Electric guitar mic to complement my 421?

[Vogon]

Sorry, but +1 for the 57/sm7 again.

The MD421 does have a large peak in the upper mids, and I too like it on clean(er) stuff, I actually find the MKII to be a little harder, but this could be due to some ageing factors in the older model mics.

But the 57 and sm7 IMHO make a great compliment for it - the 57 has a certain way of capturing the throat and grind of overdriven sounds and the sm7 is similar but with extra top and bottom.
I sometimes use the 421 or M88 at the cone edge to mainly dial-in some extra lows, whilst trying not to swamp the throaty qualities of the 57 (I rarely use it on the dustcap).
IME, The amp has to be loud enough though, feed a 57 too little volume and it's as thin as heck - and that speaker compression will not be helping to tame any clipping-fizz from the amp section.
Not to say the ribbons can't be great, I use them too (M160 mainly).

Note that close mic'ing (alone) is not the way to capture the amps "in the room" sound, it's a "compromise" that has it's own pro's and con's, so I'd also be looking at changing the amps settings to work with the close mic setup, rather than sound impressive 6' away in a room, if it wasn't already.

[andychamp]

In my experience, mixing different polar patterns on a single source(i.e. one cardioid and one fig.-8) helps avoiding phase-related headaches when blending signals. Doesn't really matter if they're both close mics or not, either.
Can't tell if there's a scientific foundation to this, or if I'm just lucky with mic placement, though.

[rwhitney]

Originally Posted by andychamp

In my experience, mixing different polar patterns on a single source(i.e. one cardioid and one fig.-8) helps avoiding phase-related headaches when blending signals. Doesn't really matter if they're both close mics or not, either.
Can't tell if there's a scientific foundation to this, or if I'm just lucky with mic placement, though.

Just for the record, that is not my experience. Just last night I had to play around with a fig. 8/cardioid combination and took a while to get them right. (I don't delay compensate, btw, because I'm going for room depth.)

[tfenton]

another vote for the sm 7. its just a great mic. i have used the e906 and the audix i5 for guitars, and i find the sm 7 to be superior to both.

[bernileimbrock]

Originally Posted by Mayor999

PR30 is great and also does double duty on pretty much ANYTHING and sounds great.

Have you tried just a good old SM57? They usually do the job very well on guitars.

I agree! these two work well together!

[wildstar]

Oh boy! I've got my friend's Fathead II positioned just right, and my 57 along with it, and it sure sounds sweet. Clean tones, edge of distortion, crunchy fat... all sound pretty great with this same configuration.

When I listen back to the recorded tracks, I really like the 421 less and less... Blended with the Fathead is great, but on its own, contrasted with the 57 or Fathead solo'd, I don't like it. Just to be clear - I'm not trying to knock the 421 in general - only how it's working with my own particular set-up.

OK, you guys are totally right- a ribbon is what I wanted. I am ordering a Fathead tomorrow. And then maybe a Heil dynamic, for extra fun and versatility. The 421 is probably going back...

And I'll build myself a little mini-trap to place behind the Fathead, thanks for the tip Einar.

Thanks, everyone.

Originally Posted by Einar

+1 on Audix i5
+1 on SM57/SM7
+1 on cascade fathead

Regarding your fear of unwanted noise with the figure 8 I´d get one of these:

makes a world of difference when close micing guitars, great for vocals and acoustic guitars also!

peace!

[AntillesSound]

ideally, i would say r-121, as the 421 121 combo is my go-to guit setup.

however, the re20, the e609 and the heil pr30 are all stellar choices. i dont think you'd be upset with any of them.

[AntillesSound]

oh, and never forget the 57. it really is a great guitar mic.

[Rednose]

I use a 57 and an EV PL 10 on my guitar cabs.
The PL 10 has a darker sound the I put underneath the 57.
Works for me.

[Jam]

Another vote for a ribbon !!

Royer if you can afford it.

James

[digibird]

Originally Posted by wildstar

Something smoother at the top end, but still with a strong midrange and fat low end

Has to be cardioid Ribbons are out

serve double-duty as an acoustic guitar or voiceover mic

That is the AT4047, also excellent as drum OH and on male rock/pop vocals.

Northern Sound & Light (NSL) - Call Us 866-796-6232 for great prices on all AT mics. I bought a pair of 4047s from them, for around $420 ea., IIRC.

More like $446 ea. now...