Shure SM58: The 1966 Mic That Won’t Quit (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: We've been trying to break one of the most legendary microphones ever made, as you can probably tell. But before we destroy this thing, hopefully, let's talk about why we chose the Shure SM58 in the first place. This microphone was first introduced in 1966 and was built mainly for live vocals. That's why it has this ball grill on the top. It helps reduce plosives and makes it easier to use on stage. And the crazy part is that this microphone is still used everywhere today. It's had a couple of updates since its release, but you'll see this used in concerts, podcasts, live streams, garage bands, basements. If someone needed a reliable vocal microphone, there's a good chance that the SM58 was involved. It's also based on Shure's Unidyne Mark III capsule design, which is part of the same microphone family that eventually led to microphones like the Shure SM7B. It's not identical, but it's definitely related. And somehow, after 60 years, this microphone still costs around 100 US dollars. So yeah, the SM58 is basically the Nokia 3310 of microphones. It sounds good, it's affordable, and it has a reputation of being nearly indestructible. At least, that's what we're trying to find out.