# Which mic are you using for your guitar amp?



## studiodog (Sep 10, 2010)

Hey everyone, 

I'm interested to know who's using which mic for their guitar amps/cabs for live performance? I just picked up an Apex 775 from L&M to try with my Roland JC90. Used it at a gig last night and it seemed to hold its own! The 775 sells at about $65CAD, although I've seen it as low as $32USD online. I think this mic's frequency response (20Hz-18KHz) works well with the JC, as it doesn't pick up the typical JC hiss at the top end - all the JC warmth without the hiss!


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

live or in studio? Live I'll use an SM57 if I need sound reenforcement. In my "studio" (aka my garage) I try a bunch of different ones sometimes 2 at once.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

http://www.apexelectronics.com/products.asp?type=6&cat=2&id=1353

Quite by accident, I discovered that this one works great on my guitar amps. Because of its right angle to the cord it can hang by the cord and face the grill. Because of the rear vents it lets sound/air through and seems (I have no empirical evidence) to reduce feedback. It's very directional, which seems to help. It's built like a tank too. It's got to be placed to the side of the cone it seems. Sometimes I mic the cab rather than the combo that drives it, but I don't really have a preference. Micing the back of the combo is cool sometimes, though it sounds a little choked or something.

Fwiw, I don't think it's an outstanding harp mic, its original intent.

Peace, Mooh.


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

Sennheiser e609 mics were meant to hang down over an amp to rest close to the fret cloth...

http://www.long-mcquade.com/product...r/E609-S_Dynamic_Supercardioid_Microphone.htm


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

jimihendrix said:


> Sennheiser e609 mics were meant to hang down over an amp to rest close to the fret cloth...
> 
> http://www.long-mcquade.com/product...r/E609-S_Dynamic_Supercardioid_Microphone.htm
> 
> ...


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I just use a plain-jane SM57 for live or studio use. Never found that I needed anything "better." 

I'm tempted by that e609 just so I can get rid of the little stand I use for my 57, but not enough to actually get around to it 

When I'm recording, sometimes I'll mic one speaker with the 57 and another with my Apex 460, or I'll stick the 57 on the grill and the 460 in the room 6-10' away and mix the two signals. Gets me some interesting sounds, but again, what I get from my 57 is usually enough for me.


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## studiodog (Sep 10, 2010)

hollowbody -yeah, the "hang it over the amp" thing is a definite plus for the e609! Between amps, instrument stands and bodies, I know MY stage setup would benefit from one less tripod!


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## Big_Daddy (Apr 2, 2009)

I have an e609 arriving from PartsExpress today. Looking forward to trying it out tonight.


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

This is a timely post for me. I was just about to buy an SM57 and wasn't aware of the Sennheiser mic. I'm a "record at home" only guy and up to this point have been using just my POD2 for guitar, direct into my soundcard. However I want to start mic'ing up my small combos and get some "actual" guitar tones.

Does anyone have both the SM57 and e609 and can talk about the sound differences?


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

There are quite a few Shure sm57 vs Sennheiser e609 vids on youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=SM57+vs+e609++&aq=f

Here's one example...

[video=youtube;6IMcXnx6xWw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IMcXnx6xWw[/video]

And another...

[video=youtube;ZNRp_r1yqFY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNRp_r1yqFY&feature=related[/video]


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

bagpipe said:


> Does anyone have both the SM57 and e609 and can talk about the sound differences?


Yeah, I'm interested in this too. I have a lot of experience with my SM57, so I know how to set it up to capture my amp nicely, so if I were to replace it, it would have to be with something that was similar in characteristics.

Jimi, thanks for the vids, I'll check those out, but I'm always leery of youtube clips because of all the compression. It's hard to _really_ hear what's going on.

Anyone have any real world experience of the 57 and 609?


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## bcmatt (Aug 25, 2007)

Not many have talked about about the Apex 775 after the OP, so i thought I would chime in. I'm a big fan of the Apex stuff in general (have a couple of 460s), so I thought I would try the 775 instead of a second SM57. I haven't done extensive testing (getting the mic placed exactly the same on the grill), but I've been completely satisfied swapping it out with the sm57 or using it on a second amp in live situations. To me it does the same job and accomplishes the same thing.
We've used one on vocals as well, and that's where the differences are more noticeable. From that we were able to notice that the 775 seems ever-so-slightly brighter.
My sm57 is still my go-to first mic to grab, but if I lost it, I'd replace it with a 775; essentially the same thing to me with smaller price tag. I'd have no worries about swapping a 775 in for a 57 mid-gig with no EQ changes.

