The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    Keith, having both a Dupont and a Shelley Park is just the ticket. They are different enough to justify having both. I had the duo back in 2008 and foolishly chased other combinations. Now that I have both again, all is right in my Gypsy jazz guitar world.
    Marc: I guess I need another guitar. It never ends.
    Keith
    2000 Shelley D. Park Encore-7ea40660-5b35-4f61-b222-37c829eff585-jpg

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  3. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by floatingpickup
    Marc: I guess I need another guitar. It never ends.
    Keith
    Indeed. I look forward to YOUR Shelley Park NGD thread.

  4. #28

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    I'm not a gypsy jazz guy, but when my friend had joined a hot club band we went looking for a suitable guitar.
    Jacques Mazzeloni had a nice selection of them @ a guitar show.
    He played all of them and settled on a D model Dupont, it was head and shoulders above the rest. The only 2 that sounded better were a pair of orig Selmers he had.
    Can't comment on Park's but they have a very good rep.

  5. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by floatingpickup
    Marc: I guess I need another guitar. It never ends.
    Keith
    2000 Shelley D. Park Encore-7ea40660-5b35-4f61-b222-37c829eff585-jpg
    Not me, but I could use another beer.

  6. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by wintermoon
    I'm not a gypsy jazz guy, but when my friend had joined a hot club band we went looking for a suitable guitar.
    Jacques Mazzeloni had a nice selection of them @ a guitar show.
    He played all of them and settled on a D model Dupont, it was head and shoulders above the rest. The only 2 that sounded better were a pair of orig Selmers he had.
    Can't comment on Park's but they have a very good rep.
    Jacques used to be the North American Dupont dealer. Now Michael Horowitz (Djangobooks.com) is.Prior to Jacques, my friend Paul Hostetter (RIP) was the Dupont dealer for North America.

    Of the Duponts that I have played, most are good and some are great. My Dupont is one of the great ones and now that she is 29 years old and has been well played, sounds as good to my ears as the vintage Selmers that I have played. IMO an early 90's Dupont is the closest thing to a real Selmer that you can get, and at a fraction of the cost.

    Parks are a slightly different thing. Their warm tone makes them more versatile and perhaps more to the liking of an archtop enthusiast (and perhaps of less interest to a Gypsy jazz purist)

    To my mind neither is "better", they are just different. I am delighted to once again have both.

  7. #31

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    btw, just to clarify, when I say I'm not a 'gypsy jazz guy' doesn't mean I don't dig the genre.
    I came up on that and Eddie Lang/Joe Venuti way back in my yout
    I was so into it I'm pretty sure I have every recording they all made.
    But I kinda got burned out on it and moved on to other jazz as far as performing.
    That said, Django is still one of the all time talents on any instrument, especially guitar in my mind, regardless of genre and never ceases to amaze me to this day.

  8. #32

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    Just for kicks, here's an old picture of my Shelley D. Park guitar. I took her to the Samois Django Reinhardt Festival in 2003 and had some folks scribble their names on it. If you're a Gypsy Jazz fan you may recognize a few... (Fapy Lafertin signed it first. When everyone else saw his name, they wanted to jump onboard too.)

    2000 Shelley D. Park Encore-park-guitar-jpg

  9. #33

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    What a beautiful instrument, and great backstory! Congratulations, and play it in good health!

  10. #34

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    Congrats on finding another Park. I just can say enough good about her and her work. I hope you hold on to this one .

    Here's one you won't run across elsewhere...

    2000 Shelley D. Park Encore-photo-2015-11-19-2-10-44-pm-jpg2000 Shelley D. Park Encore-photo-2015-11-19-2-14-28-pm-jpg2000 Shelley D. Park Encore-photo-2015-11-19-2-16-58-pm-jpg

  11. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by splinality
    Congrats on finding another Park. I just can say enough good about her and her work. I hope you hold on to this one .

    Here's one you won't run across elsewhere...

    2000 Shelley D. Park Encore-photo-2015-11-19-2-10-44-pm-jpg2000 Shelley D. Park Encore-photo-2015-11-19-2-14-28-pm-jpg2000 Shelley D. Park Encore-photo-2015-11-19-2-16-58-pm-jpg
    A 7 string Shelley Park is indeed rare. I know that John Kinnard built two Dell Arte 7 string Gypsy guitars (I have played them both, one belonging to Howard Alden and the other belonging to Seattle area jazz guitarist Larry Munson. Shelley has built two Baritone (27.5 scale length) Montmartres(Favino size bodies) for San Francisco jazz guitarist Ned Boynton (who commissioned his guitars from Shelley upon my recommendation).

