New Mics or a new pre?

[darrin_h2000]

You will find though if you are a bass player that the models are dead on balls accurate...same with mic preamps...there is so much more to a guitar amp and effects...the preamp models are excellent.

Plus the idea of modding something that wasnt built right in the first place before buying something good, used doesnt make a lick of sense to me...the were many hits in the 70s with vocals done on that SM57.

 

[chicopunk13]

i've used a 2001 on some fucking great sounding stuff (i can send you samples). cheap def does not = bad.

if anything i'd tell you to get a 57 or 421 for guitar cabs and invest in acoustic treatment. acoustics are crucial (especially on vox and guitar) and a lot of people just neglect em.

as for the art pre, i've heard a lot of bad shit about it, but half of the people on forums talk about gear they've never even worked with and i won't do that, so, it could very well work for you. but, for sure, the noticeable performance gains with preamps come in the $1000+ price range. the first studio i worked in had a 2-channel Fearn and that preamp is top-shelf (a sonic improvement as clear as day), but it also costs 3-5 G's.