Tchavolo's pick ????

lemanouchecbien

Hi everyone !
Does somebody knows which pick uses Tchavolo Schmitt ?
Thanks

lmntry

Hi:

He gave me one of his picks when he played at Djangofest N.W. in 2006 .

It was , a Dugain ebony pick....I still have it of course.


But I later heard that he got those from ****....so they may not be what he consistently uses....but he was using those at that event.




David

BluesBop Harry

In an interview in the french magazine "Acoustic Guitar" he says he uses tortoise shell when he has some, and also says something like this:
"At one time I would go down to the flea market and buy old buttons and big buttons made of bone, I would then rub them against the walls or use a file and make great picks, I still do!"

He also mentions he was born in Paris even though he's strongly associated with the Alsace style, his mother showed him his first chords and his father played guitar and violin, he praises Django throughout saying things like "he's like my father, there will never be another one like him, he's our god,...", he says he played a Dupont (I think an MD50) on the album "Loutcha" and he enjoys playing waltzes and ballads especially.


Funny, I was in Paris when I first read that interview and the very next day I walked into a bar and out of pure coincidence found myself face to face with Tchavolo!!... I almost cried, he's one of my favorites... I asked for his autograph and after taking a fairly long time at writing five words he turned to me and asked "Do you know how to read?"

Tchavolo, that's a player with Heart!!

lemanouchecbien

Thanks for your info. BluesBop Harry I already heard the story about the button bought on the market ... I think that is great !
Michel Wegen told me that he loved the Twins picks at 3.5 mm which is basically of the size of a big button.

frater

Tchavolo used to play a Dupont MD50 B (the one with the missing moustache you can see in the Vienne concert DVD)... the very same guitar was for sale on ebay some months ago.

lemanouchecbien

Tchavolo changes guitar all the time but it is true that he likes to play with Dupont's guitars. On the album Memoire with Angelo Debarre, Tchavolo played with a Gallato RS 1939. But on this video he play (if I am not mistaken) with a Aria which is a very cheap guitar ($200). I guess to play like Tchavolo you do not need his guitar nor his pick but his right hand



By the way a new Tchavolo CD + DVD is coming out in 09.

frater

You're right, Tchavolo's right hand could make virtually any guitar sing ... but I doubt that is an Aria. The tailpiece seems different and so the headstock. Could it be a Manouche Modele Jazz? They have a similar orange tint (like Eimers ...).
Tchavolo uses a variety of guitars (and endorsements!): recently he has been associated with Gallato, Dell'Arte, Barault, Boonstra and he has also been portrayed with a Rudy Larna! But one of my favorite tone was the one he had in "Swing" of Tony Gatlif. Which guitar was that, by the way? Someone told me Anastasio but the extended fretboard reminds me of Favino...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev-TMlLq ... re=related

Tele295

lemanouchecbien wrote:

I guess to play like Tchavolo you do not need his guitar nor his pick but his right hand

Bring me the hands of......

Nah, that's been done already

Bob Holo

I gave him a Wegen Gypsy Jazz 2.5 before his second concert at DFNW. He was using those Ebony Dugains from Alain and we were playing in the lobby and he saw that Wegen 2.5 and - between his broken English and my broken German I managed to understand that he was basically saying: "Man - I need that pick - how much do you want for it? Of course I didn't sell it to him - I just said: "Trade me." and pointed at his Dugain. He was happy about that and he certainly broke fewer strings in that second show... he broke 3 or 4 in the first show if I remember correctly. Those Ebony Dugains are fantastic for about two songs if you have a heavy hand.. and then they wear and get this sandpaper quality to them. I played them for a while and I used to get this dark brown sawdust all up under the strings on the soundboard... just sanded them sharp. It's tough enough to do rhythm when those thing get sharp - I can't even imagine playing lead. I suppose if you have a lighter hand it's not a problem but mine is heavy... and Tchavolo's.... man... his right hand is so powerful... he is a 'pickbuster' for sure.

So - I know he likes Wegen GJ 2.5mm if that helps.