Secondary electric guitar mic options?

[sshack]

Hey all, I have (of course) an SM-57 and a 58, but have been curious about getting another mic to compliment the 57 since I use it primarily for electric guitar. I've considered the CAD Trion 7000 and the Senheiser 421 so far with having heard good reports about both. A common description is that they fatten things up, and we all love fat, right?
None the less, I am not unhappy with the 57 at all, so please don't misunderstand. I'm just looking for an addition to the arsenal.

Any additional suggestions that the experienced folk can throw out would be greatly appreciated. And oh, let's say sub $400-ish.

Thanks. 8-)

[bent]

You can't go wrong with a 421. It, like the 57, is a very versatile mic.
If you have an open back gtr cab, you can throw it right back there and mix it up.

[mobilelab]

Sennheiser also makes mics specifically for guitar cabinets. I have the e609 and love the sound. I usually put a 57, the 609 and a room mic a few feet away when micing cabs and mix for the best sound. I have to admit, I usually end up using the 57. Man, I love that mic.

[sshack]

I've heard good things about the 609 too. I pretty much have to stick with close mic'ing since I'm doing everything in a room that's basically a living room/den area.
I wish I had a good sounding room. Maybe down the road I'll look into that.

[GeorgeinFlorida]

I love Sennheiser headphones... hate their mics. The 421 yields decent results with toms and I suppose could be used with guitar cabs, but unlike the 57 when you use it on vocals, acoustic guitar or anything else which has a clearly recognisable "sound", the 421 bears no resemblance to it. :/
A great all-around recording mic which happens to do a spectacular job on guitar cabs is the AKG 414. It holds up well to the SPLs and has a wonderfully detailed presence that lesser mics just don't approach. If it's in your means to get one ($1k) or two you will love, love, love them!!

That's my opinion anyway. :-)

[TheBear]

ya i have the e609 as well and im a fan of it. and you probably couldnt go wrong with a 421 either.

[Davedog]

Depending on your room and micing situation, you may want to look at several condensers in that range. However, if you are recording with other live instruments in the same room, this is an option that only works if 'bleed' is your friend.

The ADK A6 and S7 are new models that will go a long way to 'fattening' up your signal.

The KEL mics offer incredible clarity as well as some attitude to guitar amp.

I am not a big fan of small diaphrams on guitar amps, but the SM81 is a mic I would not hesitate to put up on any source. It has a very 'forward' sound to it as well as warmth with the right preamp.

Back to dynamics, the Heil PR30 or the PR40 are both excellent mics.

At that price range, perhaps a search for a 'real' MD409 is in order. Not many mics can do guitar amps as well as this one. Also the AKG D20 works well and is a mic that has many other uses.

An ATM25, even though its touted as a kik drum mic for the most part, is one of the better heavy guitar mics around. Hard to find, no longer in production, but you could get four for that budget. I like it more than the MD421 on guitar amps. But thats just me.



I forgot to mention the Audix mics. I use this as a plural because so many of the line works so well in this capacity. The i5 is a current mic that many say easily replaces the SM57. I think they are somewhat different and will generally use both on a cabinet. The i5 has a bit more gloss to the highs and the bass is a bit firmer. The D series Audix mics are killer guitar cabinet mics. A D2 is quite interesting in the low punch it adds to a cabinet sound. No blur or fuzz either. The D1, D3, and D4s' are simply differently voiced mics and each offer their own take on a guitar sound.

[tifftunes]

Back to dynamics, the Heil PR30 or the PR40 are both excellent mics.

At that price range, perhaps a search for a 'real' MD409 is in order. Not many mics can do guitar amps as well as this one.

+1 for Heil and MD409 (the only mics of Davedog's post I've used).

May I also suggest the ubiquitous EV RE20 (even better an RE27), or the RE11, RE15, RE16, and the N/D468. All still very under-rated and cheap.

[niclaus]

i oftenly use, with great result, a large diaphragm mic such as a U87, added to a 57...
If this one is too expensive you could try a Studio project TB1...

I'm considering getting a "blue ball", so i can get different tones... does anyone ever tried this one...
And what about the blue "8-ball"??

[sshack]

Thanks Davedog...that's a huge list. I forgot at the 409 too.

I should mention that everything will be close mic'd (for the most part) as my room is just a basic living/den area; drywall, carpet, nothing exciting. I do have hardwoods in other rooms so I could (and may in the future) drag stuff around to experiment with room sounds. Also, I would say with 99.9% certainty that no other instruments will ever be recorded at the same time, so bleeding isn't a problem/friend/foe.

So, just out of curiosity, how much would be too much to spend on a real 409?

Thanks.