Review: Manouche Modele Orchestre 12-Fret D-Hole

loumt123

where can you buy a manouche? I've been saving for a little while and might purchase soon (it's tough not giving in when you want to play so badly!)

Are there any internet stores that carry them?

Edit: Nevermind, found them on the manouche site...just wasn't on manouche north america. I thought these guitars were supposed to be around 1 grand....I'm seeing a solid 2 grand price here

Klezmorim

loumt123 wrote:

where can you buy a manouche? I've been saving for a little while and might purchase soon (it's tough not giving in when you want to play so badly!)

Are there any internet stores that carry them?

Edit: Nevermind, found them on the manouche site...just wasn't on manouche north america. I thought these guitars were supposed to be around 1 grand....I'm seeing a solid 2 grand price here

Try:
http://www.manouchenorthamerica.com if you're in the States

or:
http://www.manouche-guitars.com if you are in Europe

-k

Edit: Sorry, you beat me to the "Submit" button! Glad you found 'em.

loumt123

I'm just a tad dissapointed they are so expensive (at least for a college student)

Klezmorim

loumt123 wrote:

I'm just a tad dissapointed they are so expensive (at least for a college student)

<Sigh> I feel your pain. I was fortunate and found this guitar on Ebay -- just as I did my AJL. Both had fairly low reserves and I got lucky (price-wise) each time.

It's always that old trade-off between quality versus price. You can go much cheaper with a Saga or Cigano, but... let's just say I've read plenty of for-sale ads that say something like 'I've had this [cheap brand] guitar for a year and am selling it to buy a [better brand].'

Save your pennies... do odd jobs... busk in the street or subway... get the Manouche and you'll be happy. Save a LOT more and buy a vintage Favino or Dupont and you'll be happier. Buy a ciga-...r-box guitar and you'll be less than happy.

My first new guitar was a Silvertone my mother paid for at Sears. All $20 worth. It had the action of a Dobro and the tone of a fence-post. I can't remember how I disposed of it 10 years later, but I made certain I'd never see or HEAR it again. In the interim, I bought my friend's Sekova knock-off of a Martin for $50 and sold it for the same amount a few years later. And then I rescued a 1950s Kay arch-top from a luthier friend who was going to harvest its "organs." Then a cheapo Brazillian classical...

You get the idea. I think, for most of us, owning a decent instrument is as much a journey as it is a transaction.

Enjoy *your* journey!

BluesBop Harry

Just my two cents,
If I were you I'd save for a Dupont MD 100, they can be had for less than $2500 and they are the real deal. You'll have a guitar that you can keep for the rest of your life, handmade in Dupont's shop in Cognac, France.
Just look at the classifieds...How often do Dupont owners part with their guitars??

Michael Bauer

A used Manouche is a great bargain, in my opinion. They can be had for about $1200 (plus or minus $150, depending on quality and degree of set-up), and you'll likely never lose when you resell it to move up to a hand-made guitar. I now have a pretty terrific Favino, and I am not going to tell you that either of my Manouches has as as refined a sound, but I find myself still playing them both alot. I just had a set-up and fret job on my Modele Jazz, and it now plays easier than any gypsy guitar I have ever tried. Enrique is right about Duponts, but I can honestly say a Manouche will keep you happy until you can afford a Dupont, or other high-end gypsy guitar, and you will likely recoup what you paid when you resell it.
With the dollar dropping and likely continuing to drop, used gypsy guitars are going to be highly sought after.

Elliot

Then after you've traded it for a Dupont you will miss it terribly, and the opportunity you had to cut your teeth reviewing the Red-Headed stepchild of the GJ world as so many have done before you. I guess that's why it is orangey in color! Look around here - you won't find a review of a Dupont anywhere except a single thread where someone had to try and drag a review out of somebody. What good would it do one to review a guitar that's beyond reproach????

Klezmorim

Elliot wrote:

...you won't find a single review of a Dupont anywhere except a single thread where....

