Topic: Have your Schoeps SGC or SGCM clips ever failed you?

[Brian Skalinder]

The recent discussion has me curious how many people have actually experienced SGC or SGCM failure.

If you've owned only one or the other, please vote once.  If you've owned both, feel free to vote twice.

If you have experienced SGC or SGCM clip failure, it would be helpful to know both the nature (e.g. cracked base, busted clip, stripped screw, etc.) and cause (user error, catastrophic event, poor workmanship or design, simply worn out, etc.) of failure.

[F.O.Bean]

Thanks for this poll Brian. It will help me make my decision if I should buy 2 pair of SGC or 1 pair of SGCM

[0vu]

I have eight SGCs and six SGCMs and, in some cases over about 15 years of use, have never had any failures. Yet.

I have, however, had many bases and/or mic holders split/crack on A20/A20S shockmounts. Probably not helped by many of them having had over 15 years heavy use and  me also using them for Neumann KM100s which, apart from the early ones, have 21mm diameter bodies instead of the 20mm Schoeps diameter so stretch the mount more. Thankfully, replacement clips are only about £3.50 each and I keep a bag of these with the spare elastics in my mic mounts box. I got round the bases cracking by having some replacements made out of metal. They cost very little and as the plastic bases split/crack I swap them out for metal ones.

[johnw]

Where did you find metal replacement bases?

[stevetoney]

Geez, I didn't even realize that the SGCM's have plastic bases!  I knew the metal versions were expensive...now they seem even moreso!

[0vu]

Where did you find metal replacement bases?

I got round the bases cracking by having some replacements made out of metal.

I have a friend with a lathe.

He usually makes strange custom built, one-off precision doobries for the movie industry - bits of camera, special mounts to put cameras in unlikely places, ways to play old film formats on modern projectors, etc.. I had some broken Schoeps mounts on my desk one day and he suggested that it would be easy to replace the broken plastic bits with metal. I gave him some broken ones and a still functional one and the following week he came back with a bunch of different versions of replacements for them. I chose one and he made me a dozen in aluminium. The first batch was originally silver but the second batch was anodised black and the first batch went back to be similarly anodised. Subsequently, he's done me a couple of dozen in a very nice matte grey/gunmetal anodised finish which is probaby what I'd use for any future runs. Though, I've found a company which can do the proper Schoeps grey Nextel coating so I might get some done like that. The other good thing about them is that they have 3/8 Whitworth threads machined directly into their bases so I no longer have to worry about getting/losing thread adapters.

[Brian Skalinder]

So for the 4 respondents with failed SGCs...how about some details?

[DSatz]

0vu, actually the first few years' worth of KM 100s were 21 mm outer diameter and then they changed that to 22 mm. The threads were left unchanged, though, so that capsules and amplifiers of the two different sizes still fit together. The Schoeps mounts are designed for a 20 mm diameter as their name suggests, so if you have the newer-type KM 100 bodies you are stretching those mounts more than you probably realized.

--best regards

[F.O.Bean]

Where did you find metal replacement bases?

I got round the bases cracking by having some replacements made out of metal.

I have a friend with a lathe.

He usually makes strange custom built, one-off precision doobries for the movie industry - bits of camera, special mounts to put cameras in unlikely places, ways to play old film formats on modern projectors, etc.. I had some broken Schoeps mounts on my desk one day and he suggested that it would be easy to replace the broken plastic bits with metal. I gave him some broken ones and a still functional one and the following week he came back with a bunch of different versions of replacements for them. I chose one and he made me a dozen in aluminium. The first batch was originally silver but the second batch was anodised black and the first batch went back to be similarly anodised. Subsequently, he's done me a couple of dozen in a very nice matte grey/gunmetal anodised finish which is probaby what I'd use for any future runs. Though, I've found a company which can do the proper Schoeps grey Nextel coating so I might get some done like that. The other good thing about them is that they have 3/8 Whitworth threads machined directly into their bases so I no longer have to worry about getting/losing thread adapters.

Can you get me any of these

[stevetoney]

Where did you find metal replacement bases?

I got round the bases cracking by having some replacements made out of metal.

I have a friend with a lathe.

He usually makes strange custom built, one-off precision doobries for the movie industry - bits of camera, special mounts to put cameras in unlikely places, ways to play old film formats on modern projectors, etc.. I had some broken Schoeps mounts on my desk one day and he suggested that it would be easy to replace the broken plastic bits with metal. I gave him some broken ones and a still functional one and the following week he came back with a bunch of different versions of replacements for them. I chose one and he made me a dozen in aluminium. The first batch was originally silver but the second batch was anodised black and the first batch went back to be similarly anodised. Subsequently, he's done me a couple of dozen in a very nice matte grey/gunmetal anodised finish which is probaby what I'd use for any future runs. Though, I've found a company which can do the proper Schoeps grey Nextel coating so I might get some done like that. The other good thing about them is that they have 3/8 Whitworth threads machined directly into their bases so I no longer have to worry about getting/losing thread adapters.

If he can do all that, ask him to add some clips to his handywork and sell them in the retail section.  You'll give people an alternative to paying schoeps' ridiculous prices for thier SGCMs.

[johnw]

I think the custom metal bases would be popular, but they only resolve one of two potential points of failure - the other being the clip itself. If I had metal bases and decided to buy another set of Schoeps clips, I'd still go for the more robust SCGM. Currenty though my $10 Audix clips are working out fine. Either way, I too would like to hear from the people who had a clip break.

[ambilobe]

I have had both a SGC and two A-20's crack at the base.  all three were over tightened, causing the male threaded end if the mike stand
to bottom out, cracking the base.  I now use a metal 5/8" to 3/8" male>female adapter, held in place with some lock-tite.

this is the one -


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/232827-REG/K_M_21500_000_01_Reducer_Bushing_Converts_1_2.html

[H₂O]

Schoeps now only sells A20's with metal bases.  You can buy the bases directly from Schoeps for around $15 or so if I recall - and swap out your current bases - I have done this with all of my bases that are in use.

As the main A20s I use I worn out the threads.

[tim in jersey]

I have broken both the clips and bases on the SGC.
Usage: Stuffing MK4>KC5 in a hat using a hacked vark bar (read mechanical stress on the clips)
The clips: plastic, pretty fragile.
The base: easy to overtighten and split the thin, plastic base


I have broken the base on the SGCM.
Usage: same as above
The clips: love 'em. like the thumbscrew. they're metal
The base: wish they were made of same material as the clips.