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Paul's Guitars and Equipment
 
The Paul Vernon Chester Signature Guitar
Technical Specifications and
description
This beautifully 'hand-crafted'
rosewood Modele Jazz guitar by Jeongwoo Cho has many features of the original
Selmer. The guitar has a natural coloured solid sitka spruce top, rosewood back
and sides, traditional slotted headstock with dovetail to body joint, and a
mahogany neck. The guitar is french polished throughout and has feature
Selmer style tuners and tailpiece. The ebony fretboard has 2.5mm frets and pearl
dot markers on 5, 7, 10 and 12th fret. The sound of the guitar is mellow, rich
but strident, with loud projection and superb sustain characteristics - simply a
joy to play!
An ebony bridge set at 19, 21, and
23mm is included.
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Quality figured and book-matched solid sitka
spruce top with featured solid rosewood back and sides
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French polished finish as standard
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Cocobolo rosewood back and sides
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14 frets to the body
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Body bindings in ebony with
white-black-white purfling
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Mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard,
slotted head stock and pearl dots
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Bone nut with traditional “zero” fret
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Dovetail neck-to-body joint
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Scale length = 670mm
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Nut width: 45mm
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Body Length: 470mm
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Lower bout 406.40mm
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Upper bout 285.75mm
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Characteristic 'oval' sound hole with
multiple traditional rosette surround
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Lacquered Interior as original Selmer
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Classic Ebony bridge
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Tuning gear as original Selmer
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Fixed graphite reinforcement bar

The standard models are now being produced by Jeongwoo Cho exclusively
and are superb!
Up until recently Jeongwoo was producing the handcrafted models only.

Technical Specifications:
12 Fret Concert (Grande Bouche)
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European solid spruce top
book-matched with laminated rosewood back and sides
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12 frets to the body
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Body bindings in ebony with
white-black-white purfling
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Traditional Fan Bracing
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Mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard,
slotted head stock and pearl dots
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Bone nut with traditional “zero” fret
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Dovetail neck-to-body joint
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Scale length
640mm
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Nut width:
48mm
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Body Length:
470mm
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Lower bout 406.40mm
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Upper bout 285.75mm
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Characteristic 'D' sound hole with multiple
traditional rosette surround
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Lacquered Interior as original Selmer
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Classic Ebony bridge
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Tuning gear as original Selmer
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Fixed aluminium reinforcement bar
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Comes fully shop adjusted
Modele Jazz (Petite Bouche) 14
Fret
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European solid spruce top book-matched with
laminated rosewood back and sides
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14 frets to the body
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Body bindings in ebony with
white-black-white purfling
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Mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard,
slotted head stock and pearl dots
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Bone nut with traditional “zero” fret
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Dovetail neck-to-body joint
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Scale length
670.00mm
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Nut width:
45.00mm
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Body Length: 470.00mm
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Lower bout
406.40mm
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Upper bout
285.75mm
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Traditional Selmer horizontal cutaway
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Characteristic 'oval' sound hole with
multiple traditional rosette surround
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Lacquered Interior as original Selmer
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Ebony bridge with moustache
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Tuning gear as original selmer
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Fixed aluminium reinforcement bar and
traditional Selmer trapeze tailpiece with felt protector
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Comes fully shop adjusted
14 Fret Orchestre (Grande Bouche)
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European solid spruce top book-matched with
laminated rosewood back and sides
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14 frets to the body
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Body bindings in ebony with
white-black-white purfling
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Mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard,
slotted head stock and pearl dots
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Bone nut with traditional “zero” fret
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Dovetail neck-to-body joint
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Scale length
670.00mm
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Nut width:
45.00mm
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Body Length: 470.00mm
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Lower bout
406.40mm
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Upper bout
285.75mm
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Traditional Selmer horizontal cutaway
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Characteristic 'D' sound hole with multiple
traditional rosette surround
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Ebony bridge with moustache
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Tuning gear as original Selmer
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Fixed aluminium reinforcement bar and
traditional Selmer trapeze tailpiece with felt protector
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Lacquered interior as original Selmer
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Paul is endorsing the 14 fret D hole
guitar and is producing a CD for release shortly using 14 fret
and 12 fret D hole guitars!
Manouche
Guitars
Manouche
Guitars / Vintage Strings,
88 London Road,
Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire,
GL52 6EH. Tel: +44(0)1242 515949 Fax:
+44(0) 01242 515949
Map:
Click here
Sales, Tony Walker,
John Vickers
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- Manouche guitars have really
impressed me, as has the expertise of John and Tony who really
know there stuff down there in Cheltenham. These guitars are
really taking off and sound lovely. - Paul Vernon Chester
Customer
Comment:-
I have had my Manouche 'Moreno' modele jazz for a few weeks now and
thought i'd just give Tony and John a big thank you for what
proved to be incredible customer service and an even more
incredible instrument.
I also own a Gitane dg250m and the Manouche blows it away in
terms of tone. This guitar is well built, fast playing,
comfortable and above all , when played in the correct manner,
it gives that authentic gypsy sound which I just couldn't quite
find on the Gitane. For anyone saving for a Gitane, my advice
would be to hang on a bit longer for the Manouche. The Gitane is
a great guitar but for that bit extra you will get a guitar with
much better attention to detail in terms of shape and sound and
much better hardware. Oh yes and a really cool Hiscox hardcase.
- Richard
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Bespoke Luthiers
John
Le Voi Guitars
John is a
Luthier based in the UK specialising in custom-built fine quality gypsy jazz
guitars - Established in 1970
(Paul) - he made me
a wonderful guitar some years back and is a superb Luthier with whom I still
keep in touch. I retain a great deal of respect for his work, having owned
or played guitars from most of the other serious instrument makers over the
years.
John regularly shows his guitars at the
Samois Sur Seine Festival, France
and at the Gossington
Festival in the UK
Amplifiers

