Neve Classics

[poppy]

Hi,
I'm looking for a some really nice mic preamps.
I've been watching some Neve stuff on Ebay.
The prices are CRAZY!!
I'm sure the Neve stuuf is very good but are the asking prices being asked really justified?
Also, as there are so many cheaper clones out there which seemingly sound identical, does it not make more sense to get a couple of these?
Any opinions welcome

[scenaria]

Just a suggestion....if you have your eye on acquiring a high end pre then I would recommend that you find a rental house to rent one first to make sure its the sound your looking for.

[tlester]

Old Neve pre's and EQ's (1073, 1081) are very well documented in their schematics. There aren't any real surprises. So, if you are looking for the sound and not the name, you can get a remake (a.k.a Vintech and others) or you can build one, although the stacked switches are kind of tricky.

The reason they are so expensive, is everyone wants the name. A lot of drawing in customers is names. Neve, SSL, ProTools, Studer, etc...

Good luck.

-t

[Felix]

check out the Great River mic pres also.

[poppy]

tlester hit on my real problem. The name maybe worth paying the extra for because it's all pointless if you have no customers!
However, maybe the likes of Brent Averill that uses genuine Neve modules might be a good compromise.

[poppy]

tlester hit on my real problem. The name maybe worth paying the extra for because it's all pointless if you have no customers!
However, maybe the likes of Brent Averill that uses genuine Neve modules might be a good compromise.

[poppy]

tlester hit on my real problem. The name maybe worth paying the extra for because it's all pointless if you have no customers!
However, maybe the likes of Brent Averill that uses genuine Neve modules might be a good compromise.

[TXDigi]

its an arguable point if a brand name is worth something or not. If a big shot engineer comes in and says "I want Neve's" and you try to sell him on your imitations... he'll think your crazy even if you are right.

You have to think about resell value to. Neve's probably aren't going to depriciate to much if at all. The neve name will be alot responsible for that.

Are they worth the money.... if you are on a very competitive level and every little bit counts.... then yes.

If you dont have the rest of the signal chain they may not be worth it but of course you have to start somewhere. It took me a few years but i eventually got my dream signal path that i can put up against just about any other but mst of all.... I like it and will more than likely own it for many many years to come.

[poppy]

Oops! Oops! Oops! I seem to be repeating myself.

[CLee]

poppy-
deffinately talk to the guys at Brett Aviril if you're thinking of getting a Neve module. We have 2 "Vintage" Neve consoles in our studios. One is a 24TK with 1078 modules. Old mods mean old switches and old pots. All the switches pass audio (most of the time), there is no electonic switching involved. They both require constant maintainance. We are currently going through a major rebuild of the big board because of its unreliability. 1073s sound GREAT but they're old. If you're not knowledgeable in electronics I would think twice about buying on ebay. Switches or pots may need to be replaced. We have found bad solder joints on the interior boards. Brett Averil is doing some of the work for us- they're good, I would look into one of their modules.
Also keep in mind if you buy a module standalone you will need a power supply and a way to add connectors.

all that said- 1073 & 1076 modules are great sounding pieces of equipment.