Tested briefly only, in pristine condition, essentially “new, open box,” with all original packaging and documents.

Sadly selling due to needing more budget in other areas.

Has been kept in the manufacturer’s packaging in a clean, smoke free studio.

This microphone has been professionally modified by renowned technician Dave Way at Funky Junk to capture the highly sought-after character of an original vintage 1970s Neumann U87.

If you are looking for that classic, record-ready vintage mojo, this is it.

Proof of authenticity for the microphone and mod can be provided by Funk Junk via email or phone, and we can put you in touch with Dave Way directly if desired.

The mod is very simple and common, and in the rare case that this isn’t desirable, it’s easily reversible by an experienced microphone technician such as Dave, by simply resoldering the desoldered leg of 1 x resistor back into the pcb.

What the mod does (UPDATED 28/8/26):

The modern factory circuit polarises the capsule at a higher voltage than the original vintage circuit.

The mod forces the mic to use the 48 volt phantom power to polarise the capsule rather than the +/- 60 volts from the on board dc dc converter in newer U87s.

The mod stops the converter from running. This also eliminates the possibility of any high frequency noise artifacts from the operation of the converter interacting with the signal.

The older U87 did not have the converter and just used 48 volts to polarise the capsule. In reality this would have been around 45/ 46 volts at the capsule.

The signal path of the 87 ai and the older type haven't really changed.

Neumann did try using a multi transistor sub board instead of the single FET for a while but these proved unsuccessful.

They have now gone back to the single FET design. This mic is the single FET type circuit.

How it sounds:

The microphone sounds significantly more open, airy, and three-dimensional with a smoother top end and faster transient response, compared to the factory circuit.

Notes:

Whilst most would agree the modded sound is superior, there are some important considerations.

The mod results in slightly higher natural noise floor compared to a stock modern unit.

Also the fig 8 pickup becomes a D shape (not quite cardioid so you don't get as much rear rejection as with the cardioid position, and you loose the side rejection associated with fig 8).

Buyers welcome to come and test in person.

Or can be shipped and will be professionally packed with a very high level of protection and full insurance.

Thanks for looking!