Top 8 Best Microphones For Recording Electric Guitar On The Market 2023 Reviews

If you own an electric guitar, at some point you must have thought about recording yourself playing the guitar. It is therefore important to get yourself one of the best microphones when it comes to the recording process.

The recording microphone is supposed to be good for up close loud recording. This is because you will be playing a loud electric guitar.

Yes, it is possible to end up with the best microphones for recording electric guitars. The question is, what are some of these microphones?

We get to give you a comprehensive answer in terms of a list below.

Top 8 Best Microphones For Recording Electric Guitar On The Market 2023 Reviews

1 Shure SM57-LC Cardioid Dynamic Microphone

The Shure microphones have quite the reputation when it comes to the performance they can offer. This one is not any different. It is the reason you can get most Shure mics being used for live performances, recording, and many other applications. This is something that drives more people to think about getting it.

The SM57-LC is quite legendary keeping in mind the number of people who are always claiming to own one. Some musicians even claim to own up to three of these mics. People love it for being practical, cheap, and impressive overall power. For the price that you get to buy it, you do not expect it to be built like a tank.

The overall construction is about giving you a model that can standup to use for a long time to come. You will be wrong not to consider getting this model in your arsenal of mics.

The model is made to be a dynamic microphone. This means that it is good for grabbing both the high and low frequencies with ease. The mic also features a high gain before feedback thus making it great for stage use. It will give you an impressive high volume hearing without the screeching noise. You can find people using the mic for the recording of their electric guitars too.

The use of cardioid pick-up pattern is something great and worth mentioning. The model is designed to focus on the main source of sound and at the same time decreasing the background noise. This makes it for isolating the sound even better. If you look at the drummers, you can get them having 3 or 4 of them. Each one for a drum in the set.

The good thing is that the mic does not need phantom power. This should make it great if the recorders, mixers, or audio interfaces do not have this feature. You can always hook it up if you are looking for a way to increase its gain.

Our Rating: (4.7 / 5)

2 Sennheiser MD 421 II Cardioid Dynamic Mic

This is one of the best mics that you can get for yourself right now. Coming from a top brand, the common perception is that it will be good in performance. If you make such an assumption, you will not be wrong. The microphone is the favorite among musicians thanks to the impressive sound qualities. It is able to cope with the diverse recording needs you might have in mind. Some even use it for electric guitar recording and live performances.

Having the dynamic capsule design is something we can expect for these kind of microphones. The manufacturer did some good job of making it look better than the common capsule design. The design is liked for delivering on even signal response. You can be sure that the other designs might not work as good as this one. It can also work great even at reasonable distances as well the capacity. The capacity is impressive when it comes to handling high SPL levels.

Talking of performance, there is the presence of the cardioid polar pattern. This type of pattern is common among the many microphones in the world. It is liked for being effective when it comes to blocking the ambient sound correctly. It is also a good way to reject feedback due to monitors.

The 5-position low frequency roll-off switch comes with something that you can use. It is possible for you to now use the right position to feel the right bass when it comes to the variety of situations. It is important that you pick a model that works great at all times.

Our Rating: (4.8 / 5)

3 AKG Pro Audio C414 XLS Instrument Condenser Microphone

There is no doubt that you will get to like what you get with this microphone. It has been around for long to fulfill the needs of many users. You can always be sure to hear someone saying some good things about the C414. AKG being a top brand known for making awesome headphones, they do also make great microphones. The C414 being one of the best they have made so far.

The model comes with a large diaphragm and multi pattern capacitors that utilizes the front-side coated diaphragm. You will always like the kind of patterns that you get with the model. The design also helps to prevent shorting between the diaphragm and the back-plate. In general, you get to end up with a model that delivers on great performance always.

The previous models were using a slide switch, things changed with this one. It comes with a soft touch rocker switch that delivers on easier performance and use. You can now easily switch from one pattern to another with ease. You also get the status LEDs and non-volatile memory that will help retain the settings even when the microphone is disconnected.

As mentioned earlier, the model features a multi pattern option. This includes the 6dB, 12dB, and 18dB settings. You can always switch from one pattern to another depending on the needs that you have.

The sound is really good. You will get a signature sound that most musicians will know it is from a specific microphone. It should give you good sound when recording with an electric guitar.

Our Rating: (4.6 / 5)

4 Sennheiser e906 Supercardioid Dynamic Mic for Guitar Amps

The Germans are known for being good at making performance products. Well, this one speaks for them. The model comes with multiple functions that should make owning one great, especially those who want to record music. The manufacturer made it to be highly powerful so that it can also pick up the sounds with ease. If you get to use it today, you can be sure it will deliver on the performance needs you have always wanted.

As from the title, it says that the model great for guitar amps. You should see why we chose it to be on our list now. It will always work great with your electric guitar always. The polar pattern also makes things possible for you to enjoy using it for yourself more often. It is a dynamic mic that comes with a gold plated plug for impressive connectivity.

Being a professional mic, you can be sure to get it common among musicians and sound engineers. They will always want to get it for the right performance. Since it can filter sounds in three different filters, you should find it being great for performance. You can easily change through a switch that is on the mic.

