PAUL
VERNON CHESTER
Manouche Maestro
|
Manouche Maestro
|
|
|
Picky about Picks? 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. http://www.redbeartrading.com/flatpicks.html Strings
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. 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.
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
Guadalupe
Custom Strings
|
|
|
Gauge
10 :
Gauge
11 : 
A
recent resurgence and interest in Django's playing style has launched a
renaissance in gypsy jazz guitar manufacturing.
