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Old 07-25-2011, 06:30 PM
Everettrg2 Everettrg2 is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 179
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Ah yes, the wonderful world of Amplification. I'm a fan of soundhole pickups (Fishman Rare Earth, Baggs M1 etc.) but I work at my church where we always mic the guitars. (except for last night, great jam session with my UST'd Martin)

Condensers are great but there are some factors you have to look at. They take Phantom Power (48v), so you'll need a Mixer that supplies it or a Power supply in your signal chain. They're also highly sensitive therefore are very prone to feedback, so they're not always best for a live environment. Another option would be a Dynamic instrument mic. No phantom power, but less sensitive. The workhorse Shure SM57 is the common vote, used by pretty much everyone for decades. We have five and use them all the time.

My personal favorite though, the Blue Encore 100i. Same price and similar characteristics to the Shure, but I find a much warmer, clearer tone with the Blue. Great, cheap, and rock solid. Can't beat it.

As far as miking goes....

Aiming the mic at the Soundhole will give you a slightly distorted tone (more of an issue with Fingerstyle) I find the best position is about 6 inches (give or take) from the guitar, aiming at the 7th Fret from the soundhole. The 14th or 15th fret, usually. Gives a great sound.

Hope this helps!

Edit: The miking suggestion was for Dynamic mics, for Condensers, just sit it a little ways away from the guitar, Generally 16-24 inches, and adjust volume from there.
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