Shure mic for home use?

[lowrider]

I got a Fishman Loudbox Mini about two months ago. At the same time I put a JJB pickup in my Road Series GP and it's a lot of fun to play with the amp. I also have three better Martin guitars without pickups I'm thinking of getting a microphone to use for this. I'm looking at the Shure sm58, sm57, and sm48. I'd also like to be able to sing with the mic when I use my Road Series plugged in.

Will the Shure mic work plugged straight into the Loudbox Mini?

I think the sm58 is good for what I want. Will the sm57 work for vocals. What about the sm48? The online reviewers make it sound like it's just about as good as the 58 for very little money.

What other mics are there in that sub $100 range that will work for me? Senheiser?

It's only for fun at home. Thanks for your help.

[Br1ck]

IMHO, an SM 57 is the first mic anyone should own. Bullet proof and does everything reasonably well. At this level, don't scrimp, they are cheap enough. I bought one used 30 years ago with a cracked housing. It's still cracked and it still works.

[Chipotle]

SM57 and SM58 are basically the same mic. From the Shure web site:

The SM58 was designed for vocal applications, and therefore uses a ball grille with built in pop filter to eliminate plosives. The SM57 is designed as an instrument microphone, where a smaller grille size is more practical and plosives are less of a concern.

If you plan to use it for vocals, go with the 58. It'll still work fine to mic a guitar. It's a better mic than the 48 and worth a few extra dollars IMO.

[YamahaGuy]

Electrovoice (EV) Cobalt Co9. GC used to blow these out at $29. They out perform the $99 mics. Please take time to read a few reviews on them before dismissing it. Well worth the $69 retail.

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

SM57 and SM58 are basically the same mic. From the Shure web site:


If you plan to use it for vocals, go with the 58. It'll still work fine to mic a guitar. It's a better mic than the 48 and worth a few extra dollars IMO.

Interesting, I didn't know they were basically the same. But they were my first two mics, long ago, and that's how I used them for home recording--58 for voice, 57 to mic my guitar. And they sounded great.

[Shredmaster007]

I've had all 3 of the shure's you've mentioned (and a beta 87a), the Sennheiser e935 I have now sounds better than all of them whether it's on vocals or guitar. Imho. I did not like the PG48 at all. It feels weird singing into a SM57 without a grill but you can always throw a windscreen on it. Audix i5 is another decent option if it's mainly for instrument - a bit more clear and present than the 57.

[Chipotle]

The e935 is $80 more expensive than the SM58, which in turn is $60 more than the SM48. If it's just for around the house, I can't say it would be worth the premium. The 58 is an upgrade from the 48 (more sensitive, a bit better frequency response and nicer response curve) but may not even be worth the extra money if it's just for use in the den to entertain the pets.

I do suggest the SM58 partly because of resale value. If you don't like it or want to upgrade later, you can easily resell it for $60.

[pieterh]

The SM58 is a classic and rightly so, it’s still the mic of choice for many professionals. I wouldn’t advise on using the SM57 for vocals (see earlier comments about pop-shields etc) but it is a fantastic instrument and amp mic at its price point. The Beta57 would work better for vocals but then it’s more expensive.

The PG48 is really entry level stuff. It’s ok and as others have said might do perfectly for what you intend but in all honesty I would say aim a bit higher.

The Beta 58 is also a modern classic but does cost more. What you get in extra headroom and slightly higher frequency response is not necessarily going to be noticeable in a home environment. The Beta 58 has a super cardioid pickup pattern (SM58 cardioid) so although it picks up better from the front it gives slightly less off-axis and has a sensitive area immediately behind.

Personally I prefer the sound of Sennheiser these days and love working with the e945/935 mics but they are in the same price category as the Beta57 & 58...

[Bob Womack]

Always the contrarian.


Chris Squire's vocal mic of choice:





SM-57


I could never figure out why, but there you go. It can be done.



Bob

[pieterh]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Always the contrarian.


Chris Squire's vocal mic of choice:





SM-57


I could never figure out why, but there you go. It can be done.



Bob

I have a feeling he wasn’t/isn’t the only one. As a sound engineer I’d rather people didn’t insist on an SM57 unless they have really good control of their own plosives. Chris Squire seems to be singing very close to the mic in those pics so I imagine it was unavoidable...

[Coop47]

The 57 works fine, but for recording acoustic guitar I highly recommend looking into the Sampson C02 condenser mic for around $130/Pair. I find recording in stereo makes a big difference, and these work great.

[RustyAxe]

Many use SM57’s for vocals. If I only had one Shure dynamic it’d be the 57 ... a good all-rounder.

[lowrider]

Thanks for all the replies.

If you were going to use the mic equally, either for vocals or guitar, which would you choose?

[rmp]

I have a seinhieser e835, it blows any sure mic I've ever owned (and I have 3 58s and 2 57s) off the planet.

far more lively, and dynamic. costs about the same.

[Shredmaster007]

I think the PG48 is just plain bad. I bought the one after my 57 got swiped (which was my first mic) because it was cheaper. It didn't sound good, didn't look or feel good, and didn't inspire me to play. Replaced it with a 58 that was just 'fine'. Added the e935 - and I never reach for the 58 anymore or feel the need for something better, it is at the apex of value/ diminishing returns.