Can anyone recommend an inexpensive condenser microphone.  I ain't daddy war-bucks

What is your affordable price range?  Knowing this will assist us with providing you options within your price.

I can't say enough about how great the CAD Equitek E100S is. I haven't looked at a current price, but I found it new for a surprisingly attractive price a couple years ago on that big shopping site in the cloud that starts with an A and sounds like a river.

Below is a clip of someone putting it to use. The last several minutes of this clip includes him playing a song from various angles using this microphone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnq0JrOvfUo

I'm not the only one on the forum using this microphone.

Worth your consideration for sure.

There are tons of great and reasonably priced mics that usually have some limitations that are fairly tolerable. Like
Are you going to play really loud?
Is it acoustic stuff?
For Vocals?
Drums?
For Live work?
 
Dynamic = for live for most cases. >> feedback resistant
Ribbons are so great and can be had for $100 but can be fragile. Not best if you're a heavy smoker or a clutz. Super useful for loud guitar or drums. In general, ribbons are for loud and usually somewhat percussive sounds. I don't tend to favor them for acoustic instruments other than banjo.
Small Diaphragm condenser for recording cymbals
Large Diaphragm condenser for acoustic guitar or vocals.
 
In the condenser category there are lots of polar patterns
if you don't have a lot of mics, skip figure 8 patterned condensers
probably go cardioid or super-cardioid so they are at least somewhat directional.
You will know if you are going to be a one mono-mic in the middle of the room guy... then omni pattern.
 
I would say pick your category and then find a mic in that category.
Cheap condensers don't do well at high volumes, but cheap ribbons do. Cheap dynamics also do well at high volumes but lose some articulation imho. It's like they are stiffer. idk how to say it in words. Not as crispy.
 

I'm testing the new WA-14 (the older AKG 414EB variant) and it is very nice.  $500, which is a lot, but not that much when considering condensers.  sounds very "vintage," with a thick and rich tone.
 
It is very hard to get a condenser much less than that, tho many Chinese mics are cheaper.  The Equitec is another one, even cheaper, as above.  I don't know much about the newer ones, but the older ones are nice.
 
Another "vintage" sounding mic is the Oktava 319.  Oh for the Guitar Center days of yore when they had them or a pair of pencil mics for $100. And check out Michael Joly's "oktavamod" shop.  He has mics and lots of modded variants - all with an Neumann U-67 voicing - dark and mid forward.
 
Cheap ribbons on electric guitar can sound wonderful.  It all depends upon what you are recording and how much you have to spend.
 
 

Sweetwater has some mic clips - same vocal over different mic's from relatively inexpensive to high $$$ types.  The difference is "hearable" on many.  I just ordered an AKG C214 based on their clips, to upgrade my vocal mic.  I have some $200 mic's but I find I do a lot of EQing with them.  I'll find out about the C214 as it is scheduled for delivery tomorrow (Wednesday) and I have a recording session scheduled for Thursday and I'll use that to try out and compare the mic.
 
https://www.sweetwater.co...re/vocal-mic-shootout/

i can't really suggest a cheap mic.
that's the one piece of gear i've always thought should not be bought based on price,
it is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF KIT IN THE CHAIN.
 
seriously, there's nothing else you can buy that is more important.
 
 
 
that said,
can't go wrong with a SM57 !
 
99 bucks at MF.
 
but if it has to be a condenser, i'd strongly suggest a ADK Hamburg, on the low end of the money scale.
 
and that's about as cheap as i'd be willing to go.
 
 
gotta have a budget, to make any solid suggestions.

As mentioned above, what you are using it for and environment will factor in heavily, since cheap large diaphram mics will be "essentially" omni and incredibly sensitive to everything. I had gotten an MXL V63M for $70 a few years ago (no isolation mount) and the learning curve was entertaining. I am, however, in a fairly quiet environment, can isolate what I am recording readily, and have good noise removal tools available. Please consider how and where you will be using it (and how good the phantom power on your audio interface is!).
 
In general, a large diaphragm is most universal, but sensitive. If you have not had a condenser before, they are very sensitive to shock and air debris (particularly smoke), and require phantom power (some USB powered interfaces do not drive condensers well). Between uses it is often best to either cover them or put them away (do not just leave one open to the air in a room for months).
 
The SM57 is even more universal and highly tolerant to abuse. The dynamic mics generally have less high end (bright) capture, but you may be able to compensate.

Rhodes NT1A

For a dynamic I've used as steady go to,
EV-767, without a switch.