Shure SM 57
If you don't own a Shure SM 57, you probably should. Even if you hate the sound, you can throw it at someone, make them bleed, and not feel bad about the money you spent on the mic. SM 57s are still my favorite electric guitar mics. I find myself using EQ when I use various condensers or even ribbon microphones, but I find it hard to lose with the 57 for most guitar amps. The 57 has a little dip at around 500Hz and a large rise at 6KHz, this mic has tons of presence. It's not perfect for every task, but it's my ?bite? microphone.

Shure SM 7
This is a microphone that is slightly lesser known that the Shure SM 57. This mic is sometimes marketed as a voiceover microphone, but it's capabilities go way further than that. It's claim to fame is it was used on Micheal Jackson's ?Thriller? for the main vocal when they could have used any other microphone. I've read that this mic is used on vocals for every Red Hot Chili Pepper recording. For recording live vocals with the band, this is my first choice. It has a certain sound to it that is pretty cool on the right singers. It definitely has a different sound that you will find on your typical condenser microphone.

Sennheiser MD 421
The MD 421 is also a dynamic microphone. I call the sound of this mic ?rude?. It's peak is a little lower than the SM 57 and it comes off sounding a little more aggressive in the 2-3k range. This can be great for recording certain metal guitars which really need this portion of the frequency range boosted. I would not call the sound of this mic pleasant by any means. It will not give the bite of the 57, but it will help cut through a mix. It's a favorite on toms and the old guys seam to love it on kick drums. On kick, it's a little more tame than the average modern rock drummer may want, but was used on a lot hit records in the late 70s and early 80s. It can be fun on electric guitar and is a favorite on electric bass.

Royer R121
I was a little surprised when I first bought this microphone. The Royer R121 is a ribbon microphone. This mic is supposed to be amazing on electric guitars. After owning it one year, I'm still learning to appreciate it. I may like a little more fizz in my guitars than most so it's taken me some time to love this mic for that purpose although I still use it often. This mic is extremely smooth sounding. Another word would be ?dull?. You may be asking when someone would want a dull mic. Think about that one for a second. How about on an excessively bright source? When recording terribly bright cymbals, the Royer R121 is gift from heaven. Condenser mics which are typically known to be used for overheads will take bright cymbals, spread them on a pencil, and stab you in the ear with them. In other words, super bright cymbals combined with condenser mics can hurt your ears. This is where I grab for my Royer R121. The Royer has a boost at 2K that gives it a little rudeness from time to time which can be very nice depending on the source.