Which mic for Acoustic Guitar?

[juststackit]

And yeah, my choice is the KM 184, but a pair runs around a grand! Probably out of the range here. I heard great things about the Josephines also- I REALLY want to check those out.

I have been recording guitar in stereo, both with large and small diaphram pairs. Then I stack it and Pan each stereo track hard in one direction. SO, the first take all the way to the right, and the second take all the way to the left. I get a great sound that way

 

[cominginsecond]

Another endorsement of the C42s. I love 'em on acoustic. Especially on stuff that really needs to cut through a busy mix. These mics are also great cymbal mics (I haven't yet tried them as overheads, though).

 

[Richard Monroe]

Yo Bluesmouse! A cardioid can make a perfectly good room mic, although figure 8's and omnis are often used also. Just move it around the room and point it at everything from every spot you can find, and listen. Warning- Room mics are a two edged sword, particularly with ambient noise. I have got some lovely wind chimes mixed with the percussionist's bowel sounds. Creative editing was required.-
Great acoustic guitar recordings have been made with pretty much every mic mentioned by everyone above. That's a whole lot of "that depends". Think of guitars and guitarists as singers. They work with some mics in some rooms, and not others. Change the material, back to square one. Yup, odds are if a Schoeps is available, that old Nady will probably not make the cut. *To some extent*, you get what you pay for.
The good news is, the right mic for the job may be a fairly cheap mic. The bad news is, it may also be one you don't own and can't afford. I agree with Buck in this instance. Take the 603 and the C-1 and play around with placement.-Richie

 

[xfinsterx]

I really like the baby bottle over the shoulder--
royer ribbon on the 12 fret sound ive been getting.
Needs to be in a nice live room to shine though.

 

[flatcat]

Depends on the guitar. I've had really good results with an AT4033a (got mine used for $150) - I really like that mic on acoustic guitar and it sounds great on big-sounding guitars like Martin dreadnaughts. I've also had good luck with an ATPro37R small diaphragm at the neck body join and an large diaphragm condenser out about 18-36". The Pro37R is good for a busy mix.

The NTK can sound fantastic on some acoustic guitars.

I don't care for the AT3035 on acoustic guitar - to my ear, it's a little boxy-sounding. It's great on amps and as a drum overhead though. I've also gotten good results with it 3-4' in front of an upright bass when combined with a small diaphragm on the neck.