Boom arm question

[gingertimmins]

Hello, apologies if this isn’t in the right sub forum but I couldn’t think where else to put it!

I just bought a load of second hand k&m mic stands. They’re all in really good condition with a couple of carry bags for them but two of them are missing the boom arm.
Do I have to buy k&m or will any generic boom arm fit? Just to be clear, it’s the pivoting clamp bit and second pole missing so essentially they are just straight stands at the moment.
I’ve no problem buying k&m but I’m Wondering if I could repurpose the boom arms from broken stands to make some complete ones?
At my studio which I share there is a pile of broken stands but I’m not there until next week to be able to see what brand they are or if they fit.

Cheers,
Chris

[John Willett]

Get the genuine K&M arms.

A lot of cheap stands have poor swivels and the boom arms can move and droop.

Yes - virtually anything will fit as its a standard thread, but I would use the genuine article.

[gingertimmins]

Get the genuine K&M arms.

A lot of cheap stands have poor swivels and the boom arms can move and droop.

Yes - virtually anything will fit as its a standard thread, but I would use the genuine article.

Thanks John, I knew that would be the general consensus but I’m hoping that I may be able to recycle some of the tat hanging about outside the studio. I bought these stands as they were cheap and just to have a few more hanging about so a couple of not so good stands will probably be ok!
Thanks for the info!

[Wonks]

There are often bits of stand that strip their threads. Generally these bits don't need to move or be unscrewed, so I've epoxied them together in the past to give them a new lease of life.

[Mike Stranks]

OTOH...

I've often bought generic mic stands and booms with no problems - UNTIL a muso decides to adjust the arm by just yanking it rather than loosening it at the swivel point and then re-tightening. It seems to be endemic, irrespective of muso age, genre of music etc. Even K&Ms won't stand that abuse for very long.

FWIW I've bought several of these: https://www.studiospares.com/Microphones/Mic-Accessories/Studiospares-Pro-Telescopic-Boom-Arm-only_648270.htm and never had problems.

[gingertimmins]

OTOH...

I've often bought generic mic stands and booms with no problems - UNTIL a muso decides to adjust the arm by just yanking it rather than loosening it at the swivel point and then re-tightening. It seems to be endemic, irrespective of muso age, genre of music etc. Even K&Ms won't stand that abuse for very long.

FWIW I've bought several of these: https://www.studiospares.com/Microphones/Mic-Accessories/Studiospares-Pro-Telescopic-Boom-Arm-only_648270.htm and never had problems.

Tell me about it! It makes me shudder whenever I see it!
Luckily my studio is a studio share between my band (who I’ve trained to use stands and coil cables properly!) and two solo producer types who also know their onions.
The solo guys never need more than a couple of stands but we, a 5 piece band, definitely do- hence the reason I’ve bought a load of cheapo stands to bolster our collection.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Sorry to be late in on this one... and I think the salient points have all been said, but ...

I just bought a load of second hand k&m mic stands. They’re all in really good condition with a couple of carry bags for them but two of them are missing the boom arm. Do I have to buy k&m or will any generic boom arm fit?

I expect you'll find generic boom arms will fit fine. The hubs of most simply screw onto the stand via either a 3-8-inch thread (European stuff) or a 5-8-inch (US stuff). So worst case might involve a thread adapter or two...

I’ve no problem buying k&m but I’m Wondering if I could repurpose the boom arms from broken stands to make some complete ones?

Yes, of course. In your situation up-cycling makes a lot of sense. The K&M stuff is well made and you can get spare parts easily, but they aren't cheap. And anyway, you could always purchase proper K&M boom arms in the future if you wanted...

H