LDC for solo ac guitar?

[Richard Monroe]

Generally, I would select bright mics for acoustic, to decrease boominess, and the need for bass cuts/EQ. If the acoustic is not the greatest, use a colored mic. AKG C2000B and NTK have both been mentioned. I own both, and they both work well, especially on a cheap guitar, or where you want a little color for a rock mix. They are both fairly colored mics, and will definitely introduce a little fuzziness to the sound, like airbrushing a photo.
It's not as clear, but it can be very good. If the guitar is one of the great ones, I recommend something more transparent. I've had my best luck with AKG C414B-ULS and Shure SM82, which is a really weird discontinued mic. A Neumann U-87 would be great, but a little pricey.-Richie

 

[Toonsmith]

The NT5 on acoustics? On a brighter guitar like my Taylor it sounds great. Clean, crisp and warm. But on a friends Martin koa guitar it makes it sound a little to dark for my taste. So I usually record that with a 603. But i still prefer the V67. To me it just sounds right.

I really don't know much about the C4 so can't comment on that.

 

[cominginsecond]

Sorry for beating a dead horse . . . but if that were the case, then why would they start a thread like this in the first place?

He doesn't have a LDC. Before he buys one he wants to know people's thoughts on using them on acoustic.

 

[DJL]

Use whatever gets you the sound you want.

AMEN... you can say that again.

 

[sdelsolray]

usually sd condensors are recomended for acoustic guitar, but lately i've read somethings that have me questioning if a sd is what i should be using for solo acoustic guitar. I've heard that sdc's are better for putting ac guitar in a mix of other instruments, and LDC's are sometimes preferred for solo acoustic. that its a more natural or warmer sound.
would a LDC be better for solo? if so what's a good LDC around the $200 and under range?

For solo acoustic guitar, flatpicked or fingerstyle, a pair of mics is usually best (although a really good omni in a good room can sound great). Many prefer an matched pair of mics, many like two different mics. As to matched pairs, the conventional wisdom is a pair of SDs. As to a non-matched pair, many like one SD and one LD (or a ribbon mic).

I record only fingerstyle acoustic guitar. I use three mics, a pair of SDs and one LD. Usually the SDs are set to XY or ORTF, although sometimes I'll split them (12th fret, lower bout). I'll place the LD in the center (either timed with the SDs or back several feet) or over the shoulder. The signals from the SDs are panned in the mix and the signal from the LD is left in the center of the mix, just enough to fill in a bit.

I've tried a lot of mics for this. Here's what I currently use:

SDs:
Neumann KM 184s
Schoeps CMC6 MK4s

LDs:
Neumann M 149
Neumann TLM 103
CAD VX2

Ribbon:
AEA R84

These mics work very well for me. Many others that I've tried work well too (e.g., AT 4060, DPA 4016). Several others were not very good.

 

[royharper3220]

so do places like sam ash let you try out mics ? I own 2 mics so its not like i have a huge stash of LDCs and am too lazy try them out myself.