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Whatever you buy, you may eventually sell. So it's good to keep that financial factor in mind, if you want to enjoy the adventure of owning a succession of guitars as your taste and playing style develop.
Maybe this might be useful, perhaps in another thread? I don't know that in my life I'll ever be acquiring more than one guitar, and may not be wanting to buy and sell guitars with any regularity. Those who know so many of these - agree it's not useful to "rank" these guitars - anymore than food, or wine, or art, or anything with such a close connection to one's sensibilities.
Might it not however be useful, if such a thing exists, to discuss a sort of "house" character, either of a luthier's approach and philosophy, or if making several models, each with totally different character, to discuss some general attributes?
It may be no different with this than with assigning "numbers" - a dozen may say "warm, rich, mild overtones..." and an equal dozen may say "bright, very punchy, steely, austere, dry as sandpaper...."
So I don't know. For people more or less stranded and may not have the chance to try out a dozen guitars, would something like this be useful, or a hard no?
pas encore, j'erre toujours.
I have owned many Gypsy guitars and presently own two, a Dupont and a Shelley Park. I have owned a Favino, a Dunn, another Shelley Park, two US made Dell Artes, two other Duponts and several Gitanes. I have played dozens of others, including a few genuine Selmers.
Here are my thoughts:
Gypsy guitars are hard to sell as there is a small audience for them. It is NOT like selling a Fender, Martin or Gibson to be sure.
Gypsy guitars vary quite a bit, even from the same maker, so buying sight unseen without a return policy is risky.
Some Gypsy guitars have slim necks, some thick necks, some neck profiles are a "C" profile, some a "D" profile and some are downright square (Think 2X4).
Some Gypsy guitars sound like a vintage Selmer (Duponts come pretty close IMO)
Some Gypsy guitars have a "crossover" sound (Good for other types of music than a slavish imitation of Django)
Some Gypsy guitars are pretty harsh, some are not loud enough for a true acoustic experience and some will need a LOT of luthier attention to play well.
I do not think you will go wrong with a Holo, Dupont or Park if those maker's characteristics appeal to you. IMO, buying from a well respected dealer like Michael Horowitz or **** is probably the best bet for most buyers of a high end Gypsy guitar. Michael has a wide selection on this site. Happy hunting!
Passacaglia,
I’m not a “high level player” but I love my Shopis also. I would call it more “crossover” sound than vintage Selmer.
Hello Everyone,
One of my patrons pointed me to this thread and I'd thought I'd reply to come of the comments.
My videos are always way too long so I understand people have not watched the complete video but I do explain why there are no really big name brands on the list. I counted the mark for "price/quality relationship" twice, which basically means no big name brands could ever make the list. I did that on purpose because I think the law of diminishing returns is important to consider when buying a guitar.
The difference in quality between a 1000 dollar and 2500 dollar guitar is probably huge, but the difference between 2500 and 4000 is much harder to detect and let's not get started about the difference between 4000 and everything above!
Thanks Mandocat for that. Do you mean the darker, warmer tone, not so steely on the high ranges?
I'm wondering if in my mind I'm reaching back to a sort of classic "house" character to Favinos, Selmers, Busatos. I think I'll start another thread so as not to hijack this one more (sorry all).
pas encore, j'erre toujours.
@Hemert thanks for the clarification.
I counted the mark for "price/quality relationship" twice, which basically means no big name brands could ever make the list. I did that on purpose because I think the law of diminishing returns is important to consider when buying a guitar.
I should point out there are models produced by some of the iconic makers that fall well within your criteria.
For example, the Dupont Nomade has been our best selling instrument in the sub $3K range for over a decade. For just $2300, it has the classic, dry crisp sound and easy playability of the Maurice’s flagship models for less. The value is really evident when you compare it to some of the pricier Asian made instruments which inevitably have a much wetter and harsher tone:
Dupont also makes several models in the $3-$4K range such as the MD100 and MD60 which are a great value.
Jean Barault’s Studio Model similarly provides the tone and feel of a flagship model for around $3K:
A couple of people have pointed out that this is like not like buying a normal guitar (from Martin, Gibson, Fender) where there is a clear bell curve of production on each guitar/year . . Its much, much more individual, and to me something you know when you hear/feel play them. Lots of the makers here are amazing builders who are nice people, and make great instruments. I love my Vladimir Muzique guitar - and knew as soon as I sat down with it . . however - I've played amazing Shopis, Holo, Shelly, Barault and Marins, Cyril Gaffiero and Jerome Duffell and owned a great Craig B guitar as well a rather unique and good Dell Arte.
Get someplace where you can hear and try a whole bucketload of gypsy guitars before you make the investment unless you are willing to buy; sell; and trade a few guitars around while you decide. If you Need something right away - call a great vendor who is super knowledgeable about these guitars and talk for a little while (Michael for sure is a great phone call - he's seen it all!). Reference your favorite players too . . One final note, every single interaction I've had with all of these luthiers has left me with positive vibes. All of them seem super nice.
Good luck!
@Hemert thanks for posting. I had totally forgot you made those videos. (Oct 2018). Probably worth a re-watch by everyone, including myself. :-)
My dream guitar is a Shopis I've seen (in video only, sadly) played by Amati Schmitt.
For what it's worth; the older top-10 video being discussed lists Selmer, Holo (twice), Hahl, Busato, AJL, and Marin among other of the more usual suspects.