Guitar Recommendation?

Mitu

I love my guitar, I've had it for my whole musical career, which is not as long, only two years. Of course, no matter how much I love my guitar, It's not going to magically transform into a better instrument, I'm willing to admit that my guitar is no where near what an actual gypsy jazz guitar would be like, it's stubborn, made by an inexperienced luthier based of a plastic model as briefly discussed in the past in other posts, but it's got character.

Anyhow! As I mentioned before, I am quite new to playing gypsy jazz and I'm rather leaning towards doing rhythm guitar although I definitely wouldn't mind doing lead guitar too, I find the improvisation side of gypsy jazz more enticing with each arpeggio and scale I learn . As of late I got the chance to actually play a proper gypsy jazz guitar, it was an oval whole Selmer, I don't remember the exact model but compared to what I've been playing for the last two years? An immense change! The tension, the way the bridge was set, the everything was better and it felt so much more natural to play.

I also want to make gypsy jazz more than a hobby, maybe a side gig someday, if that has any impact on the matter.

Thanks😁

voutoreenie

As of late I got the chance to actually play a proper gypsy jazz guitar, it was an oval whole Selmer, I don't remember the exact model but compared to what I've been playing for the last two years? An immense change! The tension, the way the bridge was set, the everything was better and it felt so much more natural to play.

Nah I totally feel you on that - I remember when I got my Dupont and playing it was like some new world had opened in comparison to the Gitane DG-250M I had played on for the first 4-5 years in this style. A decent instrument not only helps in building fundamentals and proper technique but it can also add a bit more confidence in playing as well, or at least it did for me.

MikeK

To me, it's all about inspiration. Find an instrument that inspires you and watch the magic unfold.

Russell Letson

While you really can play any style on just about any guitar, for any given style there's still an optimal guitar design. So it's worth seeking out a Selmer-style (though for rhythm work, it's a bit less crucial). And I've found that hands/ears-on experience is the best way to find "your" instrument. There are dealers (one of whom is our host here) who work with players to identify candidates and have a reasonable return policy, but that's not quite the same as being able to sit with a guitar for a while--or, better yet, play one or more possibilities. But that is a bit of a luxury with niche-y items like GJ guitars.

I don't know how hard it might be to find dealers or builders in your part of Romania, but I think it's worth the time and trouble to do some exploring.

Buco

Look for Risto Ivanovski guitars in Skopje, Macedonia.

Chiefbigeasy

It’s funny, as I have progressed through this style of music, I have worked my way through several guitars. I finally ended up spending good money on three guitars, but I was never satisfied with the volume of the petite bouche I owned, for example, and ended up selling it. My longest tenure with a guitar has been my Dupont MDC50 grande bouche. Yet, when I purchased the JVC chorus style guitar I also now own, the lower timbre of the chorus style construction really attracted me. It made all other Selmer and Maccaferri style guitars sound thin to me.

I can still get good lead work out of it, especially moving closer to the bridge to get that nice shimmering high note sound. But the low growl this JVC gives me for rhythm playing is unmatched in any other guitar I’ve played.