2016 Hahl Gitano de Luxe Special

This 2016 Gitano de Luxe Special model by Stefan Hahl represents the ultimate in contemporary Selmer guitar design. Most builders today obsessively try to replicate the design and building techniques of "golden era" guitars such as Selmers, Busatos, and Favinos. Hahl has dared to be different by using the Selmer design, which he has studied extensively, as a starting point for something new and unique. His guitars characteristically combine the complexity, warmth, and listenability of archtops and flatops with the punch and clarity of Selmers. The real genius of his work is that he has succeeded in making a contemporary, sophisticated sounding Gypsy guitar without loosing the essence of the Selmer sound. Others have tried to make such a guitar, but the end result is that warmth and complexity are traded for clarity and punch, which results in a very muted and dull sounding guitar. Not so with Hahl. His guitars produce notes with a rounded, satisfying tone but are still springy enough to shoot out of the instrument in volume challenged situations.

Hahl's work has been well received by the very finest Gypsy guitarists today. Most notably, by Bireli Lagrene who owns three Hahl guitars and has used them on most of his recent recordings. check out: Move, Just the Way You Are, To Bi or Not to Bi, and Live in Paris. Stochelo Rosenberg is now an endorser of Hahl guitars and now plays this exact same Gitano de Luxe "Finesse" model!

Gypsy legends Dorado Schmitt and Hono Winterstein also play Hahl guitars.

This rare Gitano de Luxe Special is one of Hahl's flagship models. It features the finest woods available: AAA mastergrade 60 year aged spruce top, 60 year aged ziricote back and sides, mahogany neck with a walnut spline, ebony body binding, ebony bridge, and a mastergrade ebony fingerboard. The superior woods on this guitar are not only gorgeous to look at, but also give the guitar a complex, refined tone that younger woods lack. The only other new Selmer type guitar that has such exquisite aged woods is the Dupont Vieille Reserve.

The specs are what you'd expect of a typical Selmer copy: 670mm scale with a 15 3/4" body. However, the precision neck geometry allows for much lower action than is typical on a Gypsy style guitar. This instrument is currently setup with 2.4mm action which yields the kind of playability you'd expect of an electric archtop guitar. This guitar will allow you to play so much more than just the standard Django style phrases. Its easy playing neck and low string tension will enable you to execute the sorts of complex ideas that you could only dream of with other guitars.

This is the CASH price...add 3% if you'd like to pay with a credit card. 4% for International orders.