Shure Vocal Master

Great ? Maybe as a door stop. Just like Gilligan's Island, as primitive as can be.
They continued to sell them, long after far better products were available. Mediocre electronics, crazy concentric knobs, stupid switches, brainless light bulbs that were soldered in and prone to burn out, idiotic column speakers that were big, heavy, and dull sounding. Shure made a great microphone, but a terrible PA system. (The later models were just about as bad.) These did have some groovy looking aluminum trim, which probably accounts for half the cost. I suppose, to be fair, at that time there were few choices, most of them bad. The best systems I remember were user built, with ALTEC or JBL horns and speakers. The speaker columns were kind of interesting - two 10” 16Ω and four 8” 8Ω speakers, the two 10’s in series for 32Ω and the four 8” all in series for 32Ω, making a total of 16Ω cabinet. Then the crazy half column with one 10” and two 8”, all in series for a 32Ω cabinet. Unique, yes. Crazy, definitely.

The Shure Vocal Master is a great PA system that was from a long time ago, its no longer manufactured but I actually recently had an interaction with one and it sounded great. I was surprised that after all of these years this still works and great. The Shure vocal Master was used by several bands back in the 60’s and 70’s, it was the PA system to have back then. No surprisingly that Shure is still around today creating great products and out shinning the competition. Shure is known for its high quality products that don’t die and sound great.

After my interaction with the Shure Vocal Master I set out to see if I could find one because I love vintage gear. I came across one by luck online and got it for 245. It was one of the most solid purchases I have made in vintage gear, now I have this in my home and even pull it out and use it from time to time. Not too mention it looks great just sitting here. I actually have had an offer for it that was more than what I paid for it from a local band that needs a PA system. And after letting them hear this one they wanted it. But I didn’t sell it.

Unfortunately like I mentioned before this system is way outdated, so if it goes out on you which could happen no matter how much we love Shure products. You will have a hard time getting it fixed, you will probably have to high an electrician to come and work on it. Because Shure wont even consider doing anything with this vintage machine. But the Machine its self is built to last, its very tough and rugged and can be taken with you if you are at an event and in need of a PA system.

The Shure Vocal Master is an old P.A system made in the late 60s. It was used by The 5th Dimension, The Association, Conway Twitty, and many other bands. It is a great P.A for any sized gig or club. This system has the ability to project your vocals as they are, clean and true. The main mixer I have is a VA 300 connecting to two beautiful Shure column speakers. The mixer does a great job for being old technology. It has six channels for microphones/intruments. Each channel has a volume, treble and bass knob, anti feedback switch, and a knob that controls the amount of spring reverb in the channel. The master volume knob controls the overall volume. In the back of the mixer you can connect an echo unit and have the entire mix sent to a tape recorder. Very useful for recording a live band! It has been very reliable and I haven't had one problem with it since I bought it. I once purchased a digital powered mixer and I can honestly say the sound from Vocal Master blows it out of the water. As for the size and weight of this system it is not too heavy. Each speaker column weighs about 30-40 lbs and stands about 5.5 ft tall. The whole package fits perfectly in my 2001 Ford Expedition. I paid $300 (including shipping) for it used. What killed me was the shipping cost. If you find one locally, consider paying $200. What a steal! You get a great reliable P.A system that not only sounds fantastic but looks amazing up on stage. Another great thing about this system is the User/service manual. It contains the names and part numbers for easy repair if taken to an electronic technician. There is another model with a VU meter on the mixer and another model speaker column that is shorter. I Haven't tried those out but I would give it a shot considering my experience with my Vocal Master.