Paul
endorses the Compact 60 AER Amplifier, this
German Company produces high quality amplifiers for electro acoustic guitars.
Bireli Lagrene and Gary Potter amongst others, use these. They proved just
perfect and sounds great for these difficult-to-amplify instruments.
Superb Acoustic Tone - 2
channels
Known as ‘Compact 60’ it has found many friends around the world with its size -
smiled at in the beginning - being its second strongest side. Tried out during
live performance it has become the standard equipment of those musicians who
value sound, simplicity and independence.
This system with its 8"-twin-cone speaker-system, 60 watts of power and fully
developed dynamic control within the model's small dimensions has not only found
much appreciation but has also become the basis for a whole line of step by
step, developed and refined AER acoustic systems. The work horse –
AER
If
you want clean, accurate reproduction of your instrument’s voice, Two
clean acoustic channels and a powerful 60W rating, this really is as good as it
gets. Includes a deluxe padded flight bag
Forget the shrill, hard sound of
the competition and get something that actually sounds acoustic... but louder!
Rating: Rating:
60 Watt / 4 ohm rms
Speaker: 8’
twin-cone speaker-system ( 96 dB 1w/1m, freq. range 60Hz-18kHz )
Cabinet: 0.59’
3(15 mm) birch plywood
Dimensions: H:
10.24’ 3(260 mm) x W: 13.00’ 3(330 mm)x D: 19.06’ 3(230 mm)
Front Panel

