Instrument
Electric guitar
A solid-body or hollow-body electric guitar played through an amplifier. The sound that reaches the mic is the loudspeaker in the cabinet, not the strings; so the instrument is the cabinet (one or several speakers, open or closed back). A DI or amp-modelling signal skips the microphone and is out of scope here.
- Range
- E2–E6
- Peaks up close
- up to 104.8 dB SPL
- Sources
- 8 (4 independent)
Mics sources recommend
21 setups from 8 sources, 4 of them independent of any mic maker. Each mic shows how many sources name it for that role, and how many of those are independent. Listed alphabetically: there is no ranking.
Studio
Close
- AKG C4141 independent source
- Beyerdynamic M 1601 independent source
- Electro-Voice RE201 independent source
- Royer R-121 maker's advice2 sources, 1 independent
- Sennheiser MD 421-U1 independent source
- Shure KSM441 independent source
- Shure SM571 independent source
Multi-mic plan
- Neumann KM 841 independent source
- Neumann U 871 independent source
- Royer R-1211 independent source
- Sennheiser MD 4211 independent source
- Sennheiser MKH 401 independent source
- Shure SM572 independent sources
Room
- Neumann M 501 independent source
- Neumann U 671 independent source
The 12 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close Shure SM57amp cabinet, near the grille
"The Shure SM57 cardioid dynamic is the most common microphone used to record electric guitar."
1 - Close Sennheiser MD 421-U or Royer R-121amp cabinet
"The Sennheiser MD421U cardioid dynamic is also popular", with a wider frequency response than the SM57. ... "My new favorite for guitar is the ribbon microphone"; a pair of Royer R-121s.
1 - Close Shure KSM44amp cabinet, about 20 in away; or front of an open-back amp
A KSM44 about 20 in from a Marshall 4x10; also on the front of an open-backed Matchless DC30 with an SM57 on the rear.
1 - Multi-mic plan SM57: Shure SM57 + second mic: Sennheiser MD 421beside the SM57 at 45 degrees
Place an SM57 off the voice coil and add an MD 421 at the same spot at 45 degrees to the right.
2 - Multi-mic plan dynamic: Shure SM57 or Sennheiser MD 421 + ribbon: Royer R-121blended with an SM57 or MD 421
Many engineers use an R-121 instead of the 421, placed straight into the cone or on a different speaker (paraphrase).
2 - Close Royer R-121amp cabinet, 2-6 in from the dome
"If you're looking for a distorted rock tone with body and bite... blending an R-121 with an SM57 is legendary."
3 - Multi-mic plan SM57: Shure SM57 + second mic: Neumann U 87 or Neumann KM 84 or Sennheiser MKH 40an SM57 plus a second mic
The AKG C414 and Neumann U87 are the most popular condensers for guitar-cab miking (paraphrase). ... Neumann KM84 is the most regular small-diaphragm choice; Bill Price and John Fry pair it with an SM57. ... Mike Hedges chooses his favourite Sennheiser MKH40 as the partner to an SM57 (paraphrase).
4 - Close Electro-Voice RE20amp cabinet, close
Pictured as a dynamic mic placed close to the speaker; Glenn Kolotkin used RE20s close on Santana (paraphrase).
4 - Close Beyerdynamic M 160amp cabinet, with SM57 and MD421
Eddie Kramer: "the best guitar mic is the Beyer M160"; he uses an SM57, an MD421 and an M160 together (paraphrase).
4 - Close AKG C414amp cabinet
The AKG C414 and Neumann U87 are the most popular condensers for guitar-cab miking (paraphrase).
4 - Room Neumann U 67amp cabinet, with an SM58 (Leckie), or room
John Leckie: an SM58 and U67 rig; "The U67 gives you the warmth and a broader sound."
4 - Room Neumann M 50room mic, 15-20 ft
Al Schmitt: SM57 close, then "maybe a Neumann U67 or an M50 for the room... 15 to 20 feet away."
4
On stage
Close
- Audio-Technica AT40501 independent source
- DPA 4061 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Royer R-122L (variant of the Royer R-122)1 independent source
- Shure Nexadyne 5 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure SM571 independent source
- dynamic, side-address (Sennheiser side-address dynamic)1 independent source
Named, no placement given
- Shure Beta 56A maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure Beta 57A maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure KSM109 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure KSM137 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure KSM141 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure KSM27 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure KSM32 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure KSM44 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure PG57 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure SM57 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure SM94 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
The 6 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close DPA 4061amp cabinet, on the front grille
A guitarist uses the IMK4061 kit on a 100 W Marshall stack with two 4x12 cabs; "no sign of distortion".
5 - Close Shure Nexadyne 5amp cabinet, live
Built for guitar amplifiers; supercardioid helps isolate the amp from drum bleed and stage noise.
6 - Named, no placement given Shure Beta 56A or Shure Beta 57A or Shure SM57 or Shure KSM141 or Shure KSM137 or Shure KSM109 or Shure KSM44 or Shure KSM32 or Shure KSM27 or Shure SM94 or Shure PG57listed for guitar amp
Listed under "Guitar Amp" in the Shure Microphone Selection Guide (no argument given).
7 - Close Shure SM57 or Audio-Technica AT4050amp cabinet, live
"The simplest and most common way to mic up a guitar amp is simply to park an SM57 up against it." ... Big Mick Hughes (Metallica) used large-diaphragm condensers live, "an AT4050 I believe" (paraphrase).
8 - Close dynamic, side-address (Sennheiser side-address dynamic)amp cabinet, hung over the grille
Sennheiser's side-address dynamics "are another popular choice for electric guitar", dangled in front of a speaker without a stand (paraphrase).
