Topic: micn00b help

[saxophoner]

cruzing ebay for a pair of twins.  found some audio technica at3538 in my budget.  the description says "They sound great as drum overheads as well as on the neck of an acoustic guitar"
a condensor mic is a condensor mic right? 
will any condensor mic work for recording

[ScottT]

will any condensor mic work for recording

I suppose any mic will capture sound, but different mics are designed for different functions.  For "taping" purposes consider the frequency response (avg. range of human hearing is from 20hz to 20khz - you'll want a mic that covers all or the majority of that) and SPL handling esp. if you will record loud music.  Many other factors as well, but those are some of the specs you'll want to investigate.