Looking for reviews of Castelluccia budget guitar

Metro

Hello All!
Could you tell me, what guitar playing Dorado Schmitt in J’Attendrai on concert Bireli Lagrene & Friends - Live Jazz A Vienne.
Or maybe you tell me, what style of this guitar? ie, is it Favino style or Selmer style?

P.S. Sorry for my no good english

Johan

I think he has an old thing nobody knows who made it or when it is from. Dont know the size.

frater

It's a Castelluccia, 1950s... 8)

Metro

frater, thank you!

Who makes these guitars, now?
Can I find a drawings of construction this guitar?

Joli Gadjo

I thought it was a Busato, are you sure ?

frater

Castelluccia's atelier is still in Paris. Here's a D hole in the style of the one used by Dorado:

http://www.castelluccia.fr/home.php?pg= ... id_prod=9#

They also have a budget line called Giambattista:

http://www.castelluccia.fr/home.php?pg= ... &id_prod=8

Nice guitars, big gypsy tone but not so easy to play.

P.S.
I'm pretty sure it was a Castelluccia... but you never know!

Metro

frater, what do you mean 'not so easy to play'? What no good in this budget guitar?

frater

I was referring to Castelluccia's guitars in general. They are not famous for fast necks and low actions... plus generally a Castelluccia tends to have a less piercing sound than, say, a Dupont... They have a more "classical" tone so to say, which is good in many ways (to play Django's improvisations for example) but takes more muscles and sweat to cut through in a jam...

Bob Holo

Yep, it's an old Castelluccia.

Metro

frater, Thanks a lot!

I not want to copy topics, and I want to listen reviews about Castelluccia budget line.
Maybe someone has this guitar and ready to share reviews about it

lgenoni

I am really happy with my castelluccia model swing.
At the beginning I wanted a tears model, but then I liked the sound of my actual guitar more.

After almost 9 months, using it at less 2 hours per day, the sound has improved a lot and I feel it will still improve. With argies 10 the sound is really the classical gypsy sound, really clear, and I switch the strings after 20/25 days.

On the other side I don't like the sound I get argies 11, to my ear, using argies 11, after ten days something is wrong. Of course this is just my own taste.


I have to add that I made some expreiment at the beginning with other strings to understand which I liked best, but with galli OV1 (well, with almost every kind of silk&strings) i fell the sound become more complex, not what I was loocking for.

To give an example, I bought my swing in march 2009, this guy, bought his castelluccia in teh same month (from the neck I see, and the color of the top, it should be a gypsy or a swing model like mine; in my experience the swing model has more volume ad a little more proiection).
see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m40To7KEB9Q (he should be using argies 10, if I see right in HQ)


Mister castelluccia is very kind and, if you go to his attelier or if you will phone him, will explain you all the differences beetwen each model.

About the neck, well, at the beginning it was a little hard, but it is just a matter of getting used to it.
I think it is quite fast (not the fasted one I ever used, of course). In the reality at the atellier I saw castelluccia guitar can have a two different necks. from gypsy model to tears model the neck is an exact replica of the selmer one, (at less that is wat Mister castelluccia said).

From the sweet chorus model towards to top range ones the neck is different, a little easier and faster. Mister castelluccia said the this other neck is more "modern" (I translate his word).
I suppose you could ask him to change your neck if you wish...

On all the model I tried the action was about 3.5 mm on the low e (i could fir the 3.5 wegen picks exactly under the low e), a little less than 3 on the high e.

During this year the action on my guitar never changed.

Anyway, none forbits to change the bridge if you want a lower action (sometimes I do, when I alm a little tired).

I hope this is usefull.