dg255:low action with mag pickup?

swing75

I'm about to have my first ever selmac guitar arrive shortly - a dg255 from Djangobooks. A friend recently bought the same model from here, it has a 4mm action (measured from 12th fret) and what I assume are the stock Gitane 11 gauge strings.

I love the guitar, which is why I ordered one - however the current string height combined with 11's are too much for my left hand, given that I've had mild issues with tendonitis in the past.

I assume I will probably opt for 10's and a lowish action of 2.5/3mm - I really want a stimer type pickup but am concerned I won't have enough string clearance, also I read here that the fingerboard of Gitane's are lower to the body than other gypsy guitars.

The mag pickups I'm interested in are the Peche a la Mouche and the ALD tone, and am open to other suggestions. The krivo has a slim profile, but I'm really wanting more of an electric tone like the Stimer - though it's still a possibility.

Any opinions? much appreciated

swing75

Thanks for the reply Stuart - I think when I said 4mm high action, that was from the fingerboard to the bottom of the string - I've since realised I should've measured from the top of the fret upwards - my mistake.

The slim neck of the dg255 is preferable to me, as really chunky necks I find a bit uncomfortable. Lots of people say the opposite, so I guess it's personal preference like everything. I haven't played many selmac guitars, but I played an Angelo DeBarre Gallato model and the neck felt a bit too chunky for my liking. I'm used to sleeker archtop necks I guess.

As for doing a set-up, I've got a local luthier who I'm extremely happy with, who has done great work for me in the past - a real perfectionist. I'll be able to go back and forth making small adjustments if need be, learning in the process. He's particularly good with a varied range of acoustic instruments as opposed to someone who primarily works on solid-bodies and flat-tops.

I'm also really interested in the new Guzz pickup that's being developed - I just emailed Jorge Guzman and he said the Series II will be 6.6mm thick requiring a string clearance of approx. 8-10mm depending on the guitar of course. Price is around 280 Euro. It 6.6mm thin for a Stimer type? or is that around the average?