django used....?

stubla

nwilkins wrote:

Actually Stu, I wasn't knocking Hodgkiss at all! I was merely commenting on the greatness of the master.

Nick
I know! :-)
Stu

Teddy Dupont

stubla wrote:

--but don't knock Llewellyn and Hodgkiss--Lollo Meier told me that those english rhythm boys(with Coleridge Goode) were Fapy's (and Grappellis'!)
fave rhythm section!
Django also,seemed particularly inspired by their lighter feel.

............And, dare I say, much better than some of the stultifying "La Pompe" we hear. :shock:

a

so django used light srings at a time when normal meant extra heavy?
can anyone be a little more specific? is there any evidence of what gauge he used? thanks.

langleydjango

Okay, so here's what Savarez says:

(From their Musee page)

1930 Début des grandes évolutions technologiques:
- arrivée du nylon,
- introduction des technologies modernes de rectification, de calibrage, de contrôle.
-Succés mondial des cordes YSAYE pour instruments à archet mises au point avec le maître.
-Succès mondial des cordes ARGENTINE pour le jazz acoustique Elles deviennent les cordes de Django Rheinardt et sont utilisées par les fabricants des guitares Maccaferri et Selmer.

(from the Argentine page)

Les cordes ARGENTINE accompagnent depuis plus de 60 ans les musiques de guitaristes prestigieux, de Django REINHARDT à Raphaël FAYS, Boulou FERRE, Pierre LACOMBE , ROMANE, Patrick SAUSSOIS et bien d’autres...
Leurs qualités acoustiques leur ont permis de traverser les crises et les modes et de répondre, sans jamais avoir été égalées, aux aspirations de musiciens soucieux de retrouver leur sonorité authentique.
Recherchées par un grand nombre de musiciens et luthiers à travers le monde, elles sont les seules cordes à s’être adaptées parfaitement aux légendaires guitares SELMER-MACCAFERRI, produites aujourd’hui par de talentueux luthiers qui ont su en conserver l’esprit et assurent ainsi leur pérennité

I would conclude therefor that:

1) Since Argentines were made for and used on Selmers, Django played on Argentines during his life.

2) Since Argentines were made for Selmers I can think of no logical reason that the string guage has changed substantially over the last 50 years (within the tolerences of the string making machines).

IMHO, the difference between a "10" guage string or an "11" is pretty negligable. Noticeable, yes, but both are very light guage compared to the boat cables that were used for strings before our "modern" era.

3) I doubt there was a string factory on every corner so there were probably very limited choices of string maufacturers. Django probably used Argentines quite often just because they were one of the few choices.

4)I doubt Django knew or cared what strings he used. He played on whatever strings Joseph put on his guitar. And if a "B" string broke and all they had was a wound "G" I have no doubt thay used it instead.

5) So the short answer is: yes, Django used Argentines (along with various other brands and guages.

"The same strings we use today!" (TM pending.)

6) (Intentionally left blank for future use)

7) I have way too much free time this morning.

troy

Next week- Wes' strings and what we can learn from them.

scot

The modern "New Concept" Argentine string has only been around for 10 years or so. The earlier ones were labeled "deluxe", came in a slightly different package and the gaucho was drawn differently. These strings had a different and softer hand, and to me sounded slightly better than the new concept string. But (not kidding here) you could damage the windings in one session and if you played much, a couple of days use was all you could get.

There were earlier variants - there is a picture on p178 Charle of a yellow Argentine string envelope, and I've been told that that envelope came from Django's guitar case while it was being worked on there. Who told me this I can't remember. I think these strings have been around for a long time.

I've read that in the jazz age, guitars were usually strung .016 to .064 with a wound B. It would take a MAN to play a three hour gig with a guitar strung like that!

Cheers
Scot

Teddy Dupont

scot wrote:

The earlier ones were labeled "deluxe", came in a slightly different package and the gaucho was drawn differently. These strings had a different and softer hand, and to me sounded slightly better than the new concept string. But (not kidding here) you could damage the windings in one session and if you played much, a couple of days use was all you could get.

I have had the windings of these older "Argentines" that Scot mentions worn through in less than 2 hours. Since Django was a far more forceful player than I am and tended to slide his fingers up and down the strings rather than lift and form each note individually, he would surely have had to be continually changing the strings during an individual session.