New Gallato-I took the plunge!!!

campfire

I probably should have posted this under my original post: "Question?", but what the ****!
I went ahead and ordered a Gallato from **** of Dell 'Arte today. I really appreciate all the feedback I received from you guys, it made a hard decision easier. Special thanks to Troy and especially Ted.

Now, the wait. I'm also having Grover tuners and a Schatten pickup installed, so it will be a while before I get it. I play a lot of gigs in different environments, so I will be glad to post a review (hopefully objective) on the guitar, and especially the pickup when I have used it a few times, if anyone is interested. The pickup is a brand new prototype, made JUST for the Selmer/Mac, not the one shown on Schatten's website now. He says it retains the same great, natural acoustic properties as the (old) one, but has a higher resistance to feedback, because it's split in 2 and mounted differently. I'm very excited!!!

Larry

langleydjango

Hi Larry,

I just want to make clear that- if you love your Gallato it was all my doing...and if you hate it, it's completely Ted's fault!

Seriously, I think you'll love the neck and tone. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts- positive or negative.

troy

drolling

It's like being a kid on Christmas eve again.
A question about the pickup; I love single coil tone but often have a problem with the 60 cycle noise. If the pickup is split, will one half be reverse wound-reverse polarity for a 'humbucking' effect?

campfire

drolling,

No. It isn't a "wound" magnetic pickup like a single coil or a humbucker. It works on a totally different principal. You'll have to ask someone more knowledgeable than me how it works. I just plug it in and pray. (I mean play.)

Larry

Jack

campfire wrote:

I'm also having Grover tuners and a Schatten pickup installed, so it will be a while before I get it. I play a lot of gigs in different environments, so I will be glad to post a review (hopefully objective) on the guitar, and especially the pickup when I have used it a few times, if anyone is interested. The pickup is a brand new prototype, made JUST for the Selmer/Mac, not the one shown on Schatten's website now.
Larry

Larry,

Both of these are listed as New on the site; is one of them yours? The HFN-CS (I'm guessing it's for Classical/Selmer) seems like it might be the one? I know Michael Collins has been using the Schattens in his guitars as well, and he loves them. I wonder if yours is the same...

http://www.schattendesign.com/HFN-CS-Artist.htm
http://www.schattendesign.com/HFN-Artist.htm

Let us know!
Jack.

campfire

Jack,

Actually, mine is neither. Les has JUST redesigned the HFN-CS Artist (the one for classical and Selmer/Mac guitars, not the one for steel stringed guitars) and he sent me the prototype which I just received today. It differs from the HFN-CS Artist in that he got rid of the four rosewood "feet", and split it into two separate pieces to be mounted on the side braces on either side of the bridge, inside the guitar. Apparently it still sounds just as natural, but is much more feedback resistant this way. The HFN-CS Artist will still be available for classical and Selmer/Mac's if you want it, but I think this new version will be his standard S/M pickup in the near future. All versions are available either passive or active. I hope this is not too confusing! BTW, Jack. Have you locked in all the details on your Collins guitar, yet? Let us know.

Larry

Jack

Sadly, my car went belly up the exact day I was set to put in the call to Mike. Really belly up. But I just got a good deal on another, so I'm hoping to make it work still-the Collins, not the car. I'm sure if I can make it happen you'll all be hearing more than you'd want!

Best,
Jack.

campfire

Jack,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you play a Gitane "D" hole by Saiga, right? Well, I played one for the first time yesterday, and I was astounded! It was one of the best sounding, best playing guitars I've ever played. The workmanship was very nice. I've played a LOT of Selmer and Mac type guitars, especially when I was at Samois last June, and this guitar was better than most I've played. The owner said he bought it on Ebay for $500. Did he just get lucky, or are they all this good? I must confess, I thought they were just cheap, inferior guitars. I was wrong. My jaw is still dragging the ground. I want one. Just proves the old saying: "Never judge a Mac by it's price"!!! You could do a lot worse, and spend a lot more money, from my experience. Good luck with your car!

Larry

Jack

Hi, Larry.

I do have a D-hole Gitane-it was my first 'gypsy' guitar (I got it in May 2003 for $450). I later got a DG-250 which I ended up selling because the neck was too thin for me; after that I wound up getting an Ace Selmer style:
http://www.videos-events.com/ace/

That's the one I play most of the time, but I still go back to the D-hole on occasion, and I'm always surprised at how much I like it. It's definitely got it's own sound, and complements longer-scale instruments pretty nicely. I think the model I have differs a bit from some of the newer ones-specifically in the finish. All the other ones I've seen recently have a real glossy finish, while mine is a very subdued matte, and less orangey than most. For the money, it makes a great instrument to have on hand for long trips and the like. Go ahead and get one; we'll understand!

Best,
Jack.

Phil

Larry:

I hope you will love your gallato-I've had mine just over a year, it is the twin sister to Troy's and it keeps sounding better and better.

enjoy!

Phil

Josh Hegg

Congrats on the Gallato! That is a great guitar. I just got my new guitar as well. The reason I'm posting it here is because I wanted to make a note about the neck. The guitar I just got is a Patenotte 256. Not nearly in the range of the Gallato but one of the similarities is the neck. It's not exactly like the Gallato neck but close. I really like it allot and the guitar is a huge step up from my Saga DG-250M. The Patenotte does not have the finish work that the 250M has but it has the sound and it plays like butter. The only thing I really didn't like about it was the bridge set up it came with. The bridge is all one piece not 3 like a traditional gypsy mustache bridge. This is good for setting the intonation but it is impossible to set the hight with shims. I put a Dupont on and with the new action (about 4mm at the 12th) the thing sings. For the money I would tell any one to get this instrument as a step up from the Saga or as a great first buy. The Patenotte is hand made and while not the best looking it plays like a dream. So if you like a bigger neck and the gypsy sound but don't have the money to spend on a Gallato look into the Patenotte 256. I got mine from Jacques at gypsyguitars.com for a great deal. Check them out on the site.