Tone production / Duved's string guage

Baro_Bromberger

Hi, I've recently been trying to improve my tone and get more volume, I got to a point where I'm happy with it but to get there I've had to change my technique, pick and the setup of my guitar. I added a few shims under the bridge to raise the action (it's at roughly 4mm or very slightly under) put 11s on and switched to a 5mm pick. In doing so playability definitely took a beating, vibrato is harder to execute and to get said tone I have to put a lot of force into the strings and fretboard. And so I was wondering how Duved gets his massive volume (I'm aware most of it is hie technique, but still), does anybody know how he sets up his guitars? I was also wondering if he stays true to the 1930s and uses 10s strings (as 11s were introduced in the 1970/80s by Romane's request (or so I've heard))

Here are 2 vids of how the guitar sounds after the changes:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dap63P-M8rO/?igsh=bTliNHlncWthbWJl

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbdT9RasmzW/?igsh=YmY4aGN3YnVqczQ0

rarely_plays

I played with him once and I’ve never heard anyone hit the strings with more force than him. It definitely gave it the tone I think you are after. He was using 11’s. I’ve always thought that you can only get the true Django sound if you play with two fingers, based on how you are forced to play the lines.

pdg

A 5mm pick (made by Nick Sansone) doesn't hurt either.

Baro_Bromberger

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/125893#Comment_125893

Thanks! Now that I think of it, getting that amount of attack on 10s is near impossible. Agree with the 2 finger thing, using the 2 strongest fingers definitely helps

Baro_Bromberger

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/125894#Comment_125894

Was thinking of getting one, from what I can see its got a wider edge than my killy 5mm, would be interesting to see how they compare

Scoredog

This discussion has been held quite a bit...some guys have very high action but take a player like Samson and it is quite low (I have played his guitar) so technique is most important...(my 2 cents). I played in a lot of jam sessions and generally I am loud enough but at DIJ there was a luthier selling guitars with action well over 3mm and it was a loud jam and I struggled with the action.

pdg

Duved used to use 010s but switched to 011s at some point.

Buco

The thing is that these players don't put a lot of energy in but get a lot out. It's much more a technique than anything else. @Baro_Bromberger you sound great, I don't think you need to change anything. But 4mm action is going to get tiring.

paulmcevoy75

I think the 11s can choke out a guitar. It's not necessarily an improvement.

BillDaCostaWilliams

When I saw Duved recently I noted two things about his technique:

• his picking was nearer the bridge than I expected

• he thinks the design of the picks he is using impacts his playing: a few times over the evening he seemed to discard the pick he was using mid-song and continue with another one. Then he commented to the audience that he wouldn't be playing fast runs that evening because he had been experimenting with cutting his own picks during the day and they hadn't turned out well so he was having to adapt.

voutoreenie

he thinks the design of the picks he is using impacts his playing: a few times over the evening he seemed to discard the pick he was using mid-song and continue with another one. 

Thought I was the only one, although for me it was more because I disliked the clicking from Wegans/Manouchepicks but they felt better for playing Bossa rhythm so I'd keep one next to me.

And now I'm onto thinner picks, really digging 1.5 Gators - I swear, almost any pick will work for this style but got damn it's crazy how much only certain picks work perfectly at any given moment lmao