    I will be keeping this Encore for sure and I do have a right of first refusal on the Elan 14 that I sold years ago (the buyer is a friend who at the time, was in the Hot Club of San Francisco), though I doubt that I will ever get to exercise that.

    Tell us more about your 7 string Shelley Park.....

  12. #36

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    My God that is beautiful.
    What is that Opal inlay around the D Hole?
    And the back of the guitar by the neck heel is as Exquisite a contruction as I've ever seen on a Guitar.
    Shelley Park is a Dynamite Builder. Incredible.
    Joe D

  13. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    A 7 string Shelley Park is indeed rare. I know that John Kinnard built two Dell Arte 7 string Gypsy guitars (I have played them both, one belonging to Howard Alden and the other belonging to Seattle area jazz guitarist Larry Munson. Shelley has built two Baritone (27.5 scale length) Montmartres(Favino size bodies) for San Francisco jazz guitarist Ned Boynton (who commissioned his guitars from Shelley upon my recommendation).

    I will be keeping this Encore for sure and I do have a right of first refusal on the Elan 14 that I sold years ago (the buyer is a friend who at the time, was in the Hot Club of San Francisco), though I doubt that I will ever get to exercise that.

    Tell us more about your 7 string Shelley Park.....
    It's a great instrument -- of course. It was completed in 2015. I had been interacting with Shelley for some time, being exposed to a number of her guitars here in the northwest, and especially with members and alumni of Pearl Django (Shelley's former band as well). I had been talking with her for a long period about a variety of lutherie topics and projects, and the topic of seven-strings came up. (I mostly play seven-strings.) We explored a number of the issues.

    Troy Chapman gave me the following advice: "Shelley is a tremendous artist. As you know, she is very conservative and traditional; she builds the same proven designs over and over, making very fine adjustments and improvements. This is how she's refined her designs and her work. But to get the very best out of her, you need to hold her feet to the fire and force her to push the envelope a little, get her to the edge of her comfort zone. Then she'll really amaze you." I took this advice to heart.

    After a while, we started discussing a possible 7-string build. She was intrigued and saw interesting possibilities. Eventually, the design was clear enough that we proceeded with the project. Here are some of the finished guitar's characteristics:


    • Beautiful cedar top
    • African Blackwood back & sides -- in person, it is dark as ink
    • Amazing reconstituted lapis lazuli rosette and binding -- more on that later
    • Alessi "skeleton" Hauser tuners -- more on that later
    • Barbera Transducers saddle pickup -- more on that later
    • Favino-inspired grande bouche body with 13.5 fret body join
    • Very wide (56mm) nut
    • Laminated mahogany/blackwood neck
    • Two-way trussrod


    Regarding the amazing lapis ornament: We knew this guitar was going to be especially beautiful and unusual, so a traditional "racetrack" rosette didn't seem quite special enough. I didn't want anything too gaudy, but had seen some fantastic reconstituted stone work done by Rick Davis of Running Dog Guitars, and I got talking with him and with Shelley about possibly using this technique. She was a bit intimidated at first by the idea, but knew Rick and they talked about what was involved. She quickly got excited by it and made some samples, which were lovely and convinced her to try it. The result is what you see, perhaps the prettiest and most striking rosette I've ever seen. She also put the same lapis inside brass circles for fret markers. This guitar pulls people from across the room to have a look.

    Regarding the Alessi tuners: I have used these beautiful tuners on a few guitars. They are striking and wonderful and lightweight. However, I've found the complexity and delays of dealing with an artist in Italy are a bit daunting, so I don't know if I'll be eager to do that again, alas.

    Regarding the Barbera saddle: I am a huge fan of these pickups. I have used them on several guitars. The piezo elements are formed within the saddles themselves, in direct contact with the strings, as opposed to how undersaddle pickups work. The result is a very pure, accurate sound -- like the acoustic instrument, but louder, and without feedback or body noise issues. For nylon strings, I haven't seen anything to compare. With steel strings, you get a clear, bell-like tone that is just like the acoustic instrument. I prefer the passive installation, with just a volume thumbwheel and without a preamp.

