Jubeas3 -
In addition to playing bass, I have a talented signing daughter and a small home studio. I spent a lot of time researching quality affordable condenser mics for recording last year, and settled on the AT4040 and have been delighted. The other mic that consistently got good reviews was the Shure KSM series - I almost bought that but no one seemed happy with the shock mount.
As important or more important than the mic is going to be your preamp. I spent days evaluating mic preamps - I wanted a tube preamp without spending $2k on an Avalon or Focusrite. All of the little cheap ones use a single tube that you essentially blend with solid state electronics. Functional, but for all intents and purposes not a true tube preamp.
The two I found that fit the budget were the Electro-Harmonix, a two tube unit that consistently got good reviews, and Groove Tubes The Brick. After checking them out, I went with the more expensive Brick (comes highly recommended by Leland Sklar - great bassist). It has three tubes and everything that comes from Groove Tubes is sonically superior. Nothing fancy, just a box with a knob on the front and two switches on the back - power and 48V.
HOWEVER, the sound is incredible. Aside from awesome vocal results, I plugged my Alembic Distillate in and recorded a couple of tracks, and it was unbelievable. I got the purest Alembic tone down on the tracks - I couldn't get over what a difference the right preamp made!
I actually found good deals on both the mic and the preamp on ebay, but I would only buy new - used mics are risky. Look for a best offer option.
Let us know what you wind up with.
John
