DG-255- IS IT WORTH IT?

just the bassplayer

I purchased my Gitane D-hole D 500 about a year ago. I had never played gypsy guitar, and in fact had hardly touched a guitar in about 6 years. I was struck with its excellent construction, finishing, value and huge sound.

The guitar shop agreed to level the frets for part of the purchase price, as we both agreed this was reqired.

In order to avoid hearing anymore (presidential) political debates and nonsense, I set about purchasing videos and books to learn Django style music. The guitar proved to be splendid. I went through several types of strings until I settled on Argentine lights. I collected pick types and settled on the Wegen 350O, mostly. Over time, I obessed over the bridge height, first shimming it succesively, and then replacing it with a # 3 Dupont, sanded down to a height that I like.
I've owned many excellent instruments, and played many excellent acoustic guitars owned by friends. The D 500 holds its own, in my opinion. For the money, I consider it an excellent instrument on which to learn a new vocabulary of chords and Django technique, with a tone and volume that's akin to Gypsy recording artists.

Have any D-500 owners also owned, or played, the 255 model? What comparisions, and contrasts would you make? I'm intrigued by Jack's comments about his 250 being too loud. My hears ring after a session of practicing with my D 500. Are the necks the same contour and thickness?

valdae

A number of people have made comments about the volume of both the DG-255 and the D-500, among others. This pleases me greatly as I wondered how they faired with higher end Sel/Macs in this regard, say Dell Arte for example.

I live in New Orleans and a guitar store here, International Vintage Guitars, has a Selmer from the forties clocking in at 25k. It can be viewed at their site. That long necked woman of wood looks delicious, and is historical to boot.

In any case, I'm really enjoying this thread.

djangology

While I agree, wholeheartedly, about the evils of over-sustained chording, I don't think that was the trouble here (having never had trouble with the shorter scale D-hole, or any other guitar); it just seems to me that most of the Gitanes I've heard and played seem to have a natural volume to them that's really pronounced-they just sing out, and where really driving the rhythm on a Dell'Arte or something similar would be useful was far over the top on the Sagas. Just my ears, though.

I agree with you here Jack. They are louder than you would expect and when you actually play one for the first time, you are surprised, as I was. I have to say though that because of the higher bridge on my Dell Arte, I am able to hit the guitar harder and therefore it is ultimately louder. If I played with the same force that I do on my Dell Arte or Park guitar, it would turn the laminated top of a 255 into sawdust (regardless of whether or not I were able to raise up the action to the highest allowed on those guitars)...

i am planning to eventually get a DG-300 one of these days, so I hold a high regard to Gitanes.... they are definitely a good investment I think...

just the bassplayer

I agree with you here Jack. They are louder than you would expect and when you actually play one for the first time, you are surprised, as I was. I have to say though that because of the higher bridge on my Dell Arte, I am able to hit the guitar harder and therefore it is ultimately louder.

If I played with the same force that I do on my Dell Arte or Park guitar, it would turn the laminated top of a 255 into sawdust (regardless of whether or not I were able to raise up the action to the highest allowed on those guitars)...

Djangology, I believe that all of the Gitane gypsy guitars are solid spruce tops.

Bob Holo

Sorry - I didn't look back at this thread - you asked me for places to get shims. I've never really thought about buying shims - I make the ones I need - then I laminate them to the bottom of the bridge and clean it up / polish it etc.. so you can't see it's shimmed... but that's just me (a little retentive about this sort of thing)

If you're not a woodworker - I agree with the above post - go into a local woodworking store and look for the guy with the longest beard and explain to him what you need. IE, you need some 2mm thick, 1mm thick & 1/2mm thick rosewood or ebony shims - preferably from "turning" blocks. He'll know what you mean. Turning wood is typically aged better and waxed at the ends to keep it from absorbing too much moisture. It's called turning wood because people put it on a turning lathe and carve it - it has to be very stable to be turned properly; it's good wood. It shoudn't be that expensive - My guess is he can make shims for 4 or more guitars from one pen blank (blank designed to turn into an ornate pen)

Hope that helps.

zav

And one more question about Gitanes DG-2xx.

Is their nut width = 1 3/4 standard for Selmer guitars? Or 1 13/16 (as on Dell Arte´s) is a ¨right¨ width?

djadam

Bob, thanks so much for your response and providing the precise measurements for someone like me who doesn't work with wood - very helpful!!

zav

Hi, All!

So, I play on my DG-255 for about 2 weeks already.

I could not notice any problem with frets edges, but shure, there are some common problems:

- that stupied tailpiece bended (at the end) so much, that it almost touched the top of my guitar and produced a lot of terrible buzzzzz on some notes, so I had to put some small piece of the soft material between the tailpiece and the top of my guitar (notice, I still use bronze strings, so I don't know their gauge, I'll get Argentines only in few days);

- there are another sources of buzzzz, I don't uderstand exactly yet, where it come from - for example, I hear it when play D open. I guess, that the source of this kind of buzz could be in tuners, because when I damp them with my left hand, the buzz reduces...

So, just according go the 12-steps plan of Bob, I have to do something with tailpiece - I'll try to glue it or maybe gonna get a new one. ;-)))

Craig Bumgarner

Zav:

This sounds familiar. My Gitane 250 had a buzz that turned out to be a loose truss rod. The truss rod should fit snuggly in the slot in the neck otherwise it will sometimes buzz with the strings. The Gitanes seem to suffer in dry environments and one of the issues is the neck can shrink a bit and the slot opens up enough to permit the truss rod to rattle in the slot in resonance to the strings.

On my guitar, I could identify the truss rod as being the problem as follows:

Buzzing with open strings as well as certain notes especially around the harmonics (5th, 7th and 12th frets). Buzzing stops when I grabbed the tuning head or torqued the neck with my left hand. A distinct buzz when I rapped the back of the neck between the 7th and 12th frets with the heel of my hand. If I dampened the strings with your hand, I could clearly hear the truss rod rattling inside the neck. If you want to be really sure, take the strings off and rap the neck.

If you decide a loose truss rod is the problem, the solution if fairly simple. Drill out the 7th and 10th dot markers in the finger board. Drill down into the truss rod channel and inject a dab of silcon compound. What you are trying to do is dampen the vibration but not lock the truss rod in place solid. Install new dots and off you go. Don't overdo the silcon or you may not be able to use the truss rod again.

Saga in California did this job for me at no charge other than shipping to them ($15). Two week turn around. Alternatively, any good guitar shop can do this or if this is not feasible, this is not a job too difficult for a skilled amateur.

Hope this helps.

Craig

djangology

that is true....

I also have to take issue with this statement:

but the bridge you get from Gitane has too much crown in it

This simply isn't true. If anything, there is not enough crown. I don't know where psycho North Americans created the tradition to create bridges that arch over something similar to the blade of a knife. Your going to cut strings. It just wont work with gypsy jazz. My Dell Arte bridge is the most stable bridge I have ever had and, as you know, they have the beefiest crowns...

All the experimentation that you do is nearly a mute point. Thousands of people, over the course of 70 years have tried everything, and what we have now is a defacto standard for efficiency and reliability with gypsy jazz... a hundred years of your own guessing wont exceed that.