Really, at this price, there's nothing bad to say about the R144. I used this microphone during a recording session for a number of instruments, and really put it through its paces, through both an SPL Goldmike 9844 and ART Pro MPA ii
Guitar Amp: Gives a really nice, smooth sound ad has great lows. The mids were a bit peaky, but this was easily EQ'd out
Saxophone: Used in conjunction with an SM57, had the R144 about 12 inches from the valves and got a lovely harmonic sound that blended nicely with the direct tone from the bell
Backing Vocals: I wanted a different sound for the backings so used this and it complimented the singer. For a darker tone I used the rear of the mic.
All in all this was a great purchase, but make sure you have a nice clean, low noise pre-amp as they need a lot of gain to drive them.