Mojave Audio, AKG and Shure are major label mainstays. A thousand bucks will get you a damn fine microphone that no bigtime producer would snicker at.

The AKG C414 is top-notch for about a grand, and is incredibly versatile. You can use it on literally anything.

The Shure KSM-44 is in the same league, just a tiny notch below the AKG, IMO. About a grand.

The Mojave MA-201FET is an amazing mic for vocals, although I've heard it used for field recordings made by a good recordist (Mr. Royer himself) and was blown away by the detail. That one's around 8 bills, IIRC.

And of course, there are dozens of microphones that have been longtime standards in top studios for far less than a grand. An SM7 ($350) was the only vocal mic on the biggest selling album of all time. That's pretty major.

Not trying to hijack the thread, but does anybody know what the difference is between an AKG C414-XLII and a C414-XLS?  AudioDeluxe is out of the C414-XLII, but has the C414-XLS in stock for $699.  I had heard/read that the XLII was better for vocals and had a more pronounced high end, but not sure as I don't own one.
 
If you are looking for a $1K-valued mic on the cheap, this almost seems like a no-brainer ...

"bitflipper"
The AKG C414 is top-notch for about a grand, and is incredibly versatile. You can use it on literally anything.

+1..., great choice! And especially if on sale for approx. $700.00 USD. Got mine a few years ago for $875.00 USD. 

Inquiring minds want to know;
for vocals, C414-XLII or C414-XLS?

T

I recently sent a MXL V67G to the folks at JJ Audio for their U87 Greyhound Conversion. I am pretty happy with it. It smokes my TLM49.  I used it on my last song for the first time on vocal tracks.  For what it's worth, this is what it sounds like on my vocals.
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=11824143
 
http://jjaudiomic.com/FET-U87-Conversion.php

According to AKG, the difference between the two 414's is the XLII has a little 3KHz bump in its frequency response, presumably to add clarity to vocals. That would seem to make the XLS the more versatile of the two, since a 3KHz lift probably isn't what you want on, say drum overheads (a common application for this mic).

The AKG C414 is top-notch for about a grand, and is incredibly versatile. You can use it on literally anything.

Good call...
The C414XLS is extremely versatile.

I picked up an AKG 214 recently...anyone have an opinion on this? It doesn't exactly sound like a 414 in cardiod mode, imo

The Studio Projects C1 has and is getting good reviews: http://www.studioprojectsusa.com/c1.html
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/C1Mic/reviews
 
Keep in mind what impedance loading contributes to the sound of all audio electronics.
A good article,"The Taming of the Shure," at recording mag provides some science info: http://www.recordingmag.com/resources/resourceDetail/330.html.
 

I picked up an AKG 214 recently...anyone have an opinion on this?

Gaff, aren't you in a perfect position to give us an opinion/samples?

Inquiring minds want to know!

I almost popped on the C414XLS, then I realized I had a little case of GAS.

Now I'm longing for a Peluso 22 47se.

What's wrong with me?

T