8 - Close Royer R-122L (variant of the Royer R-122)amp cabinet, live (Muse)
Marc Carolan: "Lately I've favoured ribbon mics, particularly the Royer 122L" for smooth high mids at high SPL.
8
Studio and stage
Close
- Sennheiser MD 4211 independent source
- Shure SM57 maker's advice2 sources, 1 independent
The 3 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close Shure SM57amp cabinet
Shure lists the SM57 (and the Nexadyne 5) as its best microphones for electric guitar.
6 - Close Shure SM57amp cabinet, near the grille, off-centre
"I have tried so many dynamic mics over the years, and always come back to the Shure SM57." (Jay Graydon)
4 - Close Sennheiser MD 421amp cabinet, alone or with an SM57
The MD421 "crops up almost as frequently in interviews"; the SM57 + MD421 pair is the most popular partnership.
4
Range
E2 to E682.4 Hz – 1.32 kHz
as for the acoustic guitar (September entry); amp distortion adds harmonics far above
The sound
A loudspeaker is almost omnidirectional at low frequencies and very directional at high ones; on-axis at the centre of the cone has the most "bite", the edge is mellower and bassier, and a multi-speaker cabinet is more complex (Shure). The sound builds up only at some distance from the cone.7
Recording it
- Sound On Sound (Senior) surveys many engineers: the SM57 is "more often mentioned in relation to electric-guitar recording than any other" (Jay Graydon); the MD 421 "almost as frequently"; the favourite pairs are SM57 + MD 421 (Bob Rock, Bruce Fairbairn, Joe Barresi and others), SM57 + a large-diaphragm condenser (U 87, U 67, C414), SM57 + KM 84 (Bill Price, John Fry); ribbons (Beyer M160, Royer) are widely used; Steve Albini uses a bright and a dark mic per cabinet.
- Distance: "just off the grille" is the majority view (Chuck Ainlay); Bill Price 6 in; Steve Albini 10-12 in; Alan Parsons avoids close placements. Room mics 15-20 ft (Al Schmitt, with a U 67 or M 50). Owsinski: SM57 slightly off the voice coil plus an MD 421 beside it at 45 degrees. Royer: R-121 on the centre of the dome 2-6 in from the cloth is brightest; moving to the edge gets "meatier and less bright"; a foot or more adds low end and room.
- On a 4x12, find the best single speaker (Royer; Steve Churchyard mics two of the four). Open-back amp: mic the front and rear, flip phase on one (Rudolph: SM57 rear, KSM44 front on a Matchless DC30).4,2,3,1
On stage
A dynamic on the cabinet is the go-to (SM57, side-address Sennheisers hung over the grille); large-diaphragm condensers (AT4050, Big Mick Hughes) and ribbons (Royer 122L, Marc Carolan with Muse) are used by some engineers; supercardioid dynamics such as the Shure Nexadyne 5 reduce drum bleed; guitar DIs placed between amp and cab are increasingly popular. Lemmy's engineer was told he would "only ever" see an SM57 on the main stack.8,6
Problems to watch
Phase between two mics (polarity flip or nudge one); proximity effect on close dynamics; presence peaks on vocal-type dynamics; a condenser that is too bright on a harsh amp.4,1,8
About the range
Sounding range as for the acoustic guitar, E2 (82.4 Hz) to about E6 in the September entry; amp distortion adds harmonics well above that. No source in this round gives a spectrum for amplified guitar.
How loud
Sound pressure level measurements as published. Different kinds of figure (a playing level, a peak, a dose at the player's ear) can't be compared with each other, and neither can figures at different distances.
| Playing level | |
|---|---|
| 101.4 dB(A) | next to the guitar and its monitor; distance not given; band rehearsal (Brazil), measuring point 'Electric guitar/Return sound', mean level (Mendes et al.)9 |
| 120 dB | 4-6 ft; 'Amplifier rock, 4-6'' secondary10 |
| 115 dB | at 1 m; 100 W guitar stack secondary11 |
| Peaks | |
| 104.8 dB(A) | next to the guitar and its monitor; same point, highest reading9 |
| Player's exposure (dosimeter) | |
| 90–96.4 dB(A) | personal dosimeter; five members of a rock band, 2 h rehearsal, 8 h TWA by NIOSH criteria (McIlvaine et al. 2012)12 |
No measurement found. Shure's guide uses a guitar amp as an inverse-square example: 100 dB SPL at 1 ft, 94 dB at 2 ft, 106 dB at 6 in, 112 dB at 3 in; it is an illustration, not data. MusicRadar says the R-121 can withstand 130 dB, "which is why it's so often used on guitar cabs". A player quoted by DPA runs a 100 W tube amp into two 4x12 cabs on stage with a 4061 on the grille and sees no distortion.7,13,5
Sources
- Barry Rudolph: Miking Electric Guitars
- Bobby Owsinski blog: Guitar amp miking (SM57 + MD 421 + Royer R-121)
- Royer Labs: Recording Electric Guitar
- Sound On Sound: Guitar Amp Recording (Mike Senior, 2007)
- DPA Mic University: How to mic speaker cabinets (for electric bass & guitar)
- Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for the Guitar
- Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcement
- Sound On Sound: Miking Guitar Amps On Stage
- Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology: Mendes, Morata, Marques, Acceptance of hearing protection aids in members of an instrumental and voice music band
- Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart, hearingconservation.org
- Bollsen: Earplugs for Guitarists
- Medical Problems of Performing Artists (abstract via Europe PMC): McIlvaine, Stewart, Anderson, Noise exposure levels for musicians during rehearsal and performance times
- MusicRadar: Best microphones for recording 2026