National VM1

This is the National (later to become Panasonic/ Ramsa) VM-1, an exceptionally rare bi-directional Japanese ribbon microphone which I’m guessing is from the 60’s. I have been unable to confirm this, or any other historical details for that matter, because I can’t find a damn thing about it online. I typically try to keep things pretty objective on here, but I can’t help talking about how damn cute this mic is. The race-car blue bottom with the silver painted top (which looks especially sharp in contrast with the goldenrod interior of its case), the classy logo, and its stout form and clean lines are a beautiful example of Japanese industrial design.

It uses a surprisingly long ribbon which it shares with its Japanese cousin, the Toshiba Type F, which our friend Jon from@ulriggribbonsclaims is the longest ribbon he has ever seen. It sounds a lot like the Type F too, with a big and bold bottom end, a richly colored lower mid-range, and a distinct roll-off in upper frequencies, starting around 3 KHz (as you can see in the frequency response chart in the photos. The VM1 takes additive EQ really well, making it quite versatile in many applications. It’s a wonderful mic to use as a colorful option on a drum kit, or to blend with full-range condensers on vocals and guitar amps. This mic came with its original suitcase, documentation, and original ribbon in perfect condition – an incredibly well preserved tool that sounds as cool as it looks.