Recording gypsy pompe

Paulius Volkovas

So i will be recording gypsy rhythm guitar (pompe) for one song in a good studio with nice expensive mics.
Does anyone have any tips on how to best record my guitar?
The track will have a double bass , my guitar and soprano saxophone playing lead, so i will be only one guitarist playing the rythm.
In my previous attempts to record i had some problems with fret buzzes and all kinds of clicks that were very noticeable in recording.
When i listen to gypsy playalongs i don't hear no fret buzz, so my question is: is the buzz hidden somehow or its a guitar setup issue? My guitar has 3mm action and there is still some buzz here and there. Its not buzzing all over the place, but i can hear it on certain chords. I think if i raise the action even more the guitar will be unplayable.

bluetrain

I've got some really good results using ribbon microphones so maybe you should ask the recording technician what he thinks about them. 3mm is not too low I think. Maybe you play the rhythm too loud or your guitar has some fret issues? Does it buzz if you play it less loud?

Best,
Tomi

Paulius Volkovas

It does buzz on some spots even with lighter playing.
I was thinking 3mm is pretty high action, im not too confortable with it especially on low strings playing lead. Maybe just need more practice.

Jon

If you're in a good studio with a good engineer, let them pick the mics. I've had people get good results on my guitar with a whole range of different things. I like a ribbon (Royer 121 particularly) and some kind of condenser (AKG414, Neumann KM84, U89...all can be good). At home I use an AEA R84 ribbon and a pair of recently acquired Shure SM81s, which I really like, but in the studio I just sit quietly and watch.

As for buzz, don't let it worry you too much. I've got a 3.5mm action at the low E, and am thinking of lowering it a bit. As long as the notes don't crap out when you hit them. I was shocked by how much buzz Tchavolo has on his new album, but the sound in general is growing on me. A little buzz is actually nice (I can't believe I just said that!). Also, if you don't have to be ultra close miked, a bit of air between you and the mics, and where they're placed, can help de-emphasise buzz.

Bones

Try not gripping the chords so tightly with the left hand??? You should be damping a lot anyway. Maybe this will help if it is the kind of buzz that happens when you un-grip (damp) the chord. Maybe also try not hitting so hard with the right hand (since you are mic-ed anyway) if it is fret buzz from non-level frets.

Is the clicking from your pick or the right hand hitting the top of the guitar?

PS- also watch out for harmonics when damping chords.