Django and Dearmond Guitar Mike pickup

bluetrain

Hi!

I was just looking at various Django pictures and on couple of pictures it looks like Django is using Dearmong Guitar Mike pickup? Is this possible? I know Django used Stimer pickups but Dearmonds were around at that time.

I'm talking about this photo:


The Dearmond Guitar Mike pickup is this:


I believe this Dearmond model was published 1946 and the picture of Django is from 1947. I have that pickup (it's actually a bit newer version with two black slots on the cover) and it works really well with Argentines as it was designed for brass strings used in the Gibson archtops for example.

Teddy Dupont

Django did use other pickups before the Stimer.

Stringswinger

I own several DeArmonds and find them to be best suited for nickle strings. I have seen pictures of Boulou Ferre using one on a Favino. It would be interesting to ask him about which strings he used at the time...

bluetrain

Stringswinger wrote: »

I own several DeArmonds and find them to be best suited for nickle strings. I have seen pictures of Boulou Ferre using one on a Favino. It would be interesting to ask him about which strings he used at the time...

It surely would be interesting to know! Which model did he use?

I have no idea about the 1100 model but FHC (guitar mike) and 1000 were designed for brass strings. My experience is that they are nice with nickel strings but quite boomy with most of the amps. I've done gigs with Guitar Mike using archtop with phosphor bronze strings and with selmer replica using argentines. With both of the string types the string balance is really good. I'm probably going to sell my Dupont Stimer now that i have a better magnetic pickup

Al Watsky

Everybody used DeArmonds at one time or another. They were the only game in town for years and years and sound better than most after market pickups. Its too bad they are out of production. I remember walking into a local store and buying one in the 60's for 35 bucks. OK 36 maybe and worth every penny.

Bob Holo

I had (or have? they may still be in a box somewhere) two guitar-mike models... a very early one in nickel and a later model with the two black stripes. Neither really lit my fire on GJ guitars. I think the string spacing was not quite right; like I had to slide the mike in one direction to get the bass strings to kick and in the other direction to get the treble strings to kick and if I centered it, the outside strings were both anemic. It might have been on a Mac-style neck though - fairly wide string spacing.

However, I also had a Rhythm Chief 1000 and made a DiMauro Chorus style guitar with a Selmer-width neck and mounted it... it sounded darned good with Argie 11's. Dennis either did, or was going to record on that rig, but the DeArmond heaved its last breath while he was in the studio so I don't know how many tracks he got out of it before it did. It worked well though.