Oh, Snap! Sennheiser MZS-421 shockmount

In my Low End Theory 1 article, I expressed my overwhelming satisfaction with the Low End Theory 2 article, I explained the custom mounting of my sweet MD-421 using a Bass Hangar from basshanger.com, a common microphone gooseneck, and the Sennheiser MZS-421 shockmount. In all their wisdom, Sennheiser did not make the MD-421 fit in a standard mic clip. But at least they did make this mount that would isolate the microphone from nasty bass vibrations. It is perfect for my “on the cab” mic set up.

bass cab mic mount

That is, until one of the rubber bands broke while I was on tour. Then a second rubber band broke. The remaining bands held the mount together until the end of tour, but the shock absorption was nil. Luckily, one of the broken bands was stuck in the divots of the mount. With that and the help of some photos, I was able to trace its original path and re-thread replacements.

Well, rubber band is a bit of a misnomer. I replaced the broken bands on the side with #17 O-rings from the Home Depot plumbing department. They were a perfect match. A slightly larger O-ring might be necessary to replace the middle band.

During the repair process, I drew up this handy guide to the MZS-421 shockmount so anyone can easily fix their own.

md421 shock mount

Such a large segment of the population is just itching to shock mount their MD-421 microphones for mounting on a bass cabinet… I’m sure this will help millions.

8 thoughts on “Oh, Snap! Sennheiser MZS-421 shockmount

  1. I tried to fix mine with hair bands, but they give pretty quickly. I think I snapped the first O rings I tried, but I'm going to go with what you suggested–I like your diagram!

    1. My replacement O-rings eventually snapped, but not until a good year later. I keep a few around, just in case. It might be worth trying a slightly lager diameter, too. I'm glad I made the diagram before the whole thing fell apart or I would never be able to figure it out.

  2. I bought some 1-1/16″ OD x 7/8″ ID x 3/32″ thickness O-rings like the #17 ones you identified and voila, they work great. Thanks for the info!

  3. Hi, First of all, thanks for posting this! This is the only place I’ve found anything on this.
    Have you discovered whether they’re all the same size band, or do you know what the other sizes are?

    One of the outside bands broke on mine, but I’m thinking maybe I should get replacements to have on hand. 🙂
    Thanks!

    1. They all appear to be the same size. And they will snap again. Spares are a good idea.

  4. They are two different sizes. There is a Sennheiser repair kit, part # MZS421-03. As near as I can figure from your diagram the “red” bands are the larger size

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