1 mic recording.

[Seeker]

If it were me, I'd start about 12 - 18 inches away from the guitar, capsule at the same height of the guitar facing straight on pointed at the 12th fret. Depending on the guitar / sound you're looking for, you may want to move the mic slightly more toward the body of the guitar.

I've used this technique quite a bit with small diaphragm condenser mics when recording acoustic guitar that was intended to fit into a larger mix. If its a solo thing you may want to try a large diaphragm condenser or ribbon.

 

[rainy-taxi]

To me it also depends on what kind of sound you are after. How much "direct" sound do you want, do you want more or less bass in the sound? A spot which I found interesting is having the mic close to the player's right ear (assuming it is a right handed guitar) but the sound has less attack as you don't pick up the direct strings, only indirect.

 

[CalavoBob]

There's a very natural sounding spot most people don't know about to place a small diaphram condenser mic on good acoustic guitars. On a right handed guitarist its on the rear of the guitar just below the right armpit where there's a lot of the guitar back exposed. Put the mic about 3-4 inches away pointed directly at the back of the guitar. You won't pick up any bass boom like you can get from the hole when miking in front and its a very balanced sound with surprisingly good highs. The only drawback is if you have a player that turns around on a rotating stool because they might hit the mic. I've blended this with a front mic too for an interesting spread.

 

[k brown]

To me it also depends on what kind of sound you are after. How much "direct" sound do you want, do you want more or less bass in the sound? A spot which I found interesting is having the mic close to the player's right ear (assuming it is a right handed guitar) but the sound has less attack as you don't pick up the direct strings, only indirect.

"...a natural, open and spacious sounding result" - OP in the first post.

 

[fazer]

Lots of great info on recording guitar in this thread. Your touch on the instrument is also important. The better your touch on the strings, the more you can compensate for audible resonance in the sound as well as guitar string mechanical qualities buzz and room resonance to some degree.

 

[kags]

I often ask the guitarist to push the back of the guitar forward so it’s not touching their body. It’s surprising how much more resonant the guitar becomes when the back is able to move freely. This usually drastically improves the tone and projection.

 

[Zoutvat]

'I often ask the guitarist to push the back of the guitar forward' This is very true and almost essential to get the most out of a guitar! Years ago I fabricated an extension for my guitar(s) to achieve just that: keeping the back free and let it resonate and I'm using it till this very day.

 

[Zoutvat]

There's a very natural sounding spot most people don't know about to place a small diaphram condenser mic on good acoustic guitars. On a right handed guitarist its on the rear ...

I tried that today, but the amount of energy that the back of an archtop radiates is limited, but thanks for the hint, I'll keep it in mind.

 

[Zoutvat]

If it were me, I'd start about 12 - 18 inches away from the guitar, capsule at the same height of the guitar facing straight on pointed at the 12th fret...

An archtop guitar is a total different beast, very limited projection near the 12th fret.

 

[kags]

I've used an omni (SDC) very close to the body/soundboard, between the bridge and the butt of the guitar to good effect. The omni mic avoids proximity while the close miking keeps the sound present. I sometimes use this mic plus an SDC (cardioid) a few inches from the 14th fret or an LDC about a foot in front of the guitar, just toward the neck of the sound hole. Between the butt mic and one of the other positions, I can get very useable tones. This is for pop/rock/folk/acoustic.

Another miking that I've tried and liked is X-Y (though a spaced pair might work also) only a few inches from the strings around the 16th fret. But, the X-Y is vertical instead of horizontal. That is, one mic points towards the higher strings and the other towards the lower strings. This setup yields a very wide stereo image where a strum moves across the stereo spectrum. A bit extreme sometimes, but definitely worth trying....

 

[Seeker]

An archtop guitar is a total different beast, very limited projection near the 12th fret.

Didn’t really know that, I don’t think I’ve worked with anything other than flat tops.

Though even on flat tops, 12th fret isnt necessarily ideal, I’ve just found it a good starting point.