[Woody Reed]

The room you use is far too small to achieve any quality results.

I'm gonna disagree strongly with that one. I've recorded in some far less then optimum locations with good results. Probably wouldn't want to use the ribbon mic there though. Ribbons are figure 8 pattern, which means it will pick up as much from the rear as the front. Also, the 441 will be a thin and bright representation of your sound. The 87, though I'm not the biggest fan of for sax, will give you the thickest tone. Placement is more crucial when your room is tight. A nice 45 degree angle pointed at the top of the bell a foot out will do the trick.

As for your original question, I'm a big fan of the neve 1073 mic pre on sax

 

[Woody Reed]

PS: I';ve found that using the U-87 and setting the stand up to be at the level immediately above the bell (with the mic tilted downwards at 46 degrees) and standing 3-4 feet away while recording has greatly improved the quality of my recordings. Almost no honkiness now and the sound is much smoother and fuller.

In my experience the 87 does like a bit of distance like you've got, but it sounds like you have it a bit low. Bell height and 3 or 4 feet out pointed down at a 45 would probable be pointing at your feet. Imagine there is a laser pointer on the mic. You really want it pointing at the G key, back of bell. Tip of the bell will make it honky. Try your head height for the mic pointed down at a 45 next time. Also, 3 to 4 feet away will bring more of the room acoustic into the picture. If it's a bad sounding room, you'll pick up more of the that. I prefer a more "intimate" sound. Which requires a closer micing. That's probably why I like a 414 so much. They don't mind being close to the source.