Stager SR-2N vs Royer 121

I do believe "the real thing" is the Stager SR-2N! I own the R101 and a pair of Stagers. The R101 never gets used in electric guitars anymore. I know The R101 is a bit different than the R121 but it's not THAT different, from what I gather.

Seriously, if you have an amp that's sounding great in the room, you just need to put the Stager in front of it and hit "record". Done. I don't even fiddle with positioning anymore.

This is a comparison of open shell types versus treble resonator shell types. RCA/Fat Head/Stager/Coles/etc versus B&O/Royer/Samar/etc. That's the first slice here.

Look at the Bumblebee RM-6 or 5, they can be bought assembled or as simple kits.

I can't add to the comparison requested on those specific mics, but I can say I have been using the Beyerdynamic M160 with excellent results on electric guitar the last couple years. Sometimes I pair it with a 421, 441, or a 57.

I find them to be more 'focused' than the Fathead. The AEA R84 has been a good choice on occasion. The R84 likes a little 'breathing room' to function best in my environment.

I have enjoyed the using the Fathead in an M/S arrangement with a condenser on Leslie.

I like to use Fatheads in a few spots. They're great on drums. We have high shelf EQs for a reason; use 'em on a Fathead overhead pair and you'll probably be happy as long as that sort of sound is in the ballpark for appropriate for your sonic goals.

They're a bit dark especially within heavy proximity effect range. Most of the time on guitar amps I pair 'em with something brighter and put the Fathead on the brightest spot on the amp in the most perfect phase alignment as I can attain with two different-sounding mics. It has a different midrange characteristic plus a ton of weight in the low end. Sometimes it's right and sometimes it gets muted.

I think that if you want a Royer, you should really get a Royer or you'll always be second guessing your decision and think " should I've gotten the Royer" instead.

If the Royer sound is what you're after it's pretty much unbeatable.
I haven't used the Stagers but I've used pretty much every ribbon under the sun and though I don't love the Royer for most things, I think it's one of the best ribbon for amps.

From the demos I've heard, the Stagers have a roounded, really vintagey sound, the Royer is the opposite of that, it's pretty Hifi, it sounds modern and has a nice hi mid bite. It's light and very easy to place and align with a second mic. You can put it right up on the grill like you would a 57, something you can't do with like say an AEA R84.

The Beyer m160 is also great as many have suggested but again, it really doesn't sound anything like the Royer, it does have a mid bite also but it's not at the same freq as the Royer, I really like the Beyer for small combo amps, it just works and sounds like a 57 and a ribbon are already combined, it just works but it gives a slightly agressive vintage tone.
If I were to record a stoner band, The Beyer M160 on a Marshall would be awesome, for something like clinical metal, I would feel more confident with the sound of the Royer. There is something more polite about the Royer, which can soound a bit boring for my taste.

On the cheaper end of the things, if the modern guitar sound is what you're going for, I find the SE VR1 or 2 to be the best, they don't sound like the Royers but you can place them like the Royer and they have a similar vibe I would say.

I'll be honest with you though, I don't find ribbons to be the end all be all for guitar recording. Lately I've been using a combination of 2 dynamics taped ( mostly M88+57 or MD421+57 ) or One Ldc +57 ( U67 or TLM67 recently) most of the time and I've been really happy with the results.

Been eyeing one of these for a long time now. Anyone use them on strings (violin, cello, etc)? Curious about them on acoustic stringed instruments. Cello, mandolin, acoustic guitar. Although good electric guitar and drum sounds would be a plus!

Also, just bought the cheaper stager. Will report back on my findings

I used to like the 122s but the Stager SR2Ns just kill them subjectively. This being said the TUL G 12 mic is king for all guitar cabs in my shop.

I have the R121. Nothing else is quite like it in the midrange. That said, the Bumblebee RM5 is close in overall design to the R121. I have the RM6 and the RM7 though. The RM6 is a bit more extended in the top end and less boomy, but the mids are similar. I recently used the RM6/57 combo on a guitar cabinet next to another cabinet with R121/57 combo and honestly I couldn't tell much difference between them. I haven't done explicit side-by-side tests though.