I wish someone *would* write a review of Favinos, Duponts, et al. It would be nice to read unbiased, detailed critiques of the top-line hand-made instruments. What makes a Favino sound like a Favino? What's so great about a Dupont? And what happened to the quality of this brand in recent years?

How about some side-by-side comparisons written by the folks who've had hands-on experience with a variety of makes. (Michael? Josh? I know you guys are busy, but feel free to jump in here.)

Give us a breakdown on what *is* a "Favino sound" or a "Selmer sound." Who are building today's best Selmacs?

Throw us a bone, here!

MichaelHorowitz

Hi...I've written quite a bit about Duponts, Favinos, Busatos, etc on this site. All are fantastic instruments and in general I've found you get what you pay for with guitars. The vintage ones and the high end European makers like Favino and Dupont are hard to beat. Although, the Cigano GJ-10 is one hell of a guitar for under $400. So I guess in that case you get more then you pay for!

But for max volume, tone, and playability Duponts, Favinos, and ALD are the best I've found for new guitars. Some of the Asian makes like Manouche and Saga have gotten quite good over the years. Some are pretty loud and have some decent tone too...but usually there's always some sort of Achilles heel. Usually there's some elements of playability, tone, and volume that just don't match the top makes. But still good for the $. Especially the Cigano and the new Saga DG-340s,320, and 330.

Anyway, search the forum a bit and you'll see lots of comments from me and other on these guitars.

'm

Stringswinger

OK guys,

I own an excellent Dupont, an amazing Favino, a very good Shelly Park and a very good Gitane. I have owned two Dell Artes and a Michael Dunn. My bandmate, Jack Fields has a Manouche D hole (he was an endorser for a time) and I have played two other Manouche guitars (oval holes) the last time I was in Paris. I have played about 6 Selmers, about 6 Favinos and a Busato.

First off, I want to associate myself with Blues Bop Harrys' remarks above. If money is an object, save your pennies until you find a Dupont you can afford. IMO only 4 makers have "the sound": Selmer, Busato, Favino and Dupont. The rest are...different. Michael Dunn, Shelly Park and Bernie Lehman all build wonderful guitars, but they do not have that "Gypsy guitar" sound that we all look for (and like with all acoustic instrument makers, some are good a few are great and a few are lousy). Gitanes are great for the money (if you get a good one, and I have found that they sound better with a "proper" bridge) Ditto re Ciganos. Manouche guitars are overpriced IMO (sorry Barry W., honesty is always my policy). Collins and Dell Arte do not nail the sound either (though I have played some excellent Dell Artes that come close). Bob Holo's guitars are still evolving. Other euro makers (Castelluchia, Delie, De Mauro etc.) make some cool guitars, but it comes down to this. Once you get past the price point of a Gitane, the next logical move should be to buy a lower priced Dupont.

Unless you like the characteristics of the other makers. If you like the warm tone and slim neck profile of a Shelly Park, buy a Park. If you like the neo classical feel of a Dunn, buy a Dunn. If you want a traditional Selmer guitar sound but can't afford a Selmer (who can?) buy a Dupont. If you want the projection of a Selmer with more bass response, buy a Favino. Busatos have gotten too expensive for players. Who wants to take a guitar worth over $10,000 to a gig?

I know some of you guys love your Manouche guitars. That's great! If you can find happiness with a sub $2,000 guitar, you are lucky. I haven't heard one yet that I think is better than a Gitane. Why anyone would spend the extra money is beyond me?

Are all Duponts great? No. They make some duds and from what I have seen, their recent production (since 2000) has been somewhat uneven.
But as a brand, they will get you from Gitane (a good, but not the best sound) to where you need (or want) to go.

I am not an endorser of Dupont (or any other guitar) so what you get is my unbiased opinion. FWIW but remember, YMMV.

Cheers,

Marc

www.hotclubpacific.com