Altamira m01 or gitane dg250m

Feruza2134

Altamira m01 or gitane dg250m? what is the better choice in your opinion for lead guitar?
Thanks!

vanmalmsteen

Try the Gitane 250m first. The One that I had years ago, had almost an electric guitar neck on it, very thin .

Feruza2134

I have played on a Gitane dg250m, i really liked it but a lot of people are saying altamira is better

rgrice

I had a Gitane DG 250M and it's an ok starter. Nice thin neck as mentioned. Lots of folks would suggest Altimira or even the Ciganos over that one tho.

jeffmatz

This guitar just got mentioned in another thread--but if you want a thin, "electric" feeling neck, the Gitane Lulo Reinhardt (the steel string oval hole model) has a very thin profile, very fast neck.

ChrisMartin

The same old questions keep coming up and as I always say you have to try for yourself to decide.
One player's preference will be criticised by another in favour of another brand; this debate always goes that way.
For myself, I have a Gitane DG250M and have been pleasantly surprised by the volume and tone, but despite being made in large numbers, it seems the factory mass produced brands like Gitane and Altamira are not consistently all the same according to the many previous posts about this subject.
So although I like my Gitane, I would never recommend someone buys one on my recommendation, try one yes, but part with cash for one untried?
No.
Unfortunately everyone has an opinion and many come on here to voice theirs without seriously considering the consequences for the enquirer.

Or, on the other hand, if you subscribe to my belief (see another recent post) that most of the sound produced comes from the player's fingers, NOT the guitar, then go with whatever looks good to you and get playing and ignore the label on the headstock.

stuology

I used to have the 250m. It's fine as a lead guitar - and importantly, looks fantastic as well. I don't think there is a better looking budget gypsy guitar. I've never played an Altamira that I liked, but I've heard they have to be set up properly and are rubbish out of the box, so that might be something worth considering. I agree with Chris that it's always best to play a guitar first - these kind of questions can be a bit like asking whether a Strat or a Les Paul is better. There's no right answer. But I appreciate that with these guitars trying is not always an option. Let me put it this way: I've never met an owner of either of these guitars who was unhappy with it. You will get the Django tone you are after out of both of them.

rgrice

If I were you, and not in a tremendous hurry, I might be tempted to wait a month and try out an Eastman. I have an AR610 and know lots of people with other models, from flat tops to archtops and even mandos, and unanimously, they love their instruments.

guitarnowski

I have a DG250 I bought used almost some years ago that I have always been pleased with. Gypsy jazz is only one type of music I play (and it gets short-changed due to lack of playing partners these days, among other excuses) but, speaking as a guy who is primarily an electric player, I found the neck super comfortable and fast right off the bat. And yeah, it looks pretty sweet too!

jcaznap1218

I got my Altamira m01 used about a year ago and I really like it. That being said, I think some earlier posters are correct about the varying quality of the mass produced guitars. I either got lucky and snagged a good one, or they just need significant break-in time.

Depending on your budget though, I would probably follow rgrice's advice and wait for the Eastman model. I've never had a bad experience with their instruments.

DeuxDoigts_Tonnerre

I have an Altamira M30D (bought new 6 years ago from Michael) and a Gitane dg250m (bought used from big box store) which I have had for less than a year.

To me, the Altamira neck is way more comfortable than the 250m, even with the Altamira action set up relatively high. Gitane has a very thin neck and low action but feels a bit "stiff" on it compared to the Altamira. Gitane scale length is 680mm compared to Altamira 670mm.

Soundwise, the Altamira is much drier and snappier and has nice "bark" to it. The tone on the Gitane is wetter and possibly a little smoother, more subdued, has a little more bass.

Both guitars are plenty loud, with the Altamira being a good bit more responsive.

I will disclose that the Gitane I got used, and whoever owned it previously happened to glue the bridge to the top using some kind of goo like Gorrilla Snot or something. It is probably dampening some of the response.

Currently, I play the Altamira about 98% of the time, and the Gitane about 2% of the time. The Altamira just feels easier to play, and I am finally starting to get sounds that I like out of it. Could be that it is finally breaking-in after 6 years of occasional playing, or could be that I have been playing the Altamira pretty much exclusively for the past 8 months.