Microphones (clip on)

richter4208

Hey there, would anyone mind discussing the most common microphones for gypsy jazz guitar? I see a lot of pros using these like Gonzalo for instance. I'd like to purchase one that would also sound good with my
Martin OM style guitar. any help is appreciated.

Buco

Take a look at Myers Mic

http://myerspickups.com/thefeatherseries.html

I like it very much. I compared it with the Audio Technica model that Gonzalo is using, Myers was sitting more in the midrange, AT had more shimmering sound in the highs but I thought Myers suited this style better and I kept it. It's very versatile with the placement for just about any stringed instrument and I imagine it could be used for wind instruments too. I use it with LR Baggs Para DI. I can dial a good sound pretty quickly. Good price as well. The guy that makes them is extremely supportive with any requests, issues etc.

Bob Holo

- The Myers does seem nice.

- The Selmer 607 gents have all used the AT Pro70 at some point.

- Bireli used one for a while, but for some reason I seem to remember it being the Shure Beta98.

- John Jorgenson & George Cole use the DPA 4099.

They're all very usable & road-tested mics with slightly different EQ curves and SPL headroom & dynamic characteristics that IMHO reflect their price points. Likely the thing that will make any of them mic different styles of guitars to your liking - will be the preamp. I LOVE that little Baggs Para DI that Buco mentioned. Its a sturdy little road-warrior, it's inexpensive, sounds good, has a phase inversion button, a notch filter, and a decent little parametric EQ that you'll be glad to have when you get into a problem room. http://www.djangobooks.com/Item/l-r-baggs-para-acoustic-di

NylonDave

Hey Bob I would be very grateful if you had any advice on a good clip on for a flamenco guitar it needs to be pretty flush as the right hand covers a lot of ground in that style.
I really strongly dislike the tweaked out sound of say a Godin electric nylon or the cutaway type factory built classical types with onboard preamps which also tend to give a very one dimensional sound where the EQ has more to say about the sound than the player.
I have butchered cheap guitars to get a couple of bugs in and although nasal the result does sound like a guitar but that is not an option on my flamenca.

D.

richter4208

thanks for the advise, appreciated. I've got a schatten pickup now that works pretty well

Bob Holo

NylonDave wrote: »

...if you had any advice on a good clip on for a flamenco guitar ...

The Baggs Lyric is nice. It seems just a tad chesty - like it has a broad bump in the - maybe 400hz? range. With an EQ it could probably be made quite nice and it has a very punchy transparent sound that might go well with flamenco. It is an internal mount though, so... YMMV because I tend to shy away from things that stick to the inside of the soundboard as they can change the acoustic sound. Its a mic, but it mounts to the soundboard, so its a bit of an odd one, but the price is reasonable and it stays out of your way because it is all internal... though it does require an endblock hole unless you get really creative with tape / stickum / velcro etc.

The best internal clip / soundhole flamenco mic I've seen is by a company called MiniFlex. They have a few options in the ~$300+/- price. Some mount internally and so require holes in the endblock, and others are clip-on and may or may not get in the way - though I have to say that the clip-on mounting system is a bit wonky. The mic-clip is good, but they attach the preamp to the guitar with an elastic strap instead of just putting it on a belt-clip with a patch cord like most companies. The Miniflex mics have a very solid sound - maybe a little dark on top, but wonderfully neutral after you get them positioned right. All internal mics are a bit place-dependent, so be prepared to experiment and record yourself to find the best placement for your guitar.

In the $600 range... DPA... so nice. so so so nice. But it has an external violin-style mount so might get in the way of a flamenco player.

NylonDave

Thanks Bob, I miss the simplicity of my Ibanez Destroyer.

Jazzaferri

The DPA works very well indeed. Though I use it mostly on my sax, it does sound really nice to the bottom side of the upper bout directed at the sound hole. Just have to be careful,if your whacking way up beyond the sound hole. The guitar clip may be more secure than the sax one.

I made my own.

Shemi

I'm considering going the clip on mic route. I have a bigtone pick up that was already fitted to my guitar when I bought it secondhand, but I'm not that into the sound I get from it. I'm the same with flat tops as I have always stayed away from the UST style pickups and ended up putting an LR Baggs Lyric in my Stonebridge.

However, I'm not sure if I am getting the most from the bigtone. I've been thinking of getting the ParaDi but I must admit I know very little about the technical side of things. Do they tend to take a lot of EQing? Mine sounds very boomy, hence why I've been thinking of the clip on to get a more natural tone.