What mic to buy for guitars?

[Salvation 13]

I just got some money, so I thought I could get one of these:

Sennheiser e609
Audix i5
Sennheiser md441 off ebay

I already have sm57's, a md421 and a Rode NT1A. Which one of these would be the most useful one to complete my collection? (Or recommend something better in that price range).

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

i5 is close to SM57, and you already have a MD441 so I'd go for the e609 to add another string to your bow.

 

[Keiffer]

in my experience the i5 is close to the 57 only when the 57 is sufficiently loaded

I generally use these

57
57 w/o transformer
i5
e609s
md421

 

[~BURNY~]

On the other hand, the 441 is a really cool piece of mic. Maybe not for a metal stuff but for more rockish sounds, it can do wonders not only on guitars but also snares, toms, vocals, brass instruments, percussions...

 

[Salvation 13]

Well, I pretty much have all that I need for high gain in the 57+421 combo, so would the 441 suit cleans better?

 

[~BURNY~]

I'd say yes but that's a matter of taste in the first place. I also like LDC's for clean sounds.

 

[Salvation 13]

Me too, the LDC's worth buying cost a lot more than the 200$ I have in my budget, though. So, how much different the 441 is from the 421?

 

[~BURNY~]

More refined (read less obvious character) and versatile. That's all I can say really.

 

[cobrahead1030]

i love a 57 and i5 blended together, so the i5 would probably be my choice

 

[Razorjack]

From the prices I saw when I was in LA you can get both an i5 and an e609 for $200, that would be my choice personally. I'm after an e609 myself but don't have any cash to put into gear right now.

 

[unsilpauly]

if you can get your hands on the e609 black(not the silver) go for it. its a great mic for sure, definetly darker than the 57 or i5. the i5 would be a great choice also because its great on drums as well(snares, toms). either way you are gonna want both of those mics eventually so.....

 

[Ice Man]

in my experience the i5 is close to the 57 only when the 57 is sufficiently loaded

I generally use these

57
57 w/o transformer
i5
e609s
md421

Could you provide a little bit of detail between the two 57s you mentioned? Tone differences and what you did to them? Thanks!

 

[Keiffer]

Ice Man,

Follow this link and look for 57 with - 57 w/o - i5

the clip is a 57 with and w/o the transformer and an i5... but the 57 is not with my load cable. the 57 seems to like about 680ohms. so I have a cable that brings it much closer to that since my preamps are about 1500. the nice thing about the load cable is I can use it or not depending on if I like what the 57's giving me. I only use the load cable on the 57 with the transformer. it does make a very positive difference.

kp-

 

[chaosmonger]

Ice Man,

Follow this link and look for 57 with - 57 w/o - i5

the clip is a 57 with and w/o the transformer and an i5... but the 57 is not with my load cable. the 57 seems to like about 680ohms. so I have a cable that brings it much closer to that since my preamps are about 1500. the nice thing about the load cable is I can use it or not depending on if I like what the 57's giving me. I only use the load cable on the 57 with the transformer. it does make a very positive difference.

kp-

Can you explain a bit more about the load cable? ... I've already heard of the 57's w/o transformer mod, but I don't feel like tearing apart my 57 ... the cable thingie sounds interesting ...

 

[Keiffer]

the load cable is nothing more than a short mic cable with one resistor per signal (two resistors total) to ground. the resistors are matched. I don't recall the actual values but probably selected for a total ~680 assuming the preamp is 1500. the resistors live in one end of the cable's Neutrik connector.