Recommend a Gipsy guitar

Paulius Volkovas · January 2012

Hi all,
i am new here, i'm a jazz player, but have been slowly diggin into Gipsy jazz lately.
I would like to get a gipsy jazz guitar, and would like some advice on which one would be best in my situation.
My budget is 1000 - 1500 EUR for a gipsy guitar. I also need the pickup system for this guitar. I was reading about Dupont Bigtone bridge, it should go nicely with the AER amp that i own.

Should i look into Gitanes or there are some other brands in this price range?

lezard · January 2012

You might be able to get a Dupont Nomade for that.

murillo · January 2012

Or this one

http://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/gui ... -m01d.html

Look under options for different pickup systems.

Paulius Volkovas · January 2012

Thanks for suggestions, one other guitar i found is Gallato rs1939. Any comments on this guitar?

Michael Bauer · January 2012

To me, the very best guitars in your price range would be the Manouche "Moreno" models. I've owned three, and they were way better than the Gitanes I owned (a DG-300 and a D-500). later Manouches were much less impressive, but those early ones with the lower serial numbers (I had #64,65 and 72) and ones with the Moreno name on the headstock were really hard to beat for the money. There should be plenty of them in Europe and England, as Manouche was an English company. I'm not sure where the cutoff was, but probably anything with a serial number under 100 would be a good bet. The Schmitts borrowed my oval hole (Modele Jazz) for a week at Byrdland in NYC, and half-way through the week I got a call that Samson was offering to buy it, so you know it sounded good.

I know Michael Horowitz thinks highly of the Manouche Latcho Droms (different company entirely from the one above), but I have yet to try one. Maybe he can weigh in on them. You can also get a good Patenotte in that range. Try a model 258 or 260, as those had the best woods and the most of Claude's attention. Once in a great while, a used Michael Collins guitar will pop up in that price range, but not often, and not commonly on your side of the pond.

Another highly recommended choice would be a Dupont Nomade if you can find a used one.

There's nothing wrong with a good Gitane, but with your budget, you can probably afford to go a step higher.

murillo · January 2012

I was also considering a Gallato before I bought my gypsy guitar and asked almost the same questions as you do.

The Gallato looks nice, but I think you will be much happier with a Nomade or an Altamira. I almost bought a Nomade, but a good offer came up with another guitar on this site that I bought. I also live in Europe and it took only three days to get the guitar.

About the pickup system, I think you should know that you must make a hole in the guitar top (under the bridge) to install a Bigtone. There are other options that don’t require a hole, which you could look at.

Paulius Volkovas · January 2012

How about buying new guitars in this budget? Is it worth to buy new one or find a used one? I'm asking this because I dont have a chance to try any of those in my country, and its usually safer to buy new.

Anyone knows a good internet sites where i could find something like this, in Europe?

Michael Bauer · January 2012

A used one will almost always be a better deal, and you won't lose much, if any, if you resell it for a better guitar down the line (And trust me, you will want a better one at some point). Of the nineteen gypsy guitars I have owned, only four have been new: my first Gitane DG-300, my Patenotte, a very special Dupont, and the nylon string guitar Rodrigo Shopis made to order. The first one, I didn't know better, the last two were new or nothing, and the little Patenotte I bought because it simply destroyed two Favinos that it was playing with to the point that I had to have it. Generally used is the way to go, and you will almost certainly get a better guitar for the money.

If you have a chance to go to Django events, try every guitar you can get your hands on and see what you like. Never spend more unless you can afford it AND you can actually hear the difference with your ears. Most guys are happy to let anyone try their guitars, so after a few events, you'll have tried lots of them. If you nose through the classifieds here, and ask around, you will get a pretty reasonable idea what things should cost, which will help you budget. And unless you happen across a Selmer, Busato, etc. at a garage or estate sale at a guitar-in-a-box price, remember there will always be another one just as good, so don't feel like you have to grab the first thing you see.

redblues · January 2012

Regarding the OP's question. Gallato's seem to have a rather large neck, great sound, but a neck like a twelve string, even chunkier than a classical guitar just to bear in mind. If you're used to a strat or something it's quite a large jump, but if you play classical or flemenco it'll be fine, playability means a lot in this genre

Paulius Volkovas · January 2012

Thanks so much, its a great help for me everyone.
I found a guy who is selling Manouche Moreno guitar, would like to know what this guitar is worth in UK? Just so i had a general idea, assuming it is in good condition.