AKG 420 use on stage...

Author's Rating:

Pros: Perfect sound and tonal nuance, reliable and comfortable.

Cons: Construction, the size of the foam cap a little too large..

The Bottom Line: 
This mic is perfect for flutists or any other woodwind instrumentalist who needs full stage freedom, and wants the instrument to sound as it should.

Author's Review
I have had this microphone for over a year now, and have used it on stage for about 9 times. I play Irish traditional music, and I frequently play classic.

I use this mic for flute and whistles, which are, I daresay, difficult in any case, but the 420 handles them very well indeed. I decided to buy this one because I close my eyes often when playing, and a mic on a stand just doesn't give you the freedom of movement.... so what happens is that I always end up taking too much distance from the mic which evidently ends up in volume variations.

Not so with these...they are there where you need them, and they stay there while giving you full stage movement.

Another reason to buy the 420 was the fact that with the normal flute-mic's, one is attached to one flute. As I play several, I need full freedom to switch from one to another.

Sound:

Full range and color, every nuance of the flute, low whistle and high whistle are to be heard, and many friends and colleges in the crowd have stated to hear the difference between the various whistles and flutes I use, (which are 7 on stage), without the sound ever getting tinny, shrill or painful in any way. Even in the highest octave. Important however is a good and proper sound check on each instrument played, whereby the positioning of the mic must be perfect to avoid too much breath-sounds.

Comfort:

Even wearing glasses these are very comfortable, and once you find the perfect position, 2 hours or more on stage are not a problem. Make sure that you have full head movement, otherwise turning the head too far to either side may shift them just a little too much.

Reliability:

They haven't let me down yet.

Packaging:

The foam which comes in the box fitted perfectly in a standard square-shaped photo-case, and in there I can easily fit extra stuff like a tuner and other assorted bits and pieces like an extra foam-cover for the mic or plug-adapters.

Construction:

Could be a little more sturdy, but this will result in more weight. Not sure if these are too suitable for hard rock movements.