    The guitar plays like a dream. It has a wide dynamic range with a dark middle, which is what I was after. I use this for a range of musical styles, not just Django tunes, and although I like the "bark" of the traditional GJ guitar, I also like playing this guitar with less attack, to exploit its more flattop-sounding range. I often play it with my fingers, as a solo guitar. It's not super loud, though it has plenty of punch. At present I have put bronze wound strings on it, and am enjoying a very different playing experience versus the usual Argentines (plus a Thomastik-Infeld .081 round wound low A string; or possibly it's a Newtone .085).

    Again, I can't say enough good about Shelley's work. I keep hoping for a chance to get another of her guitars, though I'm not a collector -- all my guitars work for a living. Unless I join a regular GJ band, rather than just subbing from time to time as I do today, and thus really need a Django-style guitar, I probably won't have a justification for a nice petite bouche. But this seven is unique, and it will continue to be a treasure.

  14. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by Max405
    My God that is beautiful.
    What is that Opal inlay around the D Hole?
    And the back of the guitar by the neck heel is as Exquisite a contruction as I've ever seen on a Guitar.
    Shelley Park is a Dynamite Builder. Incredible.
    Joe D
    See my reply above. It is reconstituted lapis lazuli, made with ground lapis, 24K gold leaf, and epoxy, and is the most beautiful and striking rosette I've ever seen.

    2000 Shelley D. Park Encore-rosette-detail-jpg
    Last edited by splinality; 01-16-2020 at 05:08 PM. Reason: add image

  15. #39

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    Lapis is a strikingly beautiful semi precious gemstone that ironically tends to have pyrite flecks already in it.
    It looks like she did the same with the inlayed bindings in the channel cut around the body.
    Gorgeous guitar. Outstanding craftsmanship.
    I love it. Thanks for sharing pics of such a beauty.
    Joe D

  16. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by splinality

    Troy Chapman gave me the following advice: "Shelley is a tremendous artist. As you know, she is very conservative and traditional; she builds the same proven designs over and over, making very fine adjustments and improvements. This is how she's refined her designs and her work. But to get the very best out of her, you need to hold her feet to the fire and force her to push the envelope a little, get her to the edge of her comfort zone. Then she'll really amaze you." I took this advice to heart.
    Troy knows his Park guitars and he gave you some great advice. Beautiful and uniquely original Park guitar. Good on you for having this vision!

  17. #41

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    Splinality,

    Thank you for sharing. Your guitar is quite beautiful. I might suggest to you (and all others reading this thread) that Shelley's guitars are quite versatile (they are not the typical "banjo" like Gypsy jazz tool) and those who like an acoustic guitar for jazz, might find that Shelley's guitars can do the job as well (or better than) any flattop or acoustic archtop that they might find.

    She is a true master and her prices are quite reasonable. IMO, her guitars on the used market are a bargain.

  18. #42

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    Shelley's fit and finish has no peer IMO. My Avatar here is Shelley's #134 from 2004 that I've had for at least 10 years. It's a 12 fret D-hole with back & sides of Big Leaf Maple and has her more slender Mahogany neck. It sounds great to my ears and is more versatile than most other GJ guitars I've played while still retaining a good GJ sound. I've known Shelley since her Pearl Django days so I called her after I got it. She looked it up and said this is the one she took it to a Djangofest in San Francisco when it was new and Gonzalo Bergera scratched up the top with his pick. Yikes! When she got it home she buffed it up the best she could and it was later sold to a fellow on Whidbey Island (not Troy) who eventually tired of GJ and sent it to David Horowitz at Djangobooks to sell.

    When I showed up I played every guitar in the shop looking for a petit-bouche long scale Rosewood instrument but nothing was working. Finally David said 'there's one more in the closet but its short scale D-hole in Maple, the opposite of what you're looking for." To make a long story longer, he handed me the guitar and when my hand took the neck it just felt right. It fit. The voice was huge, rich and crisp. More overtones than most of the other GJ guitars. I played it for about 5 minutes and went home with it. I've never been sorry, and I learned a valuable lesson. Guitars I've bought since then have been chosen with my ears.

