[fenderboss7]

i'm looking to buy a guitar mic for church......what do you guys have what would you recommend.......

i heard that condenser mics are not the good for live
what do you think?

[Rainer.]

Shure SM57. Or a Sennheiser e609.

Those are the industry standards.

[fenderboss7]

Originally Posted by Rainer.

Shure SM57. Or a Sennheiser e609.

Those are the industry standards.

which do you have.......?

[Gustin]

Every studio on earth has at least 1 SM57 somewhere. It's a workhorse and is great at what it does.

And it's only 100 bucks new (you can get used ones for 50-70)

[Rainer.]

Originally Posted by fenderboss7

which do you have.......?

I've been using a Shure SM58 without its windscreen lately.

What can I say, I'm a rebel (except not really... an SM58 without its windscreen is almost exactly the same as an SM57...).

[thesteve]

Does your church have any mics laying around?

[fenderboss7]

Originally Posted by thesteve

Does your church have any mics laying around?

not as of now......we just got a new sound system, and they didn't want to spend a lot of money buying tons of mics..........

y r u asking.......can you use just any mic?

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by fenderboss7

not as of now......we just got a new sound system, and they didn't want to spend a lot of money buying tons of mics..........

y r u asking.......can you use just any mic?

Well, Jon mentioned the SM58, and lots of churches are using SM58s (or clones) for vocals.

[surferdude9375]

Just go ahead and get a SM57. The versatility of that mic is great for when you need to mic something random or new.

[fenderboss7]

Originally Posted by thesteve

Well, Jon mentioned the SM58, and lots of churches are using SM58s (or clones) for vocals.

maybe...i'll ask....

[gtrdave]

SM57 is a good "standard" mic for a guitar amp, but after years of using both, I'd go with the Senn. e609. To me, it delivers a richer tone and a bit more definition than the SM57.

[1/2-Fast Player]

If it's likely to get any abuse (dropped, tripped over, tossed loose into a box, whatever), get the SM57. 57s sound good, have excellent dynamic range, can be used for drums, horns, vocals, primal screams, or for a hammer, and last longer than you will.

Every musician or church group should have a 57 or two lying around, if for no other reason than to make you look like you know what you're doing.

To answer the other part of the OP's question, condenser mics work fine for live music in the right application. They're wonderful for miking an acoustic guitar or a flute, can be good vocal mics if the singer isn't a screamer, make good choir mics, are excellent for drum overheads, etc.

Condensers usually have smaller, lighter elements than dynamic mics and as a result they have a faster impulse response. This makes them good for capturing high frequencies and subtle sounds, like the shimmer of a cymbal or the breathiness of a flute. They usually don't have the dynamic range of dynamic mics, though, and they can be overloaded. Don't stick one in front of a kick drum or a trumpet.

[Dave K]

Can't go wrong with an SM57 for a guitar cab.

[1/2-Fast Player]

Originally Posted by gtrdave

To me, it delivers a richer tone and a bit more definition than the SM57.

Agreed.

But if they're on a tight budget, I think the 57 will give them more versatility. A 57 does almost everything fairly well. Drums, horns, vocals,....

[1/2-Fast Player]

BTW, one of my favorite ways to mic a guitar amp with a 57 is to close mic the speaker from the BACK of an open cab amp like a Twin. This works almost as well as an iso box, shielding the mic from other sounds on stage. Stick the mic less than an inch away from the paper cone. 57s have no problem handling high SPLs without distorting.