Do you have the VS-FX Expansion cards in your VS 1880? If so, they have amp cabinet simulation that's nearly as good as a POD (the POD is better, but not by leaps and bounds).

Generally, the best electric guitar sounds still come from mic'ing an amp. Usually, this means a dynamic mic (like an SM57 or MD 421) up close to the grill. Often, large diaphram condensers (LDCs) and ribbon mic are also used. Often, these mics are backed away from the amp and are used to capture some room sound with the amp sound.

There's a lot of variation in acoustic guitar technique, but usually small diaphram condensers (SDCs) are used, both for mono and stereo recording. Again, LDCs and ribbons sometimes come into play here as well.

For acoustic guitar....Get a small diaphram cigar style condensor mic. Point it at the guitar just left, as the player sees it, of the sound hole at the neck body joint and face it slightly towards the sound hole but not too much as this will be too boomy. Make sure the mic capsule is six to eight inches away from the point it is aiming at. I would raise the back end of it slightly as well and then angle it down to face the mic slightly away from the players mouth. Especially if they are singing. Get the player to sit on a stool if poss as this will stop them moving on and off mic. A well set up compressor at this stage works wonders. However if you are not 100% sure of using compression as you are surely not, then record a non compressed feed as well or put it on later. Compression is one of the hardest audio tools to use. Failure to grasp this fact will come back to haunt you evertime you listen back to your recordings in the future. Whilst positioning the mic wear cans and try to fnd a sweet spot. Try to get a natural sound and watch out for a bass boost caused by too much proximity to the sound hole.
As for electric guitar... Just point any mic at the cabinet. I used to balance a 57 in an old shoe and lean it against the grill..sounded fine..still do it that way sometimes..saves using a stand.

Electricbacfac wrote: For acoustic guitar....Get a small diaphram cigar style condensor mic. Point it at the guitar just left, as the player sees it, of the sound hole at the neck body joint and face it slightly towards the sound hole but not too much as this will be too boomy. Make sure the mic capsule is six to eight inches away from the point it is aiming at. .

sounds a bit complicated but worth the effort... thanks a lot for the help. that goes for all replies!

keep em comin!!

Rado

getting a good guitar sound

I tried micing my marshall avt150 with a shure sm57 and after a few goes still couldnt get the sound i wanted and dont really have the patience to mess about with mic placement. The longer you spend messing abouth with stuff like that to get the sounds you want the less time you will actually have to get your music recorded.

If you want great guitar sounds instantly and want to have a access to a variety of sounds fast then get a Pod, I just got myself a Pod Xt Live and it rocks! You can link it via USB to your Pc and program it with your mouse Via using the Line6 edit software. Also there are sound packs with extra amps and cabs that you can download for a fee from line 6 and they even do a Bass Pack now!