Johnny, it's so easy to get caught up in the equipment rat-race, and it's so not necessary. My recordings sound vastly different over the past 4 years, not because I keep buying new gear, but because I kept practicing and working on improving my technique and methods. There have been plenty of blindfold tests done with various microphone preamplifiers, and it's VERY hard to hear the differences [if any actually exist] once something is recorded.
You are absolutely right; 1 microphone, well placed, will sound better than 100 that are set up incorrectly.