I notice a disturbing trend in our world: Vintage microphones are (mis)labeled as “all original”, even when original components having been substituted. Usually, the motivation for the obfuscation is a desire to get the highest price possible for the "vintage' mic, even if that requires fibbing some facts.
A prerequisite for a fair transaction between seller and buyer is the use of factual language when describing the material condition of a microphone. Words should be used whowe meaning have a common understanding:
An 'all original' microphone, means that all of the exact same components that were present when the microphone left the factory are still present. And I mean ALL of them, from screw to transformer, from resistor to capsule.
These days, when I look at the wording of any eBay auction, or at brokers’ descriptions on their sites, I will find that the definition of ‘original’ has been stretched far beyond the word’s traditional meaning: If a mic looks on the outside approximately "period-correct”, it is often advertised as “all original”.
Yet, when head and housing covers come off, the claim often becomes untenable. In most sellers' opinion, replacement transformers, capacitors, capsules, wiring, etc. don’t seem to register as enough of an alteration from the original state to merit disclosure.
And so it seems, the old (original) definition of the word 'original' is now frequently replaced by a new, more convenient one: As long as any layman's first impression when seeing the mic would be that it "looks original", it will be described as such, damn the negative consequences and repercussions for the seller, and, most importantly, for the financial position of the buyer.
But isn’t subterfuge and ignorance a good-enough excuse to let ist slide? Or, what if the seller claims he does not fully know whether or not his mic is really “all original”?
I suggest this simple solution for a more truthful, more honest representation of a vintage mic:
A. If the exact level of originality of a mic is known, it should be disclosed. Something like this:[
i] “all original, except new, genuine Neumann capsule was installed in 2007”[/i]. Or: “all original, except resistor R7 and capacitor C4 were replaced.”
B. If the seller does not fully know or understand the state of originality of his mic, he should say so: "Sold as is. No claim is made as to the level of originality of components present in this mic".
Disclosing what is and isn’t truly known about a vintage microphone's level of originality will lead to a good, honest, outcome for all parties involved.