Condenser Mics and Acoustic Guitar

They both (large & small condensers) have their place. Personally, I prefer to use one of each on acoustic stringed instruments: a Neumann KM184 on the neck end and an Audio-Technica 4050 at the bridge end. If it's going to be a dense mix & I know I will only want 1 mic I'm sure glad I have a few to choose from, as each instrument seems to "like" different mics. If you're asking from a budget standpoint...I believe your first good mic should be a large diaphragm (like the 4050). Not only is it good for instruments, they are preffered for vocals. The great thing about the 4050 is that you get a "true" condenser (externally biased) with multiple patterns (cardiod, bidirectional & omni) for about $600...and it sounds great on stringed instruments.

i use the AT 4033 with good results on acoustic guitars and voices...only 300$

My fav combination for acousitc guitar is a pair of AKG 414B-ULS. While expensive, they are gret for drum overheads, percussion, vocals, reeds, piano....it's an endless list. The Audio technica 4033 is a good choice on the budget side, and also great for all the above mentioned uses as well. Hope this is helpful.

I use both a large and small diaphram mic for micing acoustics. Rather than eqing with eq I use the mics to eq. If the guitar needs more bass I raise the large diaphram in the mix if it needs more treble I raise the small diaphram mic in the mix. Also the fundamental frequency of a standard tuned guitar is 82HZ and so filtering out everything below 82 cleans it up and makes it sound nice. I have used the AT4033 and did not like the way the low end sounded. I now exclusivley use Shure Microphones. I use a KSM44 for the large diaphram. It has a bi-directional, omni, and cardioid pattern..retail about 700, this is also a great great mic for vocals. But I also sometimes use a KSM27 which retails for around 300, it is just a cardioid pattern. I used to use a KM184 Neumann for the small diaphram mic, but have not used it since I switched to Shure. I now use a KSM137 for a small condenser mic. Shure mics sound great and are very durable. They pass a six foot drop test.