...but chrome won't get you home... just ask any of the morons that spend way more on chrome for their scooters than engine work.
On or off with the grill cloth is a cosmetic decision... if you like the way it looks with it off, take it off... if you like the way it looks with it on, leave it on. The bottom line with mic'ing a cabinet is not where the mic "looks" right, it's where it "sounds" right.
Here's one I don't give up too often but before you go cutting cloth you can't easily replace I'll give it up for you. Put on a pair of headphones with just the 'hiss' of the amp coming through. If you have a way to pipe some '
pink noise' through the cabinet [I usually do it at a relatively low volume... like 60-70db SPL] that usually works best.
Bring the mic up in the headphones... move it around until you find the spot that is "brightest"... and 98 times out of 100 you have your magic guitar mic position.
Mic'ing two cabinets? Once you have the first mic set, pull out a second mic and match the gain between the two mics. Pan the first mic to one side [I usually pan it left... YMMV]. Now flip the polarity on the second mic and pan it to the other side of the headphones [in my case that would be the right side... YMMV]. Now move the second mic around in front of the second cabinet. When the image comes dead center in your headphones, you've found the second golden spot.
Now record the motherfucker and get on with your day.
I don't do this all the time [in fact, I probably do it less than 10% of the time]... but it is an effective technique for when you're not "sure" if the sound that's coming through the control room speakers is "THE" sound you want for the record [I've been at this long enough so I'm usually dead spot on with the guitar sounds I record for a band and how they'll relate to the overall presentation... but the 'noise trick' is an excellent learning technique to get an idea of what will and what won't be an appropriate sound for the record from a microphone positioning perspective].
I hope this makes some sense.
Best of luck.
