shock mount replacement, and maybe a capsule cleaning if he does that. I guess just after awhile maybe the rubber sort of got old, or soft or something, unless it’s actually broken, or cracked inside where the rubber is, but I don’t know how to tell. Do you know what’s sort of inside the rubber piece, like is it just a solid stem, or is there like space in the middle, because i feel like if it was a solid piece going all the way, I don’t get how it would flex like that so easily ya know? Like you can def see the rubber flexing when the capsule droops over, but ya I dunno hah. If you don’t know that’s fine. Im trying to get ahold of Gene. Just kind of a bummer that I got this surprise, and it was extremely evident as soon as I picked up the mic. And nothing was shipped. I carried it straight home from his studio, and babied it the whole way. Anyway, just wanted to get your opinion, or see if you had any thoughts. Cheers bro!

[@amp_mechanic]

Hi James, yes I just pulled the old shock mount out and put the new one in. This one was doing a similar thing, capsule would flop all over. I think the material they used just got super flexible over time and became gummy so it provides no support. But this one hadn't been doing it long because there were no marks at all. If it sounds fine, and there are no blemishes on the capsule film, it's likely fine. The swap is pretty straight forward if you take your time and are careful. Good luck!

[@jamescassidy4045]

@@amp_mechanic Oh ok, it was flopping too huh. Good to know then. Do you think I need to worry about the technical side, like the resistance/continuity stuff? So basically the shockmount shouldn't have any resistance, and the one you had that didn't work only had it, because it was defective right? So, like if I got a new one, I could just test it before I put it on, and it should just read zero resistance/continuity is that it? Is there a way to test for it after it's installed as well? Also, you know that little terminal where the wires are soldered. Do the wires need to be soldered/unsoldered from the terminals, or is it just the capsule side you need to detach the wire, assuming the wire is fine I mean. Also, for the wire, do you know if the new mounts include any spare wires? Thanks for your help dude, means a lot to me! I was thinking also, maybe it would be a good idea to buy a spare shockmount just incase down the road Lawson closes it's doors or something. I mean, I'm hopeful they will keep going, but I was thinking last night, how possible would it be to mod this Mic, or find a capsule mount, if you didn't have the Lawson one? I'm sure it's possible, but not sure what you'd do lol. Were you saying the new one seemed a little shorter also? That sounds like it could help with that flexing/flopping thing over time.

[@amp_mechanic]

@@jamescassidy4045 I wouldn't worry about it. It was just a one off manufacturing defect. Just install it. I don't believe you need to solder. The wires are soldered on tabs that connect to the capsule with a screw. Remove screw from old, install on new. (I could be wrong about that since it's been a while and I've done other mics since) It's probably not a bad idea to have a spare. Although worst case, you could get another mount and adapt it to work. And yes, new shockmount is shorter. The old ones were too long, the capsule sat very high. Good luck with it!

[@jamescassidy4045]

@@amp_mechanicHey! Thanks, and sorry for the long messages, I think I just got a bit anxious, and overthink stuff sometimes hah. Anyway, the new mount came today, so I’ll hopefully get up to it this weekend. You know, it’s funny, looking at it before, I kinda had that same thought that I wouldn’t need to solder/desolder, or snip any wires, but the instructions actually say that I’ll need to desolder or snip, so we’ll see lol. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed even reading the instructions right now, as it looks like a lot, but they are very detailed, and once I have it in front of me I’m sure I’ll be fine hah. Hey, can I ask, do you have any recommendations on what to order as far as high quality capsule wire goes? Like type, gauge, and maybe even brand(s)? Basically, I’m just now thinking, it might be good to have some on hand just in case I mess something up, and also, I may even just replace all of them, only because I’m not positive, but when I was testing it at one point, I thought I might have briefly heard some slight intermittent noise or cutting out, but wasn’t the type of thing that was constant or obv. There was just one or two tiny moments where I thought I heard something, and with the capsule clearly having signs that it, and the wires were obv banging / moving around a shit tonne, it’s quite possible one or more of the wires could be slightly damaged, or on its way, so was just a thought, and something I’d like to have on hand anyway, but I’m still just kinda green when it comes to tech work, and I’ve never ordered wire for mics/capsules before. Could you even go up a gauge, or is there a range, or is it always better to stick to the gauge the mic was built with for certain reasons? Thanks man! James

[@amp_mechanic]

@@jamescassidy4045 Hi James, I can't remember now if removing a wire or two is required. I think you can just remove the old shock mount if you're careful with it. For wire, it's pretty light gauge used. Probably 26 or so but you may want to reference some mic builder forums. There's nothing wrong with going up a size. Some people like to use higher grade wire. I think as long as you go with a decent brand, not the really cheap stuff off amazon, you'll be fine. The really cheap stuff can be ok but it's the insulation that is bad. And usually it's more very fine strands to make up the wire gauge. I tend toward fewer bigger strands or using solid core when the application permits. At the end of the day, don't overthink it. You'll go crazy and spend a bunch of money with not much or no real difference.