#1
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Gypsy Jazz Guitars
I relate them to Archtops since they are a guitar often used for jazz, but do a lot of you as Archtop players use a gypsy jazz style guitar (I know they have a fancy French name but I can never remember it lol). I mainly play chord melody on my Loar, do gypsy jazz style guitars lend themselves to this style well?
Thanks for the insight!
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#2
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Gypsy jazz aka manouche music is typically played on guitars based on the Selmer-Maccaferri style. They're lightly built and incredibly loud. Two main models - oval hole or petit bouche (little mouth) and big D hole (grande bouche).
The guitars were made in France and popularized by the many Romani players in France and neighboring countries in the early 1900's. I have an Eastman archtop guitar and an Altamira grande bouche gypsy jazz guitar. I enjoy them both. They both can be used for a variety of styles and do sound different from each other. |
#3
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You could do worse than use the Saga Gitane DG-340 that Stephane Wrembel uses.
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#4
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As with any kind of guitar, it's going to depend on the particular instrument. As a class, I've found the less-expensive factory models tend to be brash and nasal--though obviously the occasional gem will come off the production line.
And in fact there's a preference, especially among lead players, for a "dry" voice--which I find too brash and nasal--though the best Selmers and Selmer-inspired examples have more range than that. I've had three grande-bouche examples, all of them chosen because they did not go brack-brack-brack but were more "wet." I sold on a rather nice Dell'Arte Sweet Chorus when I bought a Michael Dunn Daphne, which remains a favorite--it can do the conventional lead sound but also fingerstyle and chord-melody. I also found a Shelley Park Elan 12 that has a bit more nasal or resophonic honk than the Dunn but is voiced along the same lines. (Shelley worked with Dunn before setting up her own shop.) Best place to get a sense of the range of Selmer-style instruments and playing is djangobooks.com. A recent post there sent me to this video, in which you can hear Stephane Wrembel's petite-bouche guitar, which has a terrific Djangoesque voice. (It's well-worn, maybe a Selmer, unless it's a beat-up Dupont.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daU3zUWNKYI |
#5
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I have owned a genuine d hole maccy in the past. I loved owning it as it was a lifetime desire purchase but in truth it was a one trick pony. I couldn't get it to work with anything other than gypsy swing. Every other style, not using a thick pick, sound thin. It really had to be played hard.
After awhile I admitted to myself that I wasn't nearly good enough at that style to justify such an expensive thing so I sold it. If I was rich I'd have kept it just to look at and touch. It was a lifetime desire.... Nick |
#6
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There's a Michael Dunn gypsy guitar local to you, at Russo's in Hamilton. Pricey, it's been hanging there a while. I played it a few weeks ago, for the same reasons you are looking for, to see if it would be good for chord melody and other kinds of jazz.
Short answer, for me, No.
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#7
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As a player who owns a number of vintage Epiphone archtops, which I use for vintage jazz and/ or roots music, I was curious about Selmer style guitars. Several years ago I bought an Eastman DM1, which I liked, and it worked great for the vintage swing stuff( not so much for the roots). I recently bought a Craig Bumgarner Selmer-style, which has a much finer sound and ‘cut’(dryer, maybe), and may prove more all-around useful. It has excellent volume, and will do chord melody very well. A good Selmer type is another tool in the box, and while it may not do everything…neither will my Epiphones…or my nice flattops. If one plays acoustic, vintage jazz, then a good GJ instrument is hard to beat.
I should add, I'm playing with a thick flatpick, comping swing rhythm chords, and playing single note leads, with some chord melody. One of my favorite players, the late, great Oscar Aleman, used a thumbpick, and fingerpicks, on his grand bouche Selmer, to great effect. Last edited by Dave Richard; 05-01-2022 at 06:56 PM. |
#8
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Quote:
The disparity of sound & tactile experience is vast, and I don't think I could make what I normally play sound acceptable on the Selmer. Clearly that's my shortcoming, but suffice to say they are worlds apart in just about every aspect. Regards, Howard Emerson
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#9
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Yes, having owned and played both, they are a different animal.
For acoustic only chord melody work, the shorter scale (which is still a 25.5" scale) D hole style guitar is really great. These are generally thought of as the "rhythm" style guitar in a Hot Club style band, so they are a bit warmer and bassier than the longer scale Petit bouche ("O" hole), which sound like laserbeams. They make long scale D holes too which sort of split the difference. In the end that extra bit of scale really does a number on my hands, I'm not meant to play those type of guitars...I own an inexpensive Cigano Grande Bouche and it serves my purposes just fine. It's still a remarkably loud guitar that sounds best played hard. In the past year though, for acoustic solo jazz playing, I've fell in love with a 000 sized all Mahogany Martin. It's not nearly as loud as the SelMac style, but the sustain is sweeter. But it would get completely lost in a band setting. |