The best mic for guitar amp live

[guitarman2]

I'm just wondering what the best microphone to used to mic a guitar amp live? It seems that the SM57 is the standard answer but I'm just wondering if there is something better.
I have heard that the e609 isn't really any better. Both of these mics get some bad reviews.

[Hamm Guitars]

The correct answer to your question is 'whatever the soundman is comfortable with'.

I often get musicians wanting to use their own mics for vocals or instruments and it can be pretty hit and miss as they show up with some pretty dodgy stuff sometimes (There was a blue ball that comes to mind). I can relate that they bought the mic and they want to use it, or they can get a sound recording with the mic, but there are allot of factors in live sound and adding 'unknown mics' can sometimes be counter productive. If I was going to invest in a mic, I would go with the standard 57 or 58, because it is the industry standard.

However, I would prefer Beyer mics over shure mics any day of the week

[Hamm Guitars]

One more note I should have added, if you do buy your own mic mark it with coloured tape or some other easy to identify marking. At the end of the night when I go into tear down mode I just start taking all of the mics down and throwing them in the mic case - allot of times the player's personal mics will end up there and trying to tell one 58 from another isn't allways the easiest thing to do and not all PA and rental outfits mark their mics.

[suttree]

good advice from the above posters. for a great classic sound, the sennheiser MD421 is another common choice (although it does sport the worst mic clip in music history). the sennheiser e609 is great, and the beyer stuff is great, audix makes an excellent guitar/instrument mic, as do others.

[ronmac]

The SM57 is the front runner for good reason. It is cheap, rugged and sounds good.

If you are looking for something different you really need to ask yourself what do you need that the SM57 can't provide. That will inform your choice of the several excellent choices out there.

[Paul]

I like the Sennheiser e609. I have sewn a small pocket on the grill cloth of my amp that fits the e609. I never need a mic stand, I don't have to hang the mic by the cable, and the mic is in the same spot everytime.

I absolutely HATE when folks hang an SM57 or SM58 from the mic cable in front of a loudspeaker. Besides the inevitable slip and bang off of the floor, you don't use the on-axis sweet spot on the mic.

I'm also a huge fan of the Sennheiser MD 421 mics. I don't dislike the current generation of them, although I do have more v.1 mics than any other.

[suttree]

I like the Sennheiser e609. I have sewn a small pocket on the grill cloth of my amp that fits the e609. I never need a mic stand, I don't have to hang the mic by the cable, and the mic is in the same spot every time.

that's a clever idea. i've seen people also bolt a mic flange to the side of the amp, and bring a gooseneck. i have an ultimate guitar amp stand and a boom arm attaches right to the top of it, but i find it's a little too small to use in the real world, so i just use a stand.

[Paul]

that's a clever idea. i've seen people also bolt a mic flange to the side of the amp, and bring a gooseneck. i have an ultimate guitar amp stand and a boom arm attaches right to the top of it, but i find it's a little too small to use in the real world, so i just use a stand.

I'm a clever guy!!!:smile:

Actually, I'm just lazy, and this seemed like a good solution. Where I said that "I" sewed a pocket, I really meant to say "my wife" sewed a pocket.

I've seen the flange/gooseneck thing too. But you have to bring the gooseneck, and positioning is variable. I may not have the absolute ideal mic position, (then again, when it comes to live work, who amongst us sweats the mic position to the absolute mm???), but my mic is always in exactly the same place. Consistency is a good thing sometimes.

I have the ultimate stand too. I don't use the mic stand thingy, but I've seen guys who set up the stand so it is facing them, and their amp is their monitor. The boom stand they attach then becomes their vocal mic stand.

I've been thinking of designing and building a guitar stand that attaches to the ulitmate amp stand. One less thing to carry.