Right microphones for Guitar amps
When anyone thinks of microphones for guitar amplifiers, they immediately go to the Shure SM57 or even the Audix i5 for how well they capture the sound of the guitar and how relatively cheap and durable the microphone is. Yet what is not usually thought about is how the amplifier affects the microphone due to the proximity effect when close-miking. It may be thought that the 200Hz roll-off compensates for the proximity effect, but that loses the body of the guitar's tone in the low-end, and impacts the SM57 for future use ("The 7 Best Microphones for Recording Electric Guitar", n.d.).
It is unlikely, yet ideal to use a drum microphone for guitar amplification as they can withstand the proximity effect from the amplifiers. It is discussed that changing the placement of the SM57 helps compensate or prevent the chances of proximity effect, yet changes the overall tone of the guitar, making it brighter/darker or harsher/smoother depending on the microphone placement (Jkosche, 2012).
According to Big Mick Hughes, front-of-house engineer of Metallica, the best microphone to grasp the guitars true tone is a kick drum microphone, as he uses the AE2500 to mic-up Metallica's amplifier cabinets. The concept behind it is that it not only has good control of the proximity effect, but also has a strong midrange bandwidth. As everyone knows guitars lie in the midrange of the frequency spectrum, but a 200Hz roll-off could affect that midrange drastically, so using a kick drum microphone on a guitar has great control of the low-end in additional to the midrange tone ("A conversation with Big Mick Hughes", n.d.).
References:
A conversation with Big Mick Hughes, Front-of-House Engineer for Metallica || Audio-Technica US. Audio-technica.com. Retrieved from http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/happenings/d85ed71330f73d93/index.html
Jkosche. (2012). Killer Guitar Tracks: Mic Placement and Amps. Guitar World. Retrieved from http://www.guitarworld.com/killer-guitar-tracks-mic-placement-and-amps
The 7 Best Microphones for Recording Electric Guitar. E-Home Recording Studio. Retrieved from https://ehomerecordingstudio.com/electric-guitar-microphones/
