the shure sm57 is the most popular all round instrument mic in the world. it's most commonly used to mic up snare drums, toms, guitar amps and often brass instruments - you even see some vocalists using it (female vocalists often prefer the tone of the sm57 to the sm58). although it can be used for miking up quiter instruments, like an acoustic guitar, you'll generally get better results if you use a condenser mic, which is much more sensitive than an sm57. www.concertsystems.com