Paris Swing GG-42

Pros: Great fit and finish

Cons: Neck is WAY too square....poor design considering the modern truss rod.

Let me start off by saying that I am not a gypsy jazz player. My musical tastes are much more eclectic. I am also a professional luthier and repairman with 40 years of doing it for a living. That being said, I'm in love with the Maccaferri/Selmer designs, simply because of the expressiveness of the instruments. I have owned a Gitane DG300 for six or seven years, and it's a great guitar for my purposes. The Paris Swing GG-42 that arrived today is an expansion of the flock, and will be used as a test bed for pickup system designs. All of the assembly and componentry of the guitar is just excellent...for the money. Although the guitar is very green, I believe it will play in with improved tonal response as the years go by. It's certainly louder than your average flattop, although my DG300 easily beats it in that department. Tonal response is great, and I now understand why the "grand bouche" instruments are used for rhythm...punchy as hell playing chords. The guitar will need to have the frets dressed, which I highly recommend on ALL new instruments. It IS a big guitar, wide in the ass like a J200 Gibson, although not quite as deep. The only real knock I have is the back shape of the neck. I'm going to change that. Big square shoulders on the neck, so those will need to be contoured down. And a fret dress of course. I'll also be adding my "MagPi" system to it. The tuning machines are GREAT....just open Grovers, but man they are smooth. I'll report more in the forum as the work I have planned gets completed.

Submitted by: dave251 on 07/20/2015 09:28:14 PM

I have bought this guitar 4 months ago and I can say only one thing...........it's a fantastic guitar ! I'm crazy for the sound of this guitar !

Submitted by: salvo.ciravolo@libero.it on 11/11/2012 09:17:49 AM

It's a beautiful guitar. It's aesthetics are astounding: lovely rosewood back and sides, three piece maple neck, and the head has a sort of two-tone look to it because of the maple neck and rosewood at the top. The tone of the Paris Swing Model 42 blew me away more than just its looks. Each note rings out in a wonderfully mellow tone. The chords all sound thick and warm. I had it set up by the guys on DjangoBooks so it's action was perfect. The tuners turn great and I have not had a problem with them. All in all, the Paris Swing Model 42 is a fantastic Favino sized guitar for an incredible price.

Submitted by: AmmonB on 03/28/2012 10:10:04 PM