Are the dell'arte guitars that are made in the USA made in a factory or team of luthiers, or a one man shop?
The Hommage model seems to get pretty decent praise any other models that are generally held in high regard? I played a Pigalle that seemed nice for the brief period I played it.
Just exploring some options as I ponder my next gypsy guitar.
Comments
Swang on,
I absolutely love my Dell Arte. It was an upgrade from Gitane D500. After 1.5 years of owning it and trying quite a few other guitars I still think it was very good value for the money. The neck is super easy, the tone is quite nicely balanced, and it has character in its timbre. Two main downsides are: 1) It's not on the louder end, and 2) it's a bit wet compared to more popular petit bouche guitars (wetness is actually a positive for my occasional finger-style playing).
Now about Asian made Dell Artes: They have decent sound no doubt. Way way better than the Gitane 500 - the main thing that bothered me about the Gitane was the overtones that kept ringing with dissonance, and that problem doesn't seem to exist with the Asian Dell Artes. But compared to my US made one their tone is definitely a step down. Hard to put this in words, but they just sound more boring. The necks were a bit more difficult too, perhaps even more so than the Gitane, although I'm sure one could get used to that. But they are both noticeably louder than my guitar (and have more treble). I think their build quality is better than the Gitane too.
All this being said, there are some Gitane and Altamira models that sound much nicer than my old Gitane 500 and I'm not sure how they compare with Asian Dell Artes...
You may like to check this Craigslist ad… great $
Dell Arte gypsy jazz guitar - rare prototype - $1400
http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/msg/4439700155.html
Wish I was around Portland I'd be checking that baby out especially with a custom bridge made by Josh Hegg
After two weeks of a TONERITE treatment my 2005 D A Hommage is incredible.
Tonerite…
http://www.amazon.com/ToneRite®-TR-GR03-ToneRite-for-Guitar/dp/B004BA83ZO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398693231&sr=8-1&keywords=tonerite
pick on
pickitjohn :peace: