Help me pick an AJL: 503 vs Gypsy Fire

kimmo

dennis wrote:

the gypsy fire that AJL lent me (that i'll have to bring back at samois sniff) is absolutely KILLER, i love it...

i've had a 503 too but man the gypsy fire was simply amazing... if you're into the favino sound, this is it ... even teddy g who owns a few favinos agrees

I played that guitar in in Finland and Samois in the summer 2008, and that's one great instrument. It just felt and sounded amazing right away. For me one of the absolute high points of Samois 2008 was seeing up close Steeve Laffont, Yourgui Loeffler, Criss Campion and Andreas Öberg jamming at the AJL-stand. Yourgui played that D-hole Gypsy Fire, and after he said it's the best guitar in Samois.

And yet, I now have a brand new AJL 503 XO and I couldn't be happier. My decision was based on practical reasons. I wanted a more "selmerish" sound, because the lower middle frequenzy-range is already quite stuffed in my band where there's also an electric archtop and an accordion.

dennis wrote:

I used a 503 for technique improv DVD., and a jazz model for my rhythm guitar DVD.... I personally prefer the jazz model, it has a little bit more presence (it bites a bit more)... but you know these are personal preferences...

you should just be as clear as possible as to what your expectations are (what kind of sound you like, how you like the neck to feel, etc...)...

Exactly, it's what YOU want that matters. If you want to cut through with the brightest treble, get Model Jazz. If you want deep bass, get Gypsy Fire. In between, get 503.