Microphone Parts 12-251 Kit - DIY ELA M 251 Variant

Whoa buddy! It's the Microphone Parts 12-251, a DIY microphone kit that delivers vintage magic without breaking the bank. This microphone is a modernized take on the legendary Telefunken ELA M 251, renowned for its smooth mid range and sparkly top end. With the 12-251, you get higher headroom and a hint of even-order harmonics, making it a versatile tool for all your vocal needs.
The mic is a fine piece of kit on its own, but we can push it even further with a few mods. Change the frequency of the mic on the fly by socketing tone caps. Upgrade the capsule to a Campbell Transmitter CT-12 for a more lively response. I'll also teach you how to spend a bunch of money by swapping out the stock Electro Harmonix vacuum tube with a NOS GE 6072 Five Star Tube!
0:00 - Intro
1:52 - Female Vocals - Nesting Doll ( / nesting-doll )
3:05 - Overview of Mic, Power Supply, Shock Mount, Cable and Case
5:21 - Acoustic Guitar - Wedding Song ( / wedding-song )
7:21 - Build Notes Start
8:08 - RK-12 Capsule
8:23 - Grandpa Talks About the Old Days
8:46 - Campbell Transmitter CT-12
9:59 - Tone Capacitor Sockets
10:43 - New Production vs NOS Tubes
12:39 - Male Vocals - Options ( / options )
14:22 - Final Thoughts
15:29 - Ending Card
‪@MicParts‬

[@ericjosephgarcia6843]

I upgraded the capsule with a Tim Cambell replacement. A giant improvement! Well worth the $400 cost.

[@shoetiquemusic]

Hi Eric! You've got some great stuff over on your channel! Shoot the Moon is a very beautiful song! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXy2mIutl66aoaM Tim makes a fantastic capsule! I have no regrets about the upgrade. Did you end up making or upgrading anything with the RK12?

[@stereolites4974]

Great video Shoe Tic ! Very well explained and detailed and entertaining👍I would have enjoyed to here the mic without any other signals or eft to have an really impression of the mic sound...I bought and built an 12-251 myself...still in stock modus... and I am very happy with the mic !!! Best, Jojo

[@shoetiquemusic]

Hi Jojo! I appreciate the feedback - sometimes I get caught up in the arrangements and forget to show how something sounds by itself. I'll keep that in mind for the next one! I was poking around on your channel and Sista is a really fun track! Love how it hits at 1:00: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jX7Ff4hnYtSWnJo

[@kituretheone]

15:28 “A firm pat on the ass” took me out the game 😂😂😂 The electronics knowledge + unexpected, deadpan humor is such a winning combo here. I have (preassembled) their T25 and T12 so far, and recommended the T47 to a buddy. This mic will be my next addition to the locker, so thanks for this!

[@shoetiquemusic]

Thanks Kiture, I'm glad you're diggin' it! Those T25s are pretty slick. I was prowling around on your channel and I really like 'Duplex'. It looks and sounds great! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZiWdX-jrtB0i7s

[@revevague6256]

A beautiful mic, sounds great here! I’d love to try this build when I’m more confident with my soldering.

[@shoetiquemusic]

Thanks Rêve! Knock out a few guitar pedals and you should be up to snuff! Just take your time with it. Nice video on the Mic-Parts S-25! kzbin.info/www/bejne/maqncpKpqq2dndk

[@revevague6256]

@@shoetiquemusic Will do, thanks!

[@BrienAlkireMusic]

I built a pair of these with the upgraded PSU but no other mods. I use them as a mid-side pair for recording classical guitar and you can listen to some of the recordings on my channel (I always list the mics and configuration in the comment section of each video). I'm very happy with them.

[@shoetiquemusic]

Hi Brien! The 12-251s sound great on your arrangement of Spanish Dance No. 5. I'm really enjoying your arrangement and playing on Libertango: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaDTd42Pot2Dnsk

[@BrienAlkireMusic]

@@shoetiquemusic Thanks so much! And thanks for the terrific video on the 12-251 with cool mods. I look forward to following your channel.

[@mikewolfe9458]

Great review/demo! I’m on the hunt for a new condenser, and this looks like a great option. I need to take on a few soldering projects first since it’s been so long since I’ve done anything, but it definitely seems doable. Thanks for breaking this down so well!

