Line array that explodes unexpectedly.
Your comments about my beloved C414EB and C451EB/CK1 collection from the mid '70's is just far too sad yet appropriately too funny. Arrrrrgh!
Just inherited a C414EB myself - nylon ring though. I really like that mic. Is yours brass? I'm told they are even better.
I honestly don't know having never had a need to crack any of them open. Back in 1977 I was head of sound in Stratford's main theatre which wrapped around 220 degrees at the time. Early in 1978, AKG Austria offered a deep discount to their Canadian distributor who in turn offered a deep discount to their Canadian wholesalers and, with the huge buying power of the Stratford Shakespearean Festival behind me, I found myself able to purchase AKG products from, of all places, an electrical wholesaler in Kitchener Waterloo from their local branch in Stratford for something like 60 to 70% below normal list. I leapt on the bargain and ordered 4 x C414EB's c/w stand clips and windscreens, 4 x C451EB's c/w CK1's, 10db pads, stand clips and windscreens plus 2 more C451EB's c/w CK5's, 10db pads and stand clips. I still have all of them to this day with zero regrets and in essentially mint condition. I'm a firm believer in the 'buy once, cry once' theory. At that sort of discount, I snuck a pair of D12E's into the order too. The mics have served me well for both stereo and multi-track recording as well as live reinforcement applications.
