Trade Gitane Dg-300 for Selmer 862

Heretic

I'm considering trading my Gitane DG-300 for a 1951 Selmer petite bouche, preferable # 862.
Will consider lower numbers, if in excellent condition. The Gitane comes with a hardshell deluxe case an extra set of Argentine 10's, loop ends. Will ship to continental 48 states at no charge.
Serious bidders only. I'll send photos after seeing yours.

pmh425

Interesting. if I had one I would definite consider the trade.

djangoisgod

is this a joke? :shock:

Michael Bauer

Heretic, that is a generous offer on your part, and I was tempted to take it, but sadly, the spot in the closet is already promised to another guitar.

However, should you ever find your way to the Windy City, please accept my invitation to stop over and play every gypsy jazz guitar I have. You seem like someone I should get to know. And bring the Gitane. It must be pretty amazing!

Dude, you are okay by me...

klaatu

djangoisgod wrote:

is this a joke? :shock:

Is that a joke?

Heretic

Michael Bauer:

Thanks for the invitation. I will indeed take you up on it. It's a great Gitane DG-300. You've got to try it to appreciate it. I can see you are a man of taste and distinction.

Bob Holo

Heretic wrote:

I'm considering trading my Gitane DG-300 for a 1951 Selmer petite bouche, preferable # 862.

Life is a negotiation, man. So he didn't accept your first offer. If you want the guitar, you don't give up, you UP your offer. My suggestion: if you have a 1951 Fender Nocaster laying around, you might toss it in to sweeten the deal. ;-)

Seriously though, 862 is a wonderful sounding guitar. I went up there to see it. It's the oldest sounding late model Selmer I've played. The top is very responsive - near the responsiveness of the mid-period Selmers, but with that focused balls-forward cut of the later Selmers. Well, the downtuned Costas tune Paulus played says it all. Drop the E and attack the strings and it's still solid as a fist with all its cut intact and yet retains its subtleties. OK, so that's not so impressive... until you learn that the damned thing was at 2.5mm... Downtuned & strung low and it still projects like that? Insane.

Heretic

Bob:

That's all good about the Selmer, makes me think that this will be a great trade - but I'll hang tough. If someone wants a great Gitane DG-300, they'll have to come up with the goods.

Michael Bauer

Bob, how did you know I have a weakness for Broadcasters/Nocasters? It sounds like Heretic is going to hold tough and make me up the ante. I'm just not sure what else I have that would merit a monster DG-300. So what will it take, Heretic?

And Bob, thank you for the kind comments about 862. You even have me doubting my decision. Selmer 862 should be a lesson to anyone who judges a vintage guitar too quickly. It was not a good guitar when I got it, and I can't begin to tell you how many times people asks, "You paid HOW MUCH for that thing?" But there was something there that I believed in (call me Desert Pete), and after four years of work by such luminaries as Rodrigo Shopis and Geoff Benge, it kept getting better with every tweak. Then, it just moved up several notches and became, if not great, at least damned good.

I think the emotional attachment to this guitar is the toughest thing for me to get past. I've brought other guitars back from various stages of horribleness, but the Selmer was the biggest (and priciest) leap of faith. Some vintage guitars may be dogs, but Selmer 862 proves that what may seem not so good at first can become great if the basic structure is sound. Hopefully, at least to those who heard it get better and better each year, it can inspire others to rescue some of these great old guitars and bring them back to life.

Jazzaferri

If the box has good bones, from then on imo its all tuneup/setup