Serge Gallato

DRUNKNOMORE

I believe these guitars are made in Paris .? Serge Gallato

I see some good deals going about on some of these models ,inc" debarre's signature D hole ..

Are these guitars a good step up from the asian copy's? I am told they have a dry crisp tone and are fairly smooth to play .

Many thanks

DNM) David

klaatu

I have an Angelo Debarre RS1939 oval hole, purchased from Norman Ort at gypsyguitar.de. I think it's a very good guitar for the money. Not a Dupont, by any means, but very well constructed and with an excellent dry tone. Serge states that every part of the guitar is produced in Europe and that he has two shops building them, one in France and one in Spain. I've heard of a rumor that some of the components may be produced in Asia at the same plant that builds the Dell'Arte Latcho Droms, but I have no way of confirming or denying that. Either way, I suspect it is not entirely hand built, but you don't get hand built for those kind of prices.

Mine has opened up nicely in the six months I've had it, and should continue to do so for some time. Two professionals checked it over at Django in June this year and were very impressed by it, both said it just needed a few years of playing time to be a fine guitar.

If you decide to get one and you're not located in the EU, ask the seller to reduce the price by the amount of the VAT, which you should not have to pay. Otherwise, you'll have to go through a bunch of paperwork to get it refunded.

It does have a rather beefy neck, similar to Selmers (it's supposed to be a pretty close replica of Serge's Selmer 452), which may not be comfortable to everyone. It includes a very cool "grafted" headstock. Also, be aware that the tailpiece only accepts loop end strings, not ball end.

The action on mine was very low when it arrived. Fortunately, Norman threw in an extra, higher bridge.

There are several posts on Gallatos in the forum. Do a search on Gallato and see what comes up.

DRUNKNOMORE

Hi .

You have taken great patience to explain the facts to me as you see them and i sincerely appreciate that ..Thankyou.!


Can you please explain what you mean by the guitar will mature with age ?
I have come across these expression's before but have never understood it.

I have seen one or two Gallato's for sale on ebay ,and it seems one may get a good deal.?

Michael has given me good advice regards guitars and asian copy's (i own one) .They are noisy( echo and ringing )where the body meets the neck. They sit high here making good articulation very difficult .
I would like to stay clear of asian guitars .I may just take advice and buy from Djangobooks.

Thankyou for your help

DNM)David

klaatu

DRUNKNOMORE wrote:

Hi .

You have taken great patience to explain the facts to me as you see them and i sincerely appreciate that ..Thankyou.!

You're very welcome.

DRUNKNOMORE wrote:

Can you please explain what you mean by the guitar will mature with age ?
I have come across these expression's before but have never understood it.

I can't give a very technical explanation, but instruments will definitely improve over time IF they are played. When brand new, they are quite "tight" and the sound is often characterized as "choked." Playing seems to loosen things up and allow the instrument to resonate more freely. Just aging without being played won't do it. I have heard things about the wood fibers somehow getting aligned with playing, but I don't know whether there is anything to that or not. There are people on the forum who can answer this better than I.

DRUNKNOMORE wrote:

I would like to stay clear of asian guitars .I may just take advice and buy from Djangobooks.

They are excellent "starter" guitars, but once you've had one, there is not much point in getting another.

Where do you live? I'm considering selling my Gallato, not because there's anything wrong with it, but I recently bought two high-end guitars (a Bob Holo and a Dupont)and don't really need to have a third gypsy guitar laying around unplayed, not to mention that I'm now broke.

JazzDawg

I did some research on these guitars a while back, when I thought our annual bonuses were still going to be given out. The RS1939 is made in France, but the entry level model 'Django' is Asian built. So, it really depends on the model. I've seen both offerred on Ebay by an individual who acts as a rep in the U.S., and I asked him about it, and found these references, as well.

See these sites:
RS1939
http://www.classical-guitars-plus.co.uk/productfamily.php/family__3507__Acoustic+France+Gallato+RS+1939+Oval+Soundhole+Angelo+DeBarre+Maccaferri+Jazz+Guitar

Django Model
http://www.classical-guitars-plus.co.uk ... azz+Guitar

I'm sending PM Klaatu - gort barata niktu!

klaatu

JD -

Got your PM, will respond later, as I have to go out to a band practice.

Thanks for those links. One leads to acousticfrance.fr, which is the Web site for Gallato. I found that months ago, failed to bookmark it, and then could not find it again.

I agree, I think the 1939 is built in France & Spain and the cheaper Asian import is what clouds the question in some people's mind. Whatever, I personally think it's a very good guitar for the price. I finally began to understand what a "dry" sound is after living with the Gallato for a while. No, it's not a Dupont, but then it doesn't cost $4000+, either.

DRUNKNOMORE

Hi Klaatu & Jazzdawg.

Great input ,thank's. I have looked at the link provided and must say that for the price the 1939 debbarre is outstanding value....this could be the one .?

Klattu.thanks for the offer of purchase but it looks like Jazzdawg beat me to it .
I must say shipping from novascotia to aberdeenshire scotland would cost an arm and a leg so good luck Jazzdawg.

can i just ask ? on you tube there is a video of debarre playing le gitane is this the Gallato1939 he plays it on?

DNM) David



I

JazzDawg

Hey, don't let my pm stop you from checking with Klaatu. He's not really offered yet as I know, I'm just asking about it. Just interested in knowing more.

klaatu

I'm just now getting around to PM'ing JD, so we certainly don't have a deal going yet. However, as you say, with shipping costs to Scotland and whatever duties/taxes you have to pay, it may be more attractive to you to get one from Europe.

bluetrain

klaatu wrote:

It does have a rather beefy neck, similar to Selmers (it's supposed to be a pretty close replica of Serge's Selmer 452), which may not be comfortable to everyone. It includes a very cool "grafted" headstock. Also, be aware that the tailpiece only accepts loop end strings, not ball end.

The action on mine was very low when it arrived. Fortunately, Norman threw in an extra, higher bridge.

I got myself an Gallato RS-1939 in summer and it accepts ball end strings also! It is a fine guitar but I have to say that mine took and still takes a lot to set it up properly. Action was way too low which made the original bridge useless. The neck had too much bending also and after straightening it needed fret leveling and higher bridge. Nice guitar anyway! I wonder how it would sound if the thick lacquer were removed and replaced with a french polishing or something similar..

DRUNKNOMORE

I decided to bite the bullet and go for one of these machines (RS1939)
I got the contact from you jazzdawg after looking at your classic guitars link ,
The guy selling the guitars sounded a decent chap but said he sends this guitar out needing set up .
he tells me he has only sold 3 in a year but has had excellent feedback from the 3 new owners with no complaints .

Bluetrain ,you mentioned the neck bending ..is this just a case of tightening the truss rod.
also if the action is too low is this a case of just raising the bridge with a piece of card or something of this nature ,

Is setting up a half decent guitar a difficult job ...?
Are their any details available to follow for a starter to achieve this with relative ease ..?
Sorry to be a pain in the ass'.

DNM)David