What mic do you like for guitar cabs?

[Leevibe]

I've been using mostly SM57 for live mic'ing. I've also tried a 58. I'm intrigued by the SM7B though. I'd buy one if I could afford it.

I would love to get a Cascade ribbon mic although I don't know if that would be good for live. I've heard great recordings with them though and they're way cheaper than a Royer.

I own a Rode NT1A that I haven't tried on a guitar cab yet, but I recorded acoustic on it once and I was surprised how much I liked it.

[Morgan]

I always use a seinheiser E609, or something. The cheap one, not the expensive one. I've been wanting to grab an Audix I5 to keep around as well. was considering grabbing one of those cheap MXL ribbon mics to try out and maybe mod.

I don't know too much about mics though...

[Stomptown]

I vote for the SM57. I'm cheap and I don't really like the Audix equivelent for SM57's and a SM58 is not optimal IMO. Never tried the SM7B though...

[JohnL]

I use 57s a lot, meets most every rider out there. That being said Sennheiser MD421 is great for heavy sounding styles, or most anything really has a bunch of low end. Beyer M88 I love for jazz players and their Polytones and other "cleaner" amps. Lately I have jumped on the condenser band wagon and have had good results with a Shure KSM27, now the SM27. I wouldn't use it on a Marshall stack dimed, but for stand As for the Fathead, I have seen people use it live, you just have to be careful where you place it as it is a figure 8 pattern. Out of curiosity what don't you like about a 57? A bit of movement or changing the orientation of the mic can solve many problems. The biggest thing I found is I start outside the dust cap and place it about 30° off axis. Gets rid of the brittle sound you often hear.

[Leevibe]

I use 57s a lot, meets most every rider out there. That being said Sennheiser MD421 is great for heavy sounding styles, or most anything really has a bunch of low end. Beyer M88 I love for jazz players and their Polytones and other "cleaner" amps. Lately I have jumped on the condenser band wagon and have had good results with a Shure KSM27, now the SM27. I wouldn't use it on a Marshall stack dimed, but for stand As for the Fathead, I have seen people use it live, you just have to be careful where you place it as it is a figure 8 pattern. Out of curiosity what don't you like about a 57? A bit of movement or changing the orientation of the mic can solve many problems. The biggest thing I found is I start outside the dust cap and place it about 30° off axis. Gets rid of the brittle sound you often hear.

I'm neutral on the 57. I was just curious about what other people are using. I should experiment more with placement for sure.

[JohnL]

What kind of music do you play?

[junkemail86]

I've posted this before, but I think it's worth mentioning again.  I LOVE the Studio Projects B1 for studio recording amps (I have the old one without any knobs or switches).  Sounds amazing on both clean and distorted tones, and it's not finicky about positioning.  I never really bonded with the SM57, I never really use mine anymore.  Give the Rode a try, I've had good luck with my NT1000 on most things, but don't use it that often for guitar. 

[Leevibe]

What kind of music do you play?

I tend toward a clean to mildly overdriven rootsy kind of tone. Single coils into tweed deluxe. Often the speaker is caged behind plexiglas with a lid on it so that's why I'm thinking the ribbon wouldn't work. I would probably get nasty phase issues etc.

I like the idea of the e609 for squeezing in between the shield and the cab.

[oldhousescott]

For live micing, I like a E609. It just seems easier to position and get a good sound compared to a 57. For recording, anything goes.

[jtn191]

SM57 is hard to beat for price and being able to use it on anything else. I've also used e609s live and they're quicker to setup

[lincolnic]

Fun fact: a 57 and a 58 are the same mic, but the 58 has a windscreen.

The 609 is easy to use live because you can literally stick it to your amp with gaff tape. Honestly, if you spend a little time finding the right position for your amp, a 57 will do what you need it to do 95% of the time.

I mostly use ribbon mics at work, though. We have a pair of rare Beyerdynamic M320s at my studio, and those things are awesome. At the other studio where I work, it's usually either a Royer 121 or an old RCA SK-46. Or a 57!

[eldanko]

For a little extra $$$, I strongly prefer the e906 to the e609. Much less harsh to my ears. Over the past six months, I've used the following:

Shure SM57
Audix i5
Senn e609
Senn e906
Senn MD421

The e906 is my go-to at the moment, and I still own the i5 as well. I'd like to spend some more time with the 421, as the few times I used it the monitor situation wasn't that great.

[GrindCustoms]

Heil PR-30, it captures what you hear... for reference stuff or to get the true nature of a sound without having to deal with the inherent tone print of some mics, like mid pike of SM57 or the upfront brightness of Senn 609 or 906. My favorite instrument microphone among everything i've tried.

[lincolnic]

I'd like to spend some more time with the 421, as the few times I used it the monitor situation wasn't that great.

For me personally, I'm not a fan of the 421 on guitar amps. I've used it with good success on other things through amps - Wurlitzer through an old Ampeg B-18 comes to mind - but for whatever reason I can't seem to get this one happening on guitar. I know the problem is me, though; I have trouble making them sound good on a bass drum too. But they're still my go-to for toms.

[GrindCustoms]

I'd like to spend some more time with the 421, as the few times I used it the monitor situation wasn't that great.

For me personally, I'm not a fan of the 421 on guitar amps. I've used it with good success on other things through amps - Wurlitzer through an old Ampeg B-18 comes to mind - but for whatever reason I can't seem to get this one happening on guitar. I know the problem is me, though; I have trouble making them sound good on a bass drum too. But they're still my go-to for toms.

That's also what i like them the most for. The only other way i think i've ever used them.. was with a guitarist who had an open back combo, SM57 in front 421 in the back no low cut... got some really nice tones with both mics in the mix.