  19. #43

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    Quote Originally Posted by AlohaJoe
    Shelley's fit and finish has no peer IMO. My Avatar here is Shelley's #134 from 2004 that I've had for at least 10 years. It's a 12 fret D-hole with back & sides of Big Leaf Maple and has her more slender Mahogany neck. It sounds great to my ears and is more versatile than most other GJ guitars I've played while still retaining a good GJ sound. I've known Shelley since her Pearl Django days so I called her after I got it. She looked it up and said this is the one she took it to a Djangofest in San Francisco when it was new and Gonzalo Bergera scratched up the top with his pick. Yikes! When she got it home she buffed it up the best she could and it was later sold to a fellow on Whidbey Island (not Troy) who eventually tired of GJ and sent it to David Horowitz at Djangobooks to sell.

    When I showed up I played every guitar in the shop looking for a petit-bouche long scale Rosewood instrument but nothing was working. Finally David said 'there's one more in the closet but its short scale D-hole in Maple, the opposite of what you're looking for." To make a long story longer, he handed me the guitar and when my hand took the neck it just felt right. It fit. The voice was huge, rich and crisp. More overtones than most of the other GJ guitars. I played it for about 5 minutes and went home with it. I've never been sorry, and I learned a valuable lesson. Guitars I've bought since then have been chosen with my ears.
    My new Park also came from a player on Whidbey (not Troy), it is a small world. BTW, you bought your guitar from Michael Horowitz, not David Horowitz (I have known Michael for as long as I have known Shelley, Michael is a stand up guy to do business with, one of very few guitar dealers that would get my blessing). Shelley's D holes are great. I still regret selling #79.

    I have jammed with Gonzalo several times and his guitars always have damage on the tops. Gonzalo is a great player and I am sure that if he chose your guitar to do a set at the Throckmorton Theater, it must be a superb guitar. Buying a guitar with your ears rather than your eyes will always work out better in the end.

    Thanks for sharing your story!

  20. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    I often extol the virtue of Dupont Gypsy guitars and I do believe Duponts get you to the classic sound of the Selmer guitars as close you will find. If you want something a bit more modern sounding, Shelley's Gypsy guitars are the ticket. With their "archtoppy" leanings in their tone, her guitars are more versatile to be sure (and easier to play).
    Hey SS, I'm curious: What do you think it is about the design, build, etc. of the Park that makes it more versatile and modern sounding? Bracing? Solid vs. laminate back/sides?

  21. #45

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jehu
    Hey SS, I'm curious: What do you think it is about the design, build, etc. of the Park that makes it more versatile and modern sounding? Bracing? Solid vs. laminate back/sides?
    My Dupont is solid wood, not laminate , so I don't think it is that. My Dupont has a taller dome on the top, so it could be that. There is something in Shelley's design that gives her instruments some extra warmth and thereby creates a more modern/versatile sounding Gypsy guitar. But, I cannot say for sure what the differences are.
    Last edited by Stringswinger; 01-19-2020 at 11:57 AM.

  22. #46

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    My new Park also came from a player on Whidbey (not Troy), it is a small world. BTW, you bought your guitar from Michael Horowitz, not David Horowitz (I have known Michael for as long as I have known Shelley, Michael is a stand up guy to do business with, one of very few guitar dealers that would get my blessing). Shelley's D holes are great. I still regret selling #79.

    I have jammed with Gonzalo several times and his guitars always have damage on the tops. Gonzalo is a great player and I am sure that if he chose your guitar to do a set at the Throckmorton Theater, it must be a superb guitar. Buying a guitar with your ears rather than your eyes will always work out better in the end.

    Thanks for sharing your story!
    Yes, Michael Horowitz, and I agree he's a good guy to do business with. He was generous on my trade in (a decent Manouche) and was quick to contact the seller with my offer, subsequently accepted. Thanks for the nice comment about Gonzalo's choices! His scratches, post-buffing, are still there but I like them... they're part of the history of the guitar. Besides, it is a Gypsy guitar; you don't want it to be tooo pretty.

    People who play this one are always slow to give it back. I think the placement of the bridge on a 12-fret guitar has a major effect on sound and tone.
    ps - I suspect we have some Bay Area friends/players in common.
    Last edited by AlohaJoe; 01-19-2020 at 07:23 PM.