The vocal cousins of these are an interesting comparison to me too. While the Apex 775 is very close to the SM57, the Apex 381 is much more noticeably warmer and darker than the SM58. I love the feel of the Apex 381 for that standard/tough/quality vocal stage dynamic mic. It actually seems much tougher than the SM58 for significantly cheaper. Unless you are always trying to EQ way more treble into your voice on an SM58, I'd definitely say the Apex 381 is a no-brainer replacement. We use the Apex ones way more than the 58s (while having a couple of each).


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## pattste (Dec 30, 2007)

I have the Sennheiser e906, which is the more expensive version of the e609 already mentioned. I think it's a fantastic microphone. Unfortunately, I don't have first-hand experience with the Apex and SM57 on my amp so I can't really compare.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I have both the e906 and the sm57. Things I like about the e906 (not the e609 which people say sound thin but I can't confirm that), first, placement is not so critical as the 57, it has a fuller sound and is more efficient in the mid-low frequency range. The e906 also has an EQ switch. You'll probably notice the difference between the two as soon as you hear it as it gives a more accurate sound of your rig.

Thanks for the post about the Apex. Will surely look into it.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Chito said:


> I have both the e906 and the sm57. Things I like about the e906 (not the e609 which people say sound thin but I can't confirm that), first, placement is not so critical as the 57, it has a fuller sound and is more efficient in the mid-low frequency range. The e906 also has an EQ switch. You'll probably notice the difference between the two as soon as you hear it as it gives a more accurate sound of your rig.
> 
> Thanks for the post about the Apex. Will surely look into it.


Yeah, I've wanted a 906 for a while too, but I just haven't been able to justify the price. I have a 57 already, which works ok, so I don't really have a reason to upgrade. I figure the 609 is a lateral move, I won't get anything extra out of it other than convenience for myself (which alone is worth something!). I wonder if I should just go for the 906 and have done with it. Maybe I'll rent one for a weekend.


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

I know you don't like Youtube compression but...

[video=youtube;8yrrVvoXJSQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yrrVvoXJSQ[/video]


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

If this doesn't sell you on the e906...I don't know what will...ha ha ha...

[video=youtube;Agw2zch_Fd8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agw2zch_Fd8[/video]


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## studiodog (Sep 10, 2010)

Classic video! Not sure it's what I hope to hear through ANY mic, but great fun! 

I'll be running the Apex 775 again this Saturday at a gig, so I'll try to listen in a bit more closely to see how it captures the guitar amp. No complaints last week when I first fired it up, so at least it's not offending anyone! 

One thing that makes me consider returning it to L&M, however, is the fact that Front End Audio in the States is selling these things online for $32USD each! Even with shipping, that means you can buy 2 for less than the price of buying one at L&M ($66 + taxes).....Grrrrrrr!


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

L & M _should_ be able to match prices...just ask...


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

hollowbody said:


> I just use a plain-jane SM57 for live or studio use. Never found that I needed anything "better."
> 
> I'm tempted by that e609 just so I can get rid of the little stand I use for my 57, but not enough to actually get around to it
> 
> When I'm recording, sometimes I'll mic one speaker with the 57 and another with my Apex 460, or I'll stick the 57 on the grill and the 460 in the room 6-10' away and mix the two signals. Gets me some interesting sounds, but again, what I get from my 57 is usually enough for me.


http://ampclamps.com/

I remember seeing an ad for these guys a while ago. I've never seen one and I don't play nearly enough gigs requiring mic'ing to justify one myself, but they may have a solution for that mic stand in the way thing.


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## studiodog (Sep 10, 2010)

I've seen the ampclamp before as well - lots to like about it, but I really don't want to drill into my amp to mount a mic. Audix sells a mic arm that clamps to the amp cabinet itself:

Audix Cab Grabber

They seem to run about the same price as the AmpClamp.


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