[@shoetiquemusic]

Thanks Mike, I'm glad you found it helpful! If I was looking to brush back up on soldering I'd pick up a PCB from Aion or Mad Bean and use that as a base. I don't think you'll need much practice before you'll be ready for the 12-251. It's like riding a bike! Take your time with it and it'll come out great!

[@mikewolfe9458]

@@shoetiquemusic thanks man! That sounds like a good plan. Will do. Take care!

[@gabrielthesingingpilot]

Great review and very entertaining:) loved it and subscribed :) all the best

[@shoetiquemusic]

Thanks Gabriel - I'm glad you liked it! I've got lots more coming!

[@ruudvansteenis]

The RK-12 has little in common with a 'real' CK12 capsule. In fact it is an edge terminated K67 capsule. A CK12 is considerably more difficult to produce. The microphone body is identical to an Apex460, with a different headbasket.

[@shoetiquemusic]

Thanks for stopping by Ruud! I've heard that from a few other folks as well. Do you have any good resources I can read to learn more?

[@chrisw5742]

Sounds amazing.

[@shoetiquemusic]

Thanks Chris! I appreciate that!

[@ulrichschutze6770]

Please don´t say that AKG is a german company ever again, my austrian heart can't take it any longer💔 apart from that, great video!!

[@shoetiquemusic]

You're 100% correct Ulrich! AKG was founded in 1947 by Rudolf Görike and Ernest Plass in Vienna, Austria. Thanks for pointing that out and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@johnmulholland8630]

Another great video. Thank you. I'm really enjoying these videos, and you may be the reason I spend all my money on 500 gear. I like your approach to kit. Are you planning to do a video on the guitar you have, why that model, and why those pickups? I'm primarily a bass player but always interested in guitar gear. Lastly, do you have a link to your music? I like what I have heard. Thanks again for the great videos.

[@shoetiquemusic]

I appreciate the kind words John! I'll definitely be doing a video on my guitar at some point. I got the guitar when I was in high school and have hung onto it since. Fernandes upgraded me to a higher quality model because I had to wait a very long time for it to ship. The only original thing about it at this point is the wood. The pickups are from Stonewall Pickups. I originally brought my guitar to Stonewall for a refret and ended up apprenticing under him for a bit. While I was there he taught me to wind pickups. I actually made the set that's in this guitar. He makes amazing pickups at a very reasonable price and he makes bass pickups as well. If you're looking to upgrade your Bass he'll help pick or design something that's perfect for you. Here's his website: www.stonewallpickups.com/ I've started uploading my music here: soundcloud.com/shoe-tique

[@bbjib]

Хороший микрофон, интересный обзор. Thx a lot!

[@shoetiquemusic]

Спасибо, что заглянули, bbjib! У вас на канале много очень интересных микрофонов! I plan on doing a video on repurposing old radio mics soon!

[@bbjib]

@@shoetiquemusic 🙏♥

[@louis-philippekyer4335]

Sounds great!

[@shoetiquemusic]

Thanks Louis-Philippe! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@louis-philippekyer4335]

@@shoetiquemusic The danger is now I want to build everything you demo

[@shoetiquemusic]

@@louis-philippekyer4335 It's a ton of fun. You get to have legendary gear, master different musical tools and improve the quality of your recording. The entire process is also very meditative. It's healthier than a crack addiction but won't save you any money.

[@oongback]

Wow... How did you get CT-12? It's almost impossible to get nowadays. I went with OPR CK-12 with my Chunger 251. Cool vid as always though!

[@shoetiquemusic]

Thanks for stopping by again oongback! You've got a great selection of build videos over on your channel! I wish I spoke Korean! I ordered my CT-12 from Tim's site (www.timcampbell.dk) in 2021. I'm not sure if he is still active. I tried reaching out to him with some questions about the capsule for this video but he never responded.

[@oongback]

@@shoetiquemusic Thanks! Maybe auto subtitles will work. It’s not perfect but okay I think. Only way to contact Tim is bashing his product on groupdiy since 2022😂

[@shoetiquemusic]

​@@oongback I gave the subtitles a try but they're only in Korean. It's crazy to me how many of these vendors are actively getting into arguments on forms but won't respond to emails from people looking to purchase their products!

[@oongback]

@@shoetiquemusic Added very sloppy English subtitle to recent video! I will upload subtitles to all my vid.

[@user-md2jb6kk4f]

Once I ordered opr capsule. They sent me capsule that didn't sound well... And refused to change it. It looks good but sounds awfully...