(from left to right):
Channel 1:
Further outputs
DI-out The composite signal
after tone control but without effect and before master control is on the
XLR socket. (Appropriate to connect the COMPACT 60 to a sound
system.)
Tuner A tuner can be connected to this output, and need not
be switched between instrument and amplifier, as is often the case. This
precludes any effect on the sound.
Line out The composite signal after tone control, with
effect and after master
control is connected here. (This output can be used for tape recordings).
Features and technical data:
Inputs: Ch1: Line: unbalanced., 2.2 MEG High/Low: -10 dbV
Ch2: Line: unbalanced., 1MEG
Mic: balanced., 600 Ohm
Eff.Return: -10dBV/10k
Outputs: Tuner: -10dBV
Line: 0dBV
DI: -20dBV
Send: -10dbV
Foot switch Tip: built in effect
Ring: external effect
Sleeve: ground
EQ: Ch1: Bass: +- 18 dB/ 100 Hz Middle: +- 13 dB/ 550 Hz
Treble: +- 11 dB/ 10 kHz
EQ: Ch2: Bass: +- 18 dB/ 100 Hz Treble: +- 11 dB/ 10 kHz
Analog Signal Processor: Limiter, Subsonic Filter and
Enhancer
Effect: Digital Reverb / Delay, two presets
Power Amp: Power consumption: 220-240 V / 50-60Hz / 70 VA
(110V / 50-60Hz)
Rating: 60 Watt / 4 ohm rms
Mains Fuse: 1 A slow
Speaker: 8’ twin-cone speaker-system ( 96 dB 1w/1m, freq.
range 60Hz-18kHz )
Cabinet: 0.59’ 3(15 mm) birch plywood
Dimension: 10.24’ 3(260 mm) high
13.00’ 3(330 mm) wide
19.06’ 3(230 mm) deep
Finish: water based acrylic, black spatter finish
Weight: 18.74 (8.5 kg)
* 0dB/V ~ 1V
*specifications and appearance subject to change without notice
Picky about Picks?
Most of
the Gypsy guitarists used plectrums made from tortoise shell, which they seem to
have fashioned themselves.
Django was a tireless worker, he
endlessly developed a trailblazing right hand technique, as well. he was the
first to frequently utilize what is now called sweep picking, where a run is
played with the pick pushing through three or more strings sequentially with
either a down or upstroke. His tremolo rivalled that of the great Italian
mandolin virtuosi, a skill that he utilized on full chords and well as
individual notes to great effect. Django preferred the thickest, stiffest picks
he could find, generally using natural tortoise shell. But he never let his
equipment dominate his creative skills. Delauney's book, for instance, cites one
example where he showed up for a gig without a pick and proceeded to break off
the tooth of a comb and used that as a substitute plectrum for the night! - now
that is sheer poetic licence unless it was the body of a tortoise shell nit
comb.
Tortoise - illegal to import fresh
stock so you have to find old broken antiques but its a fantastic
material.
Coconut- useful but wears
away, Ivory- too scratchy, Horn - same, Bone - same. Dunlop or Gibson Stubbys -
nasty. Sticking with a worn out pick just
because your used to it when a new one is at hand is a common mistake, as
brightness and attack disappear gradually as the pick wears and you just don't
hear it yourself as it wears over a period of time.
Let me
start by saying that if you don't use tortoise picks now, I wouldn't recommend
getting used to them. Many tortoise and turtle species (including the hawksbill
turtle, long harvested for tortoiseshell) are on US endangered and threatened
species lists, and more than a dozen are banned from trade. That said,
tortoiseshell has a certain hardness that helps create a crisp, clear tone, and
since it is so hard, a slightly thinner tortoise pick will have the same
response as a thicker plastic one. Shell picks also create a nice click that
defines a note on recordings.
If you
must get a hold of a tortoiseshell pick, you can legally recycle the material
used on jewellery and knickknacks in days gone by. I have fashioned picks from
pieces of shell I found on vintage belts, bracelets, and earrings, as well
as the centrepiece of an old wicker fan. You'll need such tools as a fine-tooth
coping saw, files, sandpaper, and a vice to achieve the desired shape
,thickness, and flatness.
There's
something about the way these picks *feel* on the strings; It's hard to
describe, but I think it has to do with the coefficient of friction of the pick
on the strings. Whereas with a typical plastic pick it feels like you are
*striking* the string with the pick, with a Tor-Tis (or real tortoise) it feels
like you are *stroking* the string. There's just enough friction between the
pick material and the string that you "feel" the stroke. I like this feel
very much and whereas it sounds like friction between the pick and strings might
slow you down, in fact I find that I can play faster and cleaner with this type
of pick.
Strings
Gauge
10 :
010 - 014 - 022 - 028 - 036 - 045
Gauge
11 :
011 - 015 - 023 - 029 - 037 - 046
Loop or Ball Ends
Vintage Strings manufacture
silver wound copper on steel strings, which are the recommended type for
'Selmer Style' instruments and are an essential part of the equation for getting
that elusive 'Gypsy' tone

Django used strings imported from Argentina
The original Argentine
strings were those used by Django during the years when he wielded his Selmer
Maccaferri guitar. These strings although giving excellent tone were prone
to early wear and breakage. These were still available until only a few years
ago.
The "New Concept" strings
now available incorporate modern winding technology, though not giving way to
quality of tone. Providing a harder wearing, smoother string that delivers that
elusive Gypsy Jazz tone that other strings just cannot live up to.
Used by many of the great
current Gypsy Jazz artists today they are without doubt the most popular. Once
used most do not go back to earlier varieties.
Savarez
Argentine New Concept strings from France. These are the strings used by almost
every gypsy jazz guitarist in France.
Contrary to popular myth, these are not silk and steel strings.
Rather, they are copper wound strings plated with silver.
Savarez
1510 loop end light
1510MF loop end medium
1610 ball end light
1610MF ball end medium
Makers of Classical and Acoustic
guitar strings, Savarez Acoustic Argentine New Concept can help you with that
Manouche guitar sound. Whereas the Savarez Alliance Classical guitar strings are
favoured by flamenco players, the Savarez Corum are more popular with classical
players. The Savarez Red Card are an ever popular traditional Classical guitar
string.
A
recent resurgence and interest in Django's playing style has launched a
renaissance in gypsy jazz guitar manufacturing.
Addressing the need for quality strings to outfit these guitars, D'Addario is
proud to introduce their Gypsy Jazz Guitar Strings. The subject of a lengthy
period of research, followed by thorough beta testing, the strings produce the
authentic Django sound with all of its lilting nuances.
The guitar strings are available
in light (EJ83L) and medium (EJ83M) gauges. The wound strings are silver plated
steel over a hex core and packaged in D'Addario's E-Series corrosion intercept
bag for ultimate protection.
"We were intent on developing the
ideal tension and gauge specifications, so that the strings would resonate with
that signature, Django-like vibrancy," says Brian Vance, Senior Product Manager,
D'Addario Strings.

