[jim1960]

Several people in this thread have said or implied that a good mic in the hands of an amateur probably won't deliver stellar results. That's true, but it's also true that any mic can be unforgiving in the hands of someone that doesn't understand how to use it. It's also true that not every mic, high end or otherwise, will sound good on every person.

Many here have discouraged the OP from buying a high quality mic. If the OP is intent on building a top quality studio, and if money is not an impediment, there's no reason why he should have to spend years recording on lesser quality gear.

The OP listed some good mics that produce very different results. What you get from a U87 is not similar to what you get from a U47. That tells me the OP still has a lot of homework to do before he makes a purchase but it doesn't tell me that he should be focusing on gear of lesser quality. Whether his initial purchase is a pile of great gear or a pile of okay gear, he's still going to have a learning curve ahead of him and he's not going to be impeded by the higher ceiling the great gear will offer him. If he's intent on building a great studio, buying better gear upfront might even be more economical since he won't be buying cheaper stuff that he'll want to replace in a year or two.

I think the first order of the day would be to get educated. Rent some time in a good studio, try a bunch of different microphones, record something, observe the process from start to finish. This may be a much more complicated process than the OP realizes. It certainly not for everyone. But if he decides he really wants to do this, and he wants to start with high end gear, and if the money is not an issue, I say go for it.