Gitane 250-m

DRUNKNOMORE

Hi all ..

Some clarafication here would be a great help please

I own a Gitane 250-m guitar
I bought this guitar some 10 or so months ago.

It plays with good tone and some impressive volume as well .but the action up the fret is rather high and i am getting a lot of extra unwanted echoes from other strings alongside (i am not hitting these strings .The guitar plays lovely lower down the frets ..but higher up it,s awful .

Question) is this happening because my guitar is not an expensive guitar ? (£500.00 stirling)
Do you get this ringing from more expensive guitars ? and is there anything i can do to lower the action on this guitar
Is this ringing caused unwittingly by my lack of playing experience and ability?

I would be interested to hear from any other gitane guitar owners if you'r out there.
Forgive my lack of knowledge .i do not know.

Kindest and thanks


DNM.David

MichaelHorowitz

Your are experiencing two of the big flaws you find in lower grade instruments:

1) Ringing or "wetness" is pretty much ubiquitous on the Asian guitars. The 200 series Gitanes are probably the worst. The Ciganos and the 300 series Gitanes are better, but still have some of it. The nicer European stuff like Favino, Dupont, Hahl, etc is much drier and cleaner without all the overtone ringing and echo.

2) Playability problems are also a big issue with the Asian stuff. If you spend a lot of $ on setup you can fix some of the neck, fret, and bridge issues but even then I've never seen an Asian guitar with the ultra smooth playability of the higher grade instruments.

The Sagas are still great for the money, but they certainly have some issues.

'm

DRUNKNOMORE

Thankyou Michael..

That sorts that problem out .I thought the issue's concerning the guitar was more than me to blame .


I am now looking for a much better quality instrument .any idea's Michael ? all advice welcome .


Many thanks

DAVID

MichaelHorowitz

[quote="DRUNKNOMORE"]


I am now looking for a much better quality instrument .any idea's Michael ? all advice welcome .
[/quote]

As I mentined above the Ciganos or the 300 series Gitanes will be somehwta better. The next step up would be this:

Manouche
Latcho Drom OR-130 Oval Hole, SOLID Indian Rosewood back and sides, 14
Fret Guitar (Asian made for Dell'Arte)

The Latcho Droms are sort of the "miracle guitar"...they have the dry crisp sound of a Dupont but for a lot less $.

If you can spend over $3K then a Dupont is the obvious choice. The MD-100s are $3K and go up from there depending on woods, etc.

'm

Ricardo

There is a lot of variance in sound quality even on higher end guitars. I used to have a 250m which was great - a friend sold a handmade and bought it off me. I upgraded to a Manouche modele jazz which I've been impressed with- they retail at about £1200 now. I am looking to buy a handmade in Paris at some point, but would certainly keep the Manouche.

Heretic

I guess I was lucky. My DG-250M maple, and my DG-300 John Jorgenson guitars sound and play brilliantly after modifying the bridges for weight reduction and increased height. I often think about how good they are.
But, there are lots of good guitars out there, and half the fun is trying new ones.

DRUNKNOMORE

I guess i was one of the unlucky ones .?

I will say though ,my wife bought me a guild gypsy guitar when i first started to play some 4 years ago, it cost £200 and apart from being short of volume it plays smoother and easier than the 250-m .The neck is a little thick but i have started to play it again ...even use it as my first guitar in college .


I will look for something else and seriously look at the gypsy machine michael has suggested .

DNM) David

DRUNKNOMORE

Serge Gallato models


What are these guitars like .


Regards.

DNM)DAVID

frater

I have an old 250 M (n°702) and is an outstanding guitar. Don't ask me why, I don't know: it just got better and better with time and playing: sometimes this happens with maple (even laminated maple!) Recently my luthier (who is the official Dupont's importer in Italy) did a little setting on it and was really amazed by the way it sounds and plays... and the guy is usually all against Gitanes.

Tele295

DRUNKNOMORE wrote:

I will say though ,my wife bought me a guild gypsy guitar when i first started to play some 4 years ago, it cost £200 and apart from being short of volume it plays smoother and easier than the 250-m .The neck is a little thick but i have started to play it again ...even use it as my first guitar in college .

I didn't know Guild made gypsy guitars! I'd love to see a picture if you have one

ViejoVato

I have to chime in her for the Gitanes .. I got a 250 mahogony about 6 years ago. Sight unseen, it had some of the usual problems people have already shared; i.e. the frets were not level, some actually came out, the action was too high, etc. I spent a few bucks and got the action right, the frets leveled etc.but it still was just a decent guitar, until I had a DjangoFest out here in the Southwest about 4 years ago and micael collins the Canadian Luthier came out to demo some of his guitars. He did a workshop to show how to build your own bridge. He used my gitane and replaced the painted some-kind-of-wood bridge with a nicely made rosewood one. The difference was remarkable.

I eventually had michael build me a Favino style guitar. My actual guitar appears on the front and back cover of his book on building a Selmer. It is a beautiful instrument.

As the years go by the gitane just seems to get better or as my friend Tom mitchell yelled out at a recent jam, "damn, that thing is obnoxiously loud, it's good"

and as much as I love michael's guitar, it is the gitane I pick up every day. I won't even travel with it anymore 'cause I don't thing I could replace it ... so the $3K Collins goes traveling and the $500 Gitane stays safely at home.... to each his own ...

cheers and Latcho drom ...

miller