Comments

• jeffmatz ChicagoNew

  September 2018 Posts: 97

  Flatwounds are great on an electrified archtop.
  
  It you want that bright and edgy electric Django sound though, I'd probably stick with rounds.
• MichaelHorowitz SeattleAdministrator

  September 2018 Posts: 6,153

  @MikeK for a Django type sound you’d ideally want a single coil pickup (the Yves Guen is the closest to the original) on a Selmer type guitar with Argentine 10s through a tube amp.
  
  Django did record with a Gibson an ES-300 which had single coil P-90 on it. My guess is he strung it with roundwounds but tough to say.
  
  Either way, some sort of single coil pickup with roundwounds would be the way to go. Flatwounds sound quite different as they produce far fewer harmonics and a stronger fundamental.
• MikeK Asheville, NCNew Altamira M-10, Epiphone Zephyr Regent

  September 2018 Posts: 383

  Thanks Jeffmatz and Michael. Since using an archtop is something I only plan to do occasionally, I'll switch to the roundwounds. I'll look at some of the archtops with P-90's as well. Unlike some folks, I really like Django's electric stuff. And I'd like to honor those years of his by digging into studying the style and sound.

  
• vanmalmsteen Diamond Springs ,CANew Latch Drom F, Eastman DM2v, Altamira m30d , Altimira Mod M

  September 2018 Posts: 337

  I’m with you on that one! Check out the final version ever recorded of Nuages. It is an absolute masterpiece , beautifully encapsulates his electric era playing.
• LeftyKevan New DuPont mc-10g, Eastman PG1, D’Angelico NY2

  September 2018 Posts: 10

  Hey mike,
  
  I highly recommend the D’addarios Nickel bronze 13.5, they are tension balanced, feel and sound amazing. Round wound and a little unwieldy at first (it’ll clean up your fretting hand in a hurry), but they are the best sound I’ve heard on archtop, very superior the flatwound sound.
• ronzo4600 PNWNew Eimer's, Lebreton & Selmer

  September 2018 Posts: 44

  MichaelHorowitz wrote: »

  @MikeK for a Django type sound you’d ideally want a single coil pickup (the Yves Guen is the closest to the original) on a Selmer type guitar with Argentine 10s through a tube amp.
  
  Either way, some sort of single coil pickup with roundwounds would be the way to go.
  
  I love the electric sound as much as acoustic. Several of Django's later recordings are just brilliant. I was searching for "that sound" and came up with a single coil and the Vintage 47 EH-185 reproduction. The Peche works, but is hot on the B and E, the Krivo not so much, the Surdo is great, but also a bit hot on the B and E, BUT the best so far is the ST-51 through the V-47 amp.
  
  I can honestly say that I've not been able to get the sound with an SS amp, but close. Best vintage sound has been V-47 or the Blues Jr.

  
• plexi69 New

  September 2018 Posts: 75

  To my ear, Gibson's newer P90's have a harder, more gain, more rock and roll sound compared to the original 1940's-1950's P90's. Those seem to have a rounder, warmer, fuzzier tone to me.