Topic: Church-Audio STC-11 Cardioid Mic Repair?

[DisturbedPyro]

the right mic of my STC-11 Cards went out on me about a week ago. if i hold the cable near the head of the mic just right it will pick up sound but when i listen back theres a hiss over the recording through that channel. can anyone fix this for me? id commission you of course. please let me know, thanks

ive been told chris's turnaround time is quite long. i emailed him last week and havent even gotten a response back yet. im not bashing him, i know hes a busy guy and he does great quality work/gear, but...id like a quick fix if possible

[vanark]

Why wouldn't you send it to Chris?

[DisturbedPyro]

ive been told his turnaround time is quite long. i emailed him last week and havent even gotten a response back yet. im not bashing him, i know hes a busy guy and he does great quality work/gear, but...id like a quick fix if possible

[magmazing]

Have pretty much the exact same problem with one of my CA-11s.  My repair wait so far has been 7 weeks, 2 days and counting. The fact I leave town for the Coachella Music Festival in 11 days with no idea if I'll get my mics back in time makes me want to cry. 

[dorrcoq]

Took me forever to get a set repaired, too.  When I told him to just forget it and send them back to me, he got all pissy, asked what my problem was.  And then had the nerve to tell me my repair got delayed because some other stuff came in later that he had to get to first.

A buddy sent two sets in about 6 weeks ago.  When he asked about their status yesterday he got this response:

I lost your dam omni caps I ordered new ones today they will be here early next week I will send your mics out then.

A+ equipment, F- service

[TimeBandit]

i will get a spare set of CA mics soon to avoid this having no mics during repair.

[vanark]

Sorry to hear about the length of time that is needed to get them repaired by Chris.  Not much use in having such a great warranty if you need to wait so long to get them repaired.  Most of us have this gear because we like to use it.

[DisturbedPyro]

lol ok so to try to get this back on topic...does anyone know somebody that can repair these other than chris? i have shows coming up and im trying to find a way to get this fixed before then

i also have a post in the yard sale looking for a replacement pair, so if you can help me out there, please get a hold of me. see here: http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=154441.0

thanks

[jagraham]

I am very interested in the same topic as well.  My CA-11s are in the same shape.  I believe your issue is a frayed or otherwise damaged wire and the mics need rewiring.  As others have said, despite the quality job, Church can take quite a while to get your mics back.  My mic collection has expanded to where I dont think I would need the 11s as I prefer the sound of the CA-14 cards slightly better.  having that said, I would be interested in how they could be rewired.

i will get a spare set of CA mics soon to avoid this having no mics during repair.

^ I find this to be the best solution to this problem regardless of what type of gear you have.  if you only have 1 set of mics they could have an issue at any time which is not acceptable if a show is upcoming.  I went a little overboard when my CA-11 channel frayed again and brought some used CA-14s in both cards and omnis and also a pair of CAFS from the yard sale.  it is worth having 2+ pairs of mics for versatility. 

[pwig]

the right mic of my STC-11 Cards went out on me about a week ago. if i hold the cable near the head of the mic just right it will pick up sound but when i listen back theres a hiss over the recording through that channel. can anyone fix this for me? id commission you of course. please let me know, thanks

ive been told chris's turnaround time is quite long. i emailed him last week and havent even gotten a response back yet. im not bashing him, i know hes a busy guy and he does great quality work/gear, but...id like a quick fix if possible

I have the exact same problem - same set of mics and no response to the repair inquiry. This is too bad as I have really enjooyed using them.

[Walstib62]

As far as I can tell, the cable is permanently glued (epoxied) to the capsule assy. I would think that the capsule assy. would have to be rewired to fix it correctly. I would also think  that Church would be the only one capable of making this repair.

[DisturbedPyro]

As far as I can tell, the cable is permanently glued (epoxied) to the capsule assy. I would think that the capsule assy. would have to be rewired to fix it correctly. I would also think  that Church would be the only one capable of making this repair.

well thats not good news 

[jagraham]

As far as I can tell, the cable is permanently glued (epoxied) to the capsule assy. I would think that the capsule assy. would have to be rewired to fix it correctly. I would also think  that Church would be the only one capable of making this repair.

^ Let's not jump the gun here, im sure there's a way to fix them without sending them to him.  When I had to send my mics to Chris for repair, it was probably september 2009 and when they returned it was jan 2010, so if you go that route don't plan on recording any shows with them for a while.  another note to consider here is that the warranty Chris gives on these does not cover parts.  i had to paypal him $60 to cover parts.  YMMV, but for mics that go for $100 dollars used, it may be more cost effective to just put to 60 dollars towards a new set of mics.  I sure hope someone with some technical knowledge of this steps in this thread.

[newplanet7]

the right mic of my STC-11 Cards went out on me about a week ago.
i emailed him last week and havent even gotten a response back yet.

Have pretty much the exact same problem with one of my CA-11s.  My repair wait so far has been 7 weeks, 2 days and counting.

Took me forever to get a set repaired, too.  When I told him to just forget it and send them back to me, he got all pissy, asked what my problem was. 
A buddy sent two sets in about 6 weeks ago.  When he asked about their status yesterday he got this response:
I lost your dam omni caps

I am very interested in the same topic as well.  My CA-11s are in the same shape.

I have the exact same problem - same set of mics and no response to the repair inquiry. This is too bad as I have really enjooyed using them.

Ouch!

i will get a spare set of CA mics soon to avoid this having no mics during repair.

Really? After reading the thread too?

[Church-Audio]

I am sorry I do have a long repair turnaround. I do my best most of these repairs are NON warranty. When I charge for a repair its not a warranty repair its a repair. I do my best sometimes thats just not good enough I understand that most of the people that send things in fail to realize that regular surface mail into Canada can take up to 3 weeks.... In any event I apologize to anyone that I have offended by my long repair times.. I am working on getting repairs out faster. I guess thats the trade off good gear at a great price but slower service. I wish I could be great at all three but I dont have the money to hire anyone to help me. Its all me one mic at a time one preamp at a time. I did lose some omni caps for a customer that does happen from time to time It might be the first time I have ever lost anything of a customers but I did not bitch about it I replaced it. I think your friend read my email out of context I was upset at my self for losing them! not at him. Some times I get pressured into trying to get things out faster really all that does it take up more of my time having to answer a email about how soon something is going to get fixed. Again I do the best I can I understand if some people dont think thats good enough. As far as fixing my mics there is only one person that can do that me. Nobody else has access to the parts that I use for my mics and the techniques I use to match them or to make sure they are functioning properly when they are sent back out. Again I apologize for long repair times but I am always going to do the best job I can at everything I do and sometimes that just cant be rushed.