The vintage 414's are much more interesting mics than the current ones. They're completely different on the inside. I got mine on Ebay for around $350 in 2013. It's extremely versatile, I've used it on sax, room, kick, guitar cab, upright bass, and vocals. Its a bit dark compared to a modern XL-II. Mine is from the late 80's.
Desert Island mic
The vintage 414's are much more interesting mics than the current ones. They're completely different on the inside. I got mine on Ebay for around $350 in 2013. It's extremely versatile, I've used it on sax, room, kick, guitar cab, upright bass, and vocals. Its a bit dark compared to a modern XL-II. Mine is from the late 80's.
the 80s ones with the good output transformers are the best version to my ear. Even the new ones are a total swiss army knife.