I'd like to use a standard SM58 or whatever as my talkback mic on the desk input. I know one would normally use a pre-mounted slimline talkback mic mated to a gooseneck but is it possible to buy a sturdy gooseneck with just male/female XLR's fitted at each end?

Cheers - Allan

Yup. A quick google search shows Shure do one.

LINKY

Or you can go cheaper I'm sure. Another Linky

Cheers swizzuk for the linky to the cheapo slinky! Ordered and on its way. Blue Room (+ Google) Brilliant!

My personal preference is to have a switched microphone on a normal XLR cable, especially when working on larger desks, as you have the ability to move around to the end channels of the desk or bent over looking at the bottom of the outboard racks and still be able to use the talkback, rather than being tired to the master section of the desk.

Neil

Be carefull, if you are using the talkback socket on the desk I have seen loads that arnt well mounted so hanging a 58 on it might cause dryjoints over awhile.

this may just be my opinion but I dont like using the talkback section in the desk I like having the ability of eqing my own voice so I always ise the final channel on the desk as my talk back.

Uh, WTF? It's talkback to stage, via the monitors, so you can advise the band of things/whatever. And sometimes talkback to FOH to the audience, "XYZ123 your lights are on" / "Please leave the theatre in an orderly manner" etc etc. Not like you're putting your lead vocal through, so why the need to EQ? Or is this just an ego thing?

yeh thats exactly what it is I like the sound of my own voice

Dry joints are solely the result of poor soldering technique.

I expect you mean that a heavy mic swaying on the end of a gooseneck might cause failure of the connections to the socket. This will be through simple physical fracture of the joint quite irrespective of whether it was badly made or not. If it was actually "dry" it would fail sooner as a dry joint is one where the solder is poorly bonded to the metals it's supposed to be joining.

Well clearly you don't if you have to eq the bloody thing......

Is it me, or is Rob the 'Simon Cowell' of BR?
We all like to sound our best over the P.A Rob.....
I think Sam was being sarcastic...

I don't think he was being sarcastic. For a start, there was no smiley " " to indicate anything other than seriousness.
Besides, if he's that up himself...

I like to think I have at least some use.......

the takback input on my desk sounds OK, however its in a daft place, to use it it either neds a ery long gooseneck, or to lean over the desk to get close enough.
I used it a few times with a goose when I first got it, but TBH didnt like the weight hanging off an XLR, well soldered or not.

I use a sennheiser hand held mic plugged into it now, much nicer to use. I use the talkback through the main system though for the "pre flight announcement"

I have a great face for radio!

Is there a reason why you want to use an SM58 for talkback? Seems a bit excessive to me. If there's a good reason then go for it, but I can't see why it would be needed. Just get yourself a standard gooseneck mic. I'd be interested to know your reasons for opting for a 58 though.

Because they're all over the place and they're cheap? Excessive?

I'd say that was about right. Everyone has a couple kicking around with battered heads that they wouldn't use on stage (partially due to battered heads partially due to the fact they sound appalling).

EQ the talkback? You mean go to all the bother of going to the stage, running your mic into the desk channel and then running back and forth to tweak a knob, then back to the stage over and over again?

It's dead certain that you cannot eq your voice coming through a stage monitor from your position at the back. Have you ever heard what the monitor carefully eq'd with the artiste sounds like at the back? - Dull muffled and no HF - because it's facing the wrong way! If you eq it t sound good at the back their heads will fall off from the HF.

The bit about using a channel strip is fair enough - then you can talk to the house, and/or any monitor channels, but as for anything other than flat eq - can't really see it.

I suppose if your actual voice is of unusual frequency content (Barry White or Joe Pasquale spring to mind) then a little tweak may improve clarity.

One sure way of making sure the band and nosiy guitarists can hear the monitors!!!!!

Damn good monitors if you can match the level of GBF.

It didn't seem odd to me, at first.
I have my HD25s over an ear when I first talk to the stage, (just to be conscious of a level) and depending where I've sat the talkback mic and how clapped out it is, would encourage me to EQ it for clarity.

But on reflection, if there's a gooseneck mic on the sound desk or prompt desk, I use it without a thought of EQing. I shall order one for my gig bag.

First one I found GM-5212 Gooseneck Microphone. That's the boy for me.