D500 volume

Bachelorno2

I've been playing with a Gitane D500 for a while now and am absolutely happy with guitar. However, when I started jamming in groups I found that I could barely be heard when playing with other people! One band mate was playing with a mapel gitane and the other was playing with dreadnought. I think that my rhythm playing was quite projected with a nice tone, when it came to soloing I was just drowned out.

I've considered that perhaps it's my technique, I've been rest picking for a while now and am always getting stronger. When I had a go on my friends mapel gitane, it sounded quite alot harsher in tone, capable of cutting through the rhythm playing. So is it my guitar that is quiet or my technique? Any help would be much appreciated

frater

I think it's more a problem of tone than volume. The D 500 has a very mellow, classical guitar tone that hardly cuts through in a jam. Of course right hand's technique also plays an important role in final volume too...

Josh Hegg

I have owned a D-500 and have friends that own D-500s and they are not low volume instruments by any means. Also I would argue the point made that " The D 500 has a very mellow, classical guitar tone that hardly cuts through in a jam". If any thing the D-500 tends to be over bearing in jams because of the amount of volume particularly in rhythm.

Before I go on let me say that I'm not a huge D-500 fan. So don't think I'm advocating the tone of these instruments 100%. That being said I think for the price point and playability the tone is really pretty good. They are a great first GJ guitar and I would suggest them to any one wanting to get into this style as a good first step. Once you get to the point where your ear and skill pass it up move on to a higher quality instrument.

One thing to keep in mind is that what you hear as the player is not what is heard in front of the guitar. So just because you don't hear yourself playing as loud as your jam buddies is because the projection is going forward not up to your ear. Also tell your buds to back off a bit. People tend to play way to loud in jams. The rhythm should be at about 30% of full obtainable volume so the lead player can play with some feeling. Not just belting every note out as loud as possible.

If you are still not happy with your sound you might want to work with your action set up. Where is your action now? If it is too low your volume will be hampered.

Cheers,
Josh

frater

Josh Hegg wrote:

I have owned a D-500 and have friends that own D-500s and they are not low volume instruments by any means.

Right, that's precisely why I was suggesting the issue in that particular jam might have been with tone. I own both the D 500 and the 250 M, they're both loud instruments (especially the latter).

P.S.

I really don't look at the D 500s just as "entry" GJ guitars, if not for the fact they're so affordable!

Josh Hegg

frater said:
"I really don't look at the D 500s just as "entry" GJ guitars, if not for the fact they're so affordable!"

I'm not sure what you mean.
Entry level is relative. I have seen Angelo play a saga body Pigalle on stage. That is a low level guitar in the world of GJ. It sounded great because he was playing it... well... the way he plays. However I do think that the D-500 is a good guitar but does not have a true GJ tone be it loud or not. It is a good guitar to learn on and like I said before when it's time to move up then you move up. In the mean time play the hell out of it.

frater

What is a "saga body Pigalle"? You mean a "Dell' Arte Pigalle"? Or the old Saga equipped with an humbucker Angelo uses as a "combat guitar"?

drolling

frater wrote:

What is a "saga body Pigalle"? You mean a "Dell' Arte Pigalle"? Or the old Saga equipped with an humbucker Angelo uses as a "combat guitar"?

Guys like Angelo can make anything sound good. When I saw him, he was playing a Gallato, but I believe his "guitare de guerrre" was a stock Saga Gitane fitted w/a p-up.

The Dell'Arte Pigalles have been thru' a couple of design changes, but the early one I played at the 12th Fret in Toronto was a Saga 250 body w/a Dell'Arte neck and upgraded hardware..

Josh Hegg

Yes the first round of Pigalle guitars were a Saga body with a Dell Arte neck. It was a DG-255 for the most part with a Dell Arte neck and $1400 rather then $699

Bachelorno2

Thanks for the input fellas. As for the question on the action set up, I had played around with it in the past and actually prefer quite a low action, around 2.5mm at the 12th fret. I think that my jamming buddies play rhythm a little too loud, but I think that I should consider myself not hearing the guitar projecting, as mentioned, it projects outwards! And as always, I'm always working on my picking.
It's cool that Angelo is mentioned because I think he's one of my favourite players out there, he could make a box with strings sing!

frater

I've seen some pics of Debarre with an old Saga (pre Gitane, I mean), with modified hardware, completely tinted (even over the rosette!) and equipped with a big humbucking pickup... a scary beast!

As volume goes, please remember the Maccaferri design is all about it. What he was after was a LOUD guitar: he certainly didn't devise the internal resonator because it was a cute box!

frater

Maybe Angelo is playing the Pigalle you're talking about here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... re&pl=true

Or it's a Gallato? The video's quality is not that good...


Scaring performance anyway: Debarre is simply a master.