I've been looking at matched pairs from rode, SE and studio projects. Does anyone have any opinions or suggestions? I don't really have a lot to spend, and I want something to record acoustic guitar and brushed snare.

You might also want to look into the MXL 603s matched pair they sell. You can find them on eBay from time to time, new, for under $200 including a "flight case", pair of shock mounts, windscreens and documentation. I have a pair and like them. They aren't the greatest, but possibly my favorite pick for the sub $500 SDC's. Not the most honest cardiod pattern of the budget SDC's, but still directional.
It really is all about what you are planning to record. The Rode mics definitely are on the "bright" side. A bit overly harsh and crispy for me and not all that flexible. Same with the AKG C1000s.
Believe it or not, the Nady CM-88 is a cool little mic. Very cheap and while quite limited in frequency response, it actually has a neat character to it. Isn't that what having mics is all about anyway? Those were the first mics I ever purchased and regret having sold them every day. I learned plenty from them and for what you are looking for, they may just be the mic. You could pick up 2 for under $70, I think. They don't have the traditional "Chinese sounding" highs and upper-mids everyone seems to associate with cheap, made in China condensers. Much more rounded off and not peak-y at all. May or may not still be that way...

-Darrill

I like the mxl 603 also. I haven't used a lot of other sdc mics, but I've got more use out of mine than any of the other cheapo mics I've bought. I use them for overheads almost exclusively and often for acoustic guitar. They've even seen vocals and snare drum (with a pad). There's also a simple mod you can do that's supposed to improve the sound. I bought the parts, but haven't tried it yet. I'll sell you mine after I fry them with my incredible soldering skills.

Hey ebeam,
Not to take this off the topic, but would you be able to post a link to the mod for the 603s (supposing it is on the internet)? I'd be interested in trying it out. Might dig up a 603s on the cheap to mod and see and be able to compare to the matched pair I have.

Thanks

-Darrill

I think it just involves replacing 2 or 3 capacitors. The results seem to be mixed, but I'm still going to try it for fun.

http://www.prodigy-pro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5156

Thanks ebeam,
Just read through the prodigy pro. discussion and it definitely sounds like a quick and easy mod. I am going to see if I can dig up a spare 603s and try the mod on that before the pair. If anything, I will try modding one of the pair, that way I have the other as a "control" for the experiment.
Let me know if you get this done and I will do the same.

thanks again

-Darrill

ebeam wrote:I bought the parts, but haven't tried it yet. I'll sell you mine after I fry them with my incredible soldering skills.

Did you get the parts from where they sugguested? If so, with the whole price break thing...(what I'm getting at is)... do you have any extra parts? You'd be willing to sell?

The handling fee alone from those sites are more than both the product plus shipping.

Well, I actually do have 2 extra of the 1000pf styrene gate caps. I didn't want to pay the service charges for digikey either, so to replace the 0.22uf ceramics I just got something from Mouser that seemed similar and would actually fit. Although I'm pretty sure it's different than the panasonic part they suggested. Maybe someone here knows...it's part number 75-mkt1817422064. I only got 2 extra of those, so I've got enough extra to do 1.5 mics and I'm not sure exactly what my logic was there.

lickthestar wrote:I've been looking at matched pairs from rode, SE and studio projects. Does anyone have any opinions or suggestions? I don't really have a lot to spend, and I want something to record acoustic guitar and brushed snare.

I have the NT5s and like them. I wouldn't call them "bright" tho.