Can anyone tell me about CSL "Gypsy" guitars?

steve slivka

I read that they were made by Mario himself is this true?

Are they good?

I just saw one in a shop near house (I'm not tellng where! yet..)

for a grand.

Is that a deal?

It was in rough shape but payed well.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Steve

lnb

They were made by Ibenez for summerfields in the u.k..... C.S.L stands for Charles Summerfield limited i think. anyway Mario helped out with design advice etc but did'nt actually make them, he signed some. $1000 seems a lot of money for a well used one., here in the U.K you can pick them up for about £700 ($1400) in near mint condition. Go buy a Saga instead it will sound better for a lot less money.

Josh Hegg

Get a Patenotte 256. The saga guitars really lack when it comes to the gypsy sound. They are more like a Taylor then a gypsy guitar. Really loud but don't have that mid rang punch like a good sounding gypsy guitar. I own both a saga and a patenotte so I'm not just guessing about this. Also the neck on the saga guitars is way, way to thin. www.gypsyguitars.com has the patenotte 256 for $900.00 wiht a really nice case that really fits. Way worth it. You will have to do some set up and a bridge change but you would have to do that with a saga as well. These guitars are the best deal for a real gypsy instrument. Patenotte had been building for a long time and make a great guitar. It is a working mans instrument built to play. No flash at all but plays and sounds like a vintage gypsy guitar and has a great tone. Jacques at gypsyguitars.com is great to work with and will help you with any questions about any guitar he sells. I can tell you from first hand experience that is not true about dealing with saga.

Cheers.

lnb

Sorry i do not agree, the Saga 250m i have is a fantastic guitar, in fact its better than the hand built guitar i have that cost 4 times the amount (shall be nameless) i would recommend them. Both John Jorgensen and Angelo Debarre have played Saga guitars.

Josh Hegg

Don't get me wrong. They look great and play well. To my ear they just don't have the sound. I played a Saga for years and still own one. Some people really like them and that is great. It just comes down to the sound for me.

Cheers

Jack

lnb wrote:

Sorry i do not agree, the Saga 250m i have is a fantastic guitar, in fact its better than the hand built guitar i have that cost 4 times the amount (shall be nameless) i would recommend them. Both John Jorgensen and Angelo Debarre have played Saga guitars.

It bears mentioning that neither Jorgensen nor Angelo play standard Gitanes...the Jorgensen model isn't the same as the 250 (and costs about twice as much), and the Saga Angelo plays isn't even from the same Saga, I think. If memory serves, his if from the older, Japan based Saga, not the Saga that produces today's Gitanes.

Josh Hegg wrote:

Don't get me wrong. They look great and play well. To my ear they just don't have the sound. I played a Saga for years and still own one. Some people really like them and that is great. It just comes down to the sound for me.

I still own one as well, an early D-500, and it's funny, but the sound doesn't kill me until I play it beside a good oval hole; then, it's a great complement as a rhythm guitar.

Best,
Jack.