Handmade in
California, these strings proved brilliant and durable - indeed the superior
strings for Selmer-style guitars. Guadalupe Custom Strings also makes the
Greens, a gauge which no one else makes, as well as low seventh strings and so
on.
“Strings made with love, knowledge of the instrument and most of all,
respect for the musician who will play them - strings made by musicians for
musicians”
Guadalupe
Custom Strings
418-A N. Ford Blvd.
East Los Angeles. CA 90022
323-981-7055 - phone
323-981-7070 - fax
email:
Guadalupe Custom Strings LA
Guadalupe
Custom Strings
The colours refer to the
silk wrap by the loop
Purples (Violettes) - 10 14 21 27 34 42 - extra-light (extra-légère)
Reds (Rouges) - 11 15 22 28 36 44 - light (légère)
Greens (Vertes) - 11 15 23 30 39 46 - medium (serieux)
What are the real
differences between these sets of strings?
- Purples and Reds are
equivalent to Savarez Argentines. Please note, in case you're checking, that
the actual gauges of Savarez Argentine wound strings are not quite
the gauges that are printed on their string package.
- Greens are a bit heavier
than any Argentine, and are particularly suited for the 648mm scale of the
D-hole models.
- Please note: these strings
come with loop-ends - unless other arrangements are clearly made!
Cases
Established in 1985,
Hiscox Cases Ltd. is the brainchild of Brynn Hiscox, a professional guitar
maker.
Hiscox Cases are only too aware that in this fast moving, hectic world, it is
easy to damage precious instruments. That's why the "Liteflite" range of cases
have been designed to give those instruments the finest protection possible from
a LIGHTWEIGHT case.
Manouche Guitars wanted the best cases available for our guitars, and the custom
'Manouche Guitars Ivory' Lite-Flite case is the result
Unique "Liteflite" Construction
The criteria for the design called for the construction of the very best
lightweight cases possible, encompassing the use of the finest modern materials.
The result is a range of cases manufactured using a unique composite double
moulded construction which gives unparalleled protection for your instrument
from a lightweight case.
The construction consists of a moulded, high impact resistant A.B.S. plastic
outer shell, bonded directly to an inner moulding manufactured from a unique
blend of 'High Tech' cellular foam. This inner moulding is feather light and,
being semi-rigid, is designed to soak up impact shocks from the outside world.
The UNIQUE bonding of the inner moulding to the outer shell gives unbeatable,
total structural rigidity which is UNMATCHED BY ANY OTHER CASE IN THE WORLD.
Acrylonitrile Butadeine Styrene, (A.B.S.) due to it's unique balance of
properties, produces mouldings which have strength, toughness and rigidity over
a wide temperature range. These characteristics make it first choice for
applications throughout manufacturing businesses world-wide - from computer
housings to motor car bumpers - and of course, Hiscox cases!
The case lining is complete with a crushed velvet type cloth on the PRO range,
and a deep pile fur fabric on the STD range. This is bonded directly onto the
shaped foam moulding giving a neatly tailored luxurious feel, perfectly fitted
every time. Extra cushioning is provided by upholstered pads in the PRO range
which are factory fitted in key areas. These can also be supplied loose in order
that the body cavity may be customised to provide a closer fit for a particular
instrument.
The aluminium valance is unique to Hiscox Cases. It's design not only increases
the rigidity of the case, but ensures a positive location of lid to base when
the two halves are closed. Unlike any other case available on the market, the
valance extends deep inside the case behind the plastic shell, into which all
the hardware (handles, catches, hinges etc.) is riveted. This method of fixing
greatly reduces the possibility of fittings working loose. With their incredible
structural rigidity, all Hiscox 'Liteflite' cases exhibit enormous crush
strength (comfortably supporting the weight of a 15st - 90kg person
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