Who knew I could solve one of the biggest issues I have with the Shure SM58—its aesthetic—with an eBay purchase for just $11.
In the same breath, I may have even made the SM58 sound a little bit better than it does with its stock grill.
So I bought a gold grill from eBay…
Okay, it’s officially listed as copper but your eyes wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
I didn’t think it would make a huge difference in regards to my attitude towards this microphone, but since making the grill swap, this thing has slowly become one of my favorite microphones to use.
The SM58 has gone from a stepping stone microphone to something I actually reach for on the regular, both for rapping and content creation….even with the legendary SM7B at my disposal.
The $11 Gold Grill That Made Me Love the SM58
I love speaking into the SM58 now. It seems to have gained a more mature, smoother sound with this gold grill.
I don’t know who the manufacturer is but I couldn’t be happier with the way this microphone responds to the new grill, and I wasn’t expecting a huge sound change at all. I honestly just wanted a new grill as I bought my Shure SM58 used on Facebook Marketplace for $40, and it was very much so meant to function as a temporary workhorse mic until I found a new condenser mic to work with.
Why I Bought the SM58 in the First Place
I acquired the SM58 (this time around) while my main mic was a TLM 102.
The SM58 is actually why I sold the 102, because as I expected, there wasn’t a $460 difference between these microphones in the untreated environment I was in at the time.
Yes, as every audio head will tell you…treat that room guys. I just wasn’t there long enough to justify doing so…and no, I don’t regret selling the 102 for the second time…or was it the third?
More on that in another article.
But the stock grill is a bit smaller than this one that I got off of eBay. Even though it’s slight the plosive response difference is enough to where it’s worth mentioning in my humble opinion.
The Stock SM58 Grill Problem: Plosives and Aesthetics
That was one of my issues with the SM58. People online were glazing its sound and durability and I was too distracted by stop hearing my P’s pop.
While I have used the SM58 with a proper Stedman XL pop filter…I don’t prefer pop filters with dynamic mics. I’m just picky like that.
“Maybe I’m speaking into this thing too aggressively,” I thought at first.
But once I got this gold grill, it acquired this smoothness to the vocal that, while not obviously apparent, has made me appreciate the actual sound of the SM58 over time, especially once compared to the SM7B my friend sent me to use later down the line. It’s almost like it absorbs my voice in all the right ways rather than leave me fending for or always reaching for a windshield or pop filter.
I do that a lot less now. I actually prefer how the plosives sound on this microphone now. Odd, I know. It comes off as tasteful and intentional even.
I thought I was going crazy at first, because surely just changing the grill wouldn’t alter the sound that much.
Can Changing a Microphone Grill Really Change the Sound?
I defer you to the LA-220 V2, which is well known for the difference of sound between the V1. Somewhat due to its change in capsule as the old parts were discontinued, but it was also made with stronger, better materials and internals.
Consumers have mentioned that the V2 has a beefier, more full-bodied sound as a result, which is why it was on my radar for a little while.
But I have since chosen a different condenser microphone––one that I will talk about in another article as I am waiting on it to arrive at the time writing of this article.
As I’m waiting on this new microphone to arrive, I am skeptical of it will distinguish itself in my mic locker because of how much I love the sound of my SM58 now. I am finally able to appreciate the sound of the SM58 because of this grill and I’m not exaggerating. Trust me when I say I almost feel silly writing about an $11 microphone grill’s impact on the sound of the tried and true SM58…an eBay purchase nonetheless.
Even with the price factored in, “cheap” isn’t a word I’d use to describe this microphone. Although it doesn’t quite twist all the way on, it does have this sort of authority to it–– both in looks and feel.
Why the Gold Grill Makes the SM58 Feel Different
The SM58 sounds amazing. I think the only reason why it gets heralded as a live stage microphone, rather than a studio microphone (as originally intended when it was first created) is because people don’t mind fucking that mic up on stage.
With that ugly silver grill, it doesn’t necessarily command respect. It just kind of sits around waiting on a singer, comedian or whoever to use it for a live performance.
I wouldn’t even call it ugly. It just looks like something you expect to bend and party with on stage.
Obscure Mics, Bark, and the SM58 Gold Grill Request
In this video, I’m addressing Obscure Mics‘ request to see the gold grill after he made a video offering solutions to the SM58’s unpleasing aesthetics.
After a comment on that same video, getting a reply from Bark at Obscure Mics, I like to think that we’re forming some kind of friendship.
As I stated in my video, he’s one of my favorite YouTubers because he does exactly what his channel implies, and with charisma that keeps you engaged.
Bark covers mics that you may not have heard of, sleeper mics, and compares them against one another.
He could tell you different, but I do see him almost use the SM58 as the standard, as the general viewer will likely know what that mic sounds like.
In this video, I’m also showing my appreciation for the work Bark does.
The SM58 Wasn’t the Only Mic I Used Instead of the TLM 102
And the SM58 isn’t the only mic that I’ve used instead of the TLM 102. There’s a bunch of different mics I’ve used, but one that I also found on his channel is the Electro-Voice Blue Cardinal condenser microphone, which was a collaboration between Electro-Voice and Blue—yes, Blue Yeti, Blue—in the early 2000s.
There’s not a lot that can be found on the Cardinal microphone—which, by the way, I made a couple of great tracks with.
It took processing really well, but in the end, I just couldn’t see myself keeping it because of how well could hear its imperfections. That’s not to say that I still couldn’t have made great music with it, but sometimes when I use certain gear, I think about the opportunity cost of keeping it and I came to the conclusion that the money I could get for that microphone, which was anywhere from $200 to $250, was better off in my bank account.
Still, I wouldn’t have pulled the trigger in the first place if it weren’t for Bark.
Should You Buy a Gold Grill for the SM58?
I want to say two things here:
- Grab a gold grill for that SM58 if you are tired of the look of it.
- You don’t want to use the A2WS windscreen that people often suggest for the SM57.
For me, the SM58 went from a stepping-stone microphone to something I actually reach for on the regular, both for rapping and just content creation. The gold grill gave it a more mature, smoother sound, helped with the plosive response, and made the microphone feel like something with more authority in both looks and feel.
This is Spence Almighty with LostClassic.blog.
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