Open Box AKG C451 B Reference Small-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone Level 2 197881374143

LesPaul2550 says: Just had it over a month and I've already tracked the best acoustic guitar recordings I've ever made. This saved me having to replace my old Sigma Martin which always sounded good in a room but never when I recorded it. Now that's no longer a problem. It's light but seems durable and plenty solid for my project studio. I like the 2 low cut filters and usually use one of them during tracking. I'm sure if I get a second and use them for drum overheads, I'll probably make use of the built-in 10 or 20dB pad. My signal chain is: Mic pointing toward the 12th fret but at an angle to it - a bit toward the F hole, then my UA Solo/610 mic pre, M-Audio ProjectMix I/O and into Sonar or Pro Tools. Once in my DAW I use UAD2 and Waves plugins. Studer A800, 1084 (VEQ4), 1176, API 2500 then out to the master bus. It also works great as a Mid mic in a M/S configuration but I had better luck using the side mic on its side so instead of left and right in my stereo field, it actually was top and bottom (of the room) so when I strum the low E is more toward the left and high E is toward the right. The sound then pans as you strum like miking a piano using X/Y where the low keys are more to the left and high to the right. Got the inspiration for that trick by watching Eric Valentine on Pensado's Place. He just used two matched mics above and below the neck pointing at the 12th or neck/body joint. I don't have another 451 yet so I used M/S with my C414B XLII as the side mic. Great combination, btw. I'd still like to try a Neumann KM84 or 184 but that's a LOT more $ than the 451. Gotta love the bargain aspect of the 451 as well. No 2 or 3 thousand dollar price tag to deal with. I finally have conquered getting a decent acoustic guitar sound in my project studio thanks to this mic... without having to buy a new guitar, either. Thanks GC!

This is a great mic, at this price point or otherwise. I own an pair and have used them on everything from acoustic guitar, string quartets, grand piano to drum overheads and percussion. It is a very detailed mic with a cutting high end,(especiall on overheads and high hat) It doesn't have the smooth tops end that alot of the higher end mics have, but this is a great all purpose mic.