the t.bone RM 700

This is an interesting mic. My understanding is that they're made in China and branded with the T-Bone name for sale in the EU, and also sold in America under a different brand name.

It's a budget ribbon mic, most likely aimed at people who might have a low end condenser, a couple of '57s, and are curious about the "third kind of mic". It's very well built; despite its lollipop construction it's all metal, feels sturdy and comes with a good shock mount, wooden carry case AND a padded aluminium flight case!

As with most Ribbons, the RM700 has a figure of 8 pickup pattern which makes application and placement quite critical - it hears equally well in both directions, so the room sound is as important as the direct sound. Ribbons tend to exhibit strong proximity effect - a low end build up as you move it closer to the sound source - so care must be taken to utilise this effect well. While most ribbons have low output, the RM700 seems relatively powerful thanks to its onboard transformer, however this is at the expense of some sound quality - while most Ribbons are quite dark sounding, the RM700 is even more mellow than most, and it lacks some of the snappy low and midrange detail that more expensive Ribbons such as the Coles 4038 and Royer 121 possess. HOWEVER - given the price points, it would be churlish to compare them too much.

Ribbons tend to be very sensitive to wind blasts from vocals, kick drum holes, bass ports etc. The RM700 seems to be more rugged than most though, and is rated to withstand high SPL levels. I found that the treble can be improved by opening the mic up and removing some extra pop shields that are taped in place. However as this makes the ribbon less protected and voids the warranty I'd not recommend it unless you're feeling particularly brave!

The mic has one strength that I think makes it very worth the money: The low-mid range. While on its own it can be quite dull, I absolutely love it when paired with another mic on guitar cabs. Alongside an SM57 on a guitar speaker, the RM700 brings out a really thick but rich lower midrange that adds depth and power to clean and distorted tones. It's my go to setup for recording my Vox AC30, and has also worked wonders on higher gained rigs too.

For that reason alone I think this mic justifies its existence in my collection, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a second mic for guitar amp duty.

We all know the struggle - the guitar sounds great from an amp, but once recorded, its almost flat. Why? Probably because you haven't invested into one of those ribbon mics :)

I use this one at the same time with Shure SM57 and that gives me the quality & dynamic range my guitars deserve. SM57 is very precise, but IMHO flat when used by itself.

The RM 700 adds the warmth & bass that counter-balances the precision of the 57. Together they form a duet that will kick some serious a**.

Would I use it by itself? Probably not, but I don't believe anyone should record amps with only 1 mic.

In terms of build quality - Wow! Sound quality - wow! Even the wooden & metal cases will fool you into thinking it is a $400-1000 mic.

Basically, if you are serious about your sound, this is a no-brainer. Just go for it & prepare to take your guitar recording to the next level.

I like the sound this mic gives me with several different mandolins. It sounds natural and very musical.

Previously I'd been using condenser mics, which are often tuned for vocals, with a peak in the upper frequencies. The condenser-mic recordings I made of mandolin were detailed but shrill, harsh, painful at times, and not really resembling the original instrument. I took a gamble on the RM700 as a low-cost introduction to ribbon mics. I was not disappointed - if anything it has exceeded my expectations. When I listen to recordings with this mic, there doesn't seem to be anything missing, at least everything I want to be there is captured, with none of the harshness.

The microphone works pretty well straight into my recorder (Tascam DR100III) though the gain has to be turned up quite high. Adding a preamp of the 'cloudlifter' type would help - I went for a very low-cost option and it seems ok. Even without anything extra, the recordings are loud enough to not have any obvious preamp noise.

The only sense in which it is slightly inappropriate for my needs is the generous low-frequency response, going down to subterranean frequencies, but that is easily handled with a bit of low-cut. The Tascam is helpful in that respect, offering several different settings.

Overall, I'm pleased, I like the sound of the RM700 with my acoustic instruments.