£25 microphone from Argos...

octatonic

If anyone needs a good quality hard case for these then this fits two of the King Bee's:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00S86TLKI

Yes, the case is as much as the microphones but that is because the mics are very, very cheap, not because the case is overpriced. I've got a few of these cases and they are a good alternative to the Pelican cases that cost 3-4 times more.
It is better than having to go into the stupid box they give you every time you need to use the mic.

octatonic

mike257 said:

Didn't want to miss it a second time, got a pair waiting for me. 

Anyone tried it on an amp yet?

Yes I have- it is an interesting mic to use on a guitar amp.
When I record guitars I tend to go for an SM57 and either a ribbon like the Royer 121 (or the AEA R84a, which is darker) or another dynamic like an M201 or MD421.
What I am trying to do is get bite and body and often it is best to do that with two different mics. The SM57 has the bite, the other does the body.

The King Bee does bite and body in one- it is more defined than a ribbon and it is more present than a lot of condensers.
The thing is that the 57/121 combo does it better. The KB has a flavour of what the SM57/121 combo does though and situationally it can be a good option. Maybe not for a guitar sound that needs to be dominant in a song, but maybe some rhythm guitars that specifically don't need what  57/121 does and you'd end up cutting loads of 200hz and 3k, say if the guitars are masking the snare or cymbals. The King Bee would be a good option in that situation. You would lose some of the 'wall of guitars' thing doing this but that can be what you want in some situations.

The other mic I use a lot on electric guitars is the Neumann U47 FET- it is a fantastic mic on a guitar cabinet (and often used outside the bass drum) and it gives you a thick, authoritative midrange. The King Bee, by comparison has a midrange that could be characterised as 'open and forward' rather than 'big and authoritative' as with the U47FET.

When you get into microphone technique it is a number of small differences that can add up to a noticeable change in character. It won't turn a bad song into a good song but you can create a different texture. Placement matters a lot. A LOT. Changing from on axis to off axis softens 3khz. On axis with a condenser can be very forward and not usually in a good way in my opinion. Moving the mic from the centre to the cone edge gives a more balanced attack and more control in the upper mids. It depends on the part you are playing of course.

So going back to the SM57/Royer 121 combination- because it really is the gold standard for tracking guitars for me.
When I do this I record three tracks from two mics. 

One is the SM57, one is the 121 and the 3rd is a blend of the two. I mostly use the blend of the 2 (run through an SSL X-Rack summing mixer) on a single track and I mute the individual tracks. (I often have a 4th track of the dry guitar for re-amping but let's ignore that for now). If I get into a mix and the blend of the bite/body isn't quite doing it for me I can mute the blend and unmute the individual mics and change the blend, then reprint that blend (to cut down the number of tracks I have to manage when mixing.

With the King Bee you get a flavour of the bite and body but you don't have the control you get with the two mic approach. 

Preamp recommendations- API512c (punchy with tight low end) or Neve 1073 style (thicker low end, warmer). I'd tend to avoid tube preamps or anything with too much inherent high end. I'd be on a HPF quite early with this mic as it has a bit at 40Hz.

So, to summarise- is it a good option on a guitar amp- yes, especially for rhythm guitars.
Will it replace my 57/121 combo. No.
Can you use it in place of a U47FET? Perhaps.

For £25 it is the bargain of this or any other year. I don't think I've have bought one at £169, and certainly not 4 of them.

robinbowes

octatonic said:

If anyone needs a good quality hard case for these then this fits two of the King Bee's:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00S86TLKI

Yes, the case is as much as the microphones but that is because the mics are very, very cheap, not because the case is overpriced. I've got a few of these cases and they are a good alternative to the Pelican cases that cost 3-4 times more.
It is better than having to go into the stupid box they give you every time you need to use the mic.

Nice. I've got a couple of s/h (military surplus) Pelican cases for mics + DI boxes that I take out live. These are even cheaper than those!

R.

mike257

octatonic said:

If anyone needs a good quality hard case for these then this fits two of the King Bee's:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00S86TLKI

Yes, the case is as much as the microphones but that is because the mics are very, very cheap, not because the case is overpriced. I've got a few of these cases and they are a good alternative to the Pelican cases that cost 3-4 times more.
It is better than having to go into the stupid box they give you every time you need to use the mic.

Yeah, the MAX cases are great, I'm touring a few of them and they've survived being bounced around many trucks and long haul flights with the contents remaining intact! Best of the budget Peli alternatives that I've come across. 

MartinB

Yay, glad to see they're back down. I got busy and distracted with family stuff over December and January, then when I looked at Argos last week they were up at the higher price. So I'll go for it while they're back down. 

I'm pondering the "always buy two" suggestions - I'm recording acoustic instruments in a quite low key stripped-back way at home and I already have a pair of small diaphragm condensers. Most of the applications I could see me using this mic for are just one - for vocals, or on the body of my double bass, possibly with an SDC at the top of the fingerboard for extra string definition. If I want drums, that involves roping in a friend and a better equipped studio space anyway. And the place is already more cluttered than I'd like...

Sporky

Sporky said:

In case anyone's still looking for a sensibly-priced boom arm, I have mine on one of these and it seems stable.

https://www.andertons.co.uk/ordo-s1sbs1-studio-boom-arm/

I can confirm that this has not drooped since purchase.