How do you reduce the amount of bass from a D-Hole ?

constantine

I stumbled across a sick deal on a Gitane DG-320 so I bought it, what a great axe. The only complaint is that its pretty bass heavy. Is there a way to cut this down? Different bridge or other hardware, mods?

Thanks

Craig Bumgarner

I'd experiment w/ different strings and picks first.

Craig

djangology

i'd also recommend experimenting with your picking attack. i'd play your guitar for a few months (at least) before you decide to start modding it. you never know... you might decide you like it after a while. no need to jump into making a change that you might not have needed after all. i'm all for making changes but not until you have made sure that you are well acqainted with your broken instrument.

constantine

Great advice, I'm just not used to the sound yet thanks.

djangology

yeah, i usually really like the growly bass sound i get from my guitar. thats part of the reason why i like the bigtone+schertler combination, because it emphasizes the bass in my instrument for my rhythm playing.

in any case, it is an art in itself to be able to play the 5th and 6th strings correctly on a gypsy jazz guitar because people usually aren't used to the dynamics of a low-tension archtop. i suggest practicing chromatic runs/patterns over all the strings and it will give your picking hand practice.

Dr. Hall

I'm with Djangology on this one. Don't modify it yet. I love my DG-320 which is stock apart from some shims at the moment. It's a great rhythm guitar but has enough balls in the treble range to be heard on solos. I've noticed, however, that when recorded at a distance, or when I sit opposite of my friends and listen to them play it, the DG-320 doesn't sound as bassy. So, it could be that the d hole allows the player to hear more bass even if there's not that much more bass actually reaching the audience. Picking closer to the bridge also produces a much brighter and biting tone on my DG-320. And it has a huge sweet spot, so, as with most guitars, you can get a range of tones from warmer to brighter depending on where you pick. I've jacked the action up a bit with shims which increases the punchy attack and lessens the sustain and the bass somewhat. The action is about 3.5mm (a Wegen's thickness) at the 12th fret on the low E and 2.5mm on the high E. I have played several DG-500s, and my DG-320 at least is nowhere near as bassy as that model, probably because of the longer scale and higher tension. I use Galli V27 silk and steels usually (or D'Addario or Argentine 11s for even more volume on purely acoustic jams/gigs). I also have a Hommage oval hole which has a completely different tonal range, brighter, more mid-rangey, more banjo-like trebles. I like both guitars for their different qualities. Hope you settle in with the 320 and it pleases you in the long run.