New style, new guitar but what..

Panos

Hello there,
i am new to GJ and to this forum also, so hello everybody!
i'd like some help for new gear that i want to buy from Michael..

I am quite used to electric guitar that i am playing for years blues with my favorite strat. As i got mature with guitar and music i only want to play GJ since the varieties it has just make me happy and its all i need

so my question is in a $1000 budget i am aiming to a Saga DG-340 Wrembel model, is it good choice? About playability mostly because i a m used to my superfast and easy strat. as far as i read here the guitar has quite good sound a bit mellow and wet that i think i dont mind much, since i like Stephane's sound.. Does it need a custom bridge from Josh and fret leveling as the other Gitanes? And also what kind of strings are better?10's or 11's?
I want to have my new guitar for many years as living here is expensive and such luxuries i can get every 10 years :?

sorry for many questions and words and for bad english :oops:
I hope for answer
Thanks in advance!
Panos

MichaelHorowitz

Hi Panos,

The DG-340 is the best guitar under $1000. The DG-330, Dg-320, and now the newer DG-300 are also just as good.

To play and sound their best, the Sagas all need a lot of setup work. We recommend a pro setup, custom bridge, and a fret level. Those mods will dramatically improve the sound and playability of the guitar. They tend to be pretty rough out of the box so this will help a lot.

Thanks!

-Michael

sidneystreet

Hey Michael, what is this "newer DG-300" you referenced in your previous post? Have they changed/upgraded the model?

Thanks for any info.

MichaelHorowitz

sidneystreet wrote:

Hey Michael, what is this "newer DG-300" you referenced in your previous post? Have they changed/upgraded the model?

Thanks for any info.

We've noticed that they have introduced some of the improvements from the newer models....more neck angle and a better top arch. The old DG-300 had a pretty straight neck and a flatter top. Tended to be a bit bass heavy....the newer ones are bit more traditional sounding. Brighter and drier....

'm

Panos

Thanks a lot Michael for the quick answer!
So you suggest that the guitars are pretty much good for the $.
So now i think i am between dg-340 and the dg-330 which is very pretty and as i read in the forum well made and good sound!
Still one question about the strings, i prefer 11s, is it not a problem for the guitar, no tension problems?

Thanks again!

MichaelHorowitz

Panos wrote:

Still one question about the strings, i prefer 11s, is it not a problem for the guitar, no tension problems?

We usually string these guitars with 11s...no problem.

'm

Panos

hello again!

i bought finally the DG-340 Wrembel model, from Michael with a special set up and its here now.
I have to say that its much better than i expected! Playability is great, like most more expensive acoustic guitars, and the sound is just as i wanted it to be : crunchy but also quite wet, probably due to slight arch of the guitar.
and i am sure that as i develop my technique i will find more nice things to like:)

thanks Michael and Josh

PS. I love the dot-less fretboard

klaatu

Michael Horowitz wrote:

We usually string these guitars with 11s...no problem.

'm

Interesting, Michael. Conventional wisdom says long scale gets 10s, short scale 11s. You're saying you find the 11s work fine with the long scale?

djangology

Interesting, Michael. Conventional wisdom says long scale gets 10s, short scale 11s. You're saying you find the 11s work fine with the long scale?

I would say I hardly notice the difference between .10s and .11s . I use .11s because I figure they might not break as easy. No other reason than that. I don't think twice when I pick up a pack of gypsy jazz strings. The only thing that I require in strings is loop-end.

MichaelHorowitz

Interesting, Michael. Conventional wisdom says long scale gets 10s, short scale 11s. You're saying you find the 11s work fine with the long scale?

Depends on the guitar...Duponts are great with 11s. They are THE most playable guitars out there. You can get the action very low and string it with 11s and it sounds so good and plays like butter.

With most of the Asian stuff you have to compromise sound for playability, or vice versa.

Most older guitars, like Selmers, Favinos, Busatos, etc are best with 10 gauge strings because they like higher action. But sometimes 11s will work...like with Stochelo's Selmer (but he's using Silk and Steel which is very low tension).

So they answer is, it just depends!

klaatu

Thanks, Michael. My main guitar is a Dell'Arte short scale 14 fret D hole, on which I use 11s. The secondary is a Manouche oval hole. I may just try 11s on that and see how it works. It probably depends as much on the player as it does on the guitar (I'm guessing). If I find 11s to work on the oval, it would certainly make string buying a lot simpler!