Having the metal body construction is great for durability. In case you accidentally drop it on the floor, you should have a model that can stand up to the impact. This is something that has always made people to think more in the line of getting this mic for themselves.

The supercardioid pattern makes it great for recording purposes. You can now go ahead and record your electric guitar without worrying about the ambient sound.

Our Rating: (4.6 / 5)

5 Royer Labs R-121 Large Element Ribbon Microphone

The first impressions are that you are ending up with a slim silver microphone. We all love it when it is compact and lightweight. That is what you get with this model. It still comes in an equally impressive wooden case. The casing should help you with storing it and carrying it to various places before setting it up. The ribbon design also going to make it one of the most desired as most of the others are capsule designed.

The model is what you need when it comes to recording for various applications. You will always get more people going for it to make sure that they get to enjoy it even more. Depending on the needs, you can find it being great for high SPLs. The maximum SPL level the model can handle is 135dB at 20Hz.

The R-121 can stand up to tolerance like you have never seen before. Its tolerance is going to make it one of the best for you to buy today. Such tolerance makes it great for recording the electric guitars, trumpets, and booming drum kits. You can be sure that you get a model that delivers the best performance always.

The unique design allows for positioning the ribbon element closer to the front side of the mic. It will always deliver on the ease of capturing the sound with ease. The arrangement also gives the ribbon more space to move in the magnetic field. This is great so that it can maintain the full frequency response during the high SPL recordings.

The model comes with a lifetime warranty. This should prove that it can work ages to come with its warranty being intact.

Our Rating: (5 / 5)

6 AKG Pro Audio C414 XLII Vocal Condenser Microphone

The AKG XLII is different from the XLS with a few features as you will get to see. At first you might even think they are the same. Things start to change when you listen to the playback from each of the recordings and a number of notable features. It is the reason you want to be sure that this something you get for yourself today.  As much as it might not be most affordable mode, it is definitely worth having. It will deliver on the various performance features you need.

The model delivers on the sonic characters that you can appreciate.  If you have used the AKG C12 before, then you understand how important it is to get such sonic performance. Many who have used it will love the way it delivers on the sound quality. It is from such astounding sound quality that you can always find a use for it. Many would now use the microphone together with their electric guitars and other important instruments.

To make it even better, the manufacturer gave it an impressive nine selectable polar patterns. When other models are using just one pattern, a user gets to enjoy the access to nine patterns. Generally, this is something that should make people easily go for the model as it works for multiple applications. All these patterns are the reasons you get it being so popular right now.

The model still boasts of having high SPL of 158dB which should be great for most users. It is the reason you get it being so popular for close-up recording. This means that your electrical guitar recoding just got easier.

Our Rating: (3.9 / 5)

7 Neumann U 87 Ai Switchable Studio Microphone

Neumann is one of the best brands in terms of making microphones and related products. You can be sure that it will always work great and deliver the performance you need. Many people regard the U 87 as one of the best condenser microphones on the market right now. You should get many people going for them right now. It also packs a number of features that should make it one of the best for recording electric guitar.

It comes equipped with a large dual diaphragm which should be great for multiple applications. For many people, they will love this kind of professional investment they will be making for their studios. You can be sure that it is something that will always work great for you depending on the applications you might have.

You will also like the 10db attenuation switch located on the rear. The work of the switch is to help the model handle the loud sounds. The good part is that the SPL level is 127db without any distortion. To get this loud, you can be sure it is not going to be that easy. The low frequency response you get can easily be reduced to compensate for the proximity effect.

The model still features advanced circuitry. As much as on the outside it looks the normal capsule design, the magic inside is different. It comes with improved circuits to help it deliver on the performance that the users want. You can now expect it to have higher sensitivity and improved signal-to-noise ratio always.

The multi-pattern option also makes it one of the best on the market.

Our Rating: (3.4 / 5)

8 Beyerdynamic M160 Double Ribbon Microphone

For a ribbon mic, you get that the model comes with a bit of difference in the shape. Some models can be distinct, but this one is all about giving you something different. The model comes with a diminutive ball end that was too large to be contained in the ribbon. Nevertheless, you should find this model being great in terms of performance. You never have to worry that it will not work great.

There is no mistaking when it comes to listening the playback from recording with this mic. The sound is warm and quite good than some models that might be slightly expensive than it. The mic rolls off the high end gently just as you would want. This is better as compared to some other cheaper ribbons that have muffled sound. The high ends are also taken seriously to give you a sound that you can enjoy.

As for the polar pattern, the model comes with the hyper cardioid pattern. The aim is to have a pattern that will capture the sound appropriately and block the ambient noise. You never have to worry about the ambient sounds anymore. Having clear sounds is what drives people to pick it.

We also have to check out its construction. Just having a good sound with not robust construction is no good. Luckily, this model comes with a robust design and construction. You never have to worry about its performance and durability now. It is also compact. This should make portability a breeze for most musicians who would want to use it.

Our Rating: (3.9 / 5)

Conclusion

Playing the various types of music with your guitar should be great now knowing that you can record all of it. It is the reason you might want to get yourself a model that delivers on the best sound recording. All the ones we have mentioned above are great in terms of sound. You will find they the cons are mostly on price. They might be pricey, but definitely deliver on the sound you need.