I'm thinking about setting up a mic just to record the actual strings of my electric guitar, basically like an acoustic guitar. I think it would be a good way to add some non-intrusive string-noise. I often enjoy when acoustic guitars are mixed in with heavy electric guitars, Mastodon does this a lot and it helps increase definition especially when you have a dense mix.

So, has anybody done this with an electric guitar? Maybe I'll be the first

I've heard of it being done and even tried a few times, but I never could find a way to make it work in a mix. Doesn't mean you won't though. If it works, post something. I'd love to hear it.

That's why I don't record guitar and vocals simultaneously with a condenser.

Try it with a funk riff.

'diiink-a-dink'

You'll never go back.

David Gilmour did it a lot. Don't know if he was the first, but I think I have heard it being done on albums/songs from that early/mid 70's era.

A friend of mine does it as he has no acoustic .. I couldn't tell a difference (as i didn't know)

It can give a bit of zing if you place in the traditional spot facing the neck near the body.. I remember doing it for a song once and it worked well.
It would probably really depend on the music style.. As mentioned above, try it with funky stuff for sure.. I often mic record my electro-archtop as well as using the pickup but that is more for the general acousticness, tho it does add some needed string definition.

Why not record the DI in parallel and then add it subtle to the mix? Like... highpassed, or really only barely noticable?

This does add to the sound if play lead and classic rock. I wouldn't do this for heavier rock material however - only for backup purposes and reamping.

Buddy Holly did it in the 50s.

I tried it once, and didnt like it. I prefere to record a di track along with the amp track, and then run that through a clean ampsim for that trick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ggwFbVJBcM this pedal shows how good it can sound when having a mix control on a pedal (at around 3 min in to the video)

I record a split signal for re-amping with every take I record but there is just no way this could come close to putting a mic (I assume @midnight would use a large dia condenser) near the strings. The benefit if miking the guitar like this would be to get those subtle sounds of pick attack, the open feel and fret noise but the pick-ups still wont get this. I unfortunately still live in too noisy an environment to be able to get away with this unless I did it in the wee hours of the morning.

I can go into my closet with an acoustic and mic that while still using the onboard electronics but I think the mic would have to be set way too sensitive to do this with an electric...in fact I would be concerned the mic would also pick up my breathing...maybe my shotgun mic would work though, never really thought about that.

Yes this is exactly what I would be doing it for. To sort of 'acoustify' the electric guitar tracks, without recording actual acoustic guitar as that would be too overbearing. Electric guitars give the string and pick noise and the sound has very little sustain so it would be "non-intrusive"

I'm going to experiment this weekend and yes it would be using a large diaphragm condenser mic, specifically this one > http://www.studioprojectsusa.com/c1.html

I've sometimes done this with bass but the mic has to be heavily EQ'd and compressed and mixed quite low in the background. It really brings attack and definition if that is what you want. I'd assume it would work nicely with guitar too. I've sometimes done this with my hollow body jazz guitar, but that's little bit different, naturally.

BTW nowadays I get that kind of bass sound with my Ibanez artcore full hollowbody bass with muted picking and bridge PU straight to Ampeg SVTMP DI/pre, and this sound is really what I was after all the time. You know, that vintage bass sound from 60s and early 70s.

listen to The Cure's "Fascination street"....specifically the bass.

I've read that the bass track was recorded using this method of micing the ambient sound of the el. bass line as well as mixing in the amp and/or possibly a D.I. signal as well.

either way, great song.