Flat Top Blasphemy

lindydanny

I figured here would be the best place to get some input into a little bit of my personal dilemma with having a guitar "collection". I'm fresh into the gypsy jazz technique and I've been working hard on learning jazz guitar (swing mostly). So far, I'm just a student, albeit a very well educated student.

My dilemma comes from having only enough space for a couple (may three tops) guitars.

Let me explain that I play a lot in settings such as bluegrass, gospel, folk, and rock. Because of this, its pretty much a necessity that I have an dreadnought style acoustic. Recently, I traded my only dreadnought it on another archtop (two now) that is acoustic. It isn't getting along with other guitars in some of the groups I play in too well so I've got my sights setting on getting another flat top.

So, I'm wondering if it makes sense to buy something like a D-hole gypsy guitar instead of a dreadnought for my acoustic work seeing as I really want to expand myself into the gypsy world. How do they sound playing folk and rock? Will I be fighting the thing for tone or will it all work out?

~DB

Jim Kaznosky

I played on a Martin D-15 for close to a year before buying a lower end GJ guitar. The Martin was fine for learning and fine for playing chords at gigs. I took the initial plunge about a year and a half ago and am going deeper down the rabbit hole at some point soon. I would suggest waiting it out to see if the fever hits you hard. If you have one available locally either through a store or a local player, give it a whirl. Personally, I wouldn't play a GJ guitar at one of my non GJ gigs. I tested it out with my songwriter friend playing his Blueridge and the Martin just meshed much better.

Just my two cents.

redblues

I regularly use a D-hole for non GJ music (Irish Trad, blues etc) I used to lug a Martin dreadnought around, until i started using a soft dunlop pick, which done the job nicely, don't even bring the Martin anymore. Pretty sure this would not be the case with an oval hole though.

One thing though, a d-hole will do for other styles but a dreadnought will not do for GJ.

Good luck in your dilemma.

HotTinRoof

RB - good info to have, thanks for the post. I've been curious about D-holes and the ability to play other music. Eimers mentions this on his webpage.

frater

If you play amplified I would consider buying a Variax Acoustic 700. Now, THIS is Blasphemy!

P.S.
These guitars are very cheap today, I bought one and I'm having a ball with it because I play in every possible style you can conceive. And yet... no, the Maccaferri preset doesn't sound nearly like my Eimers!

Steveareno

I reckon GJ sounds pretty darn good on archtops. Seems to work for Rocky Gresset, Ninine Garcia and Birelli. Had a couple D size Martins (good for bluegrass and country), but the first time I played a SelMac style guitar (about 5 years ago) I thought: so THIS is what it's all about. I finally realised what I had been missing for so long. 8)
Swang on,

Jeff Moore

I've never played a long scale D hole that sounded like a dread, but the short scale ones will get you closer. The string length is almost the same but these Selmacs mostly don't do a lot of the harmonic ringing thing with open chords that I associate with dreads. Selmacs are all ladder braced!

I own and love several short scale D hole Selmacs. None of them match my Dupont VR for amazing and very characterish sound, but there's still some relationship.
A Short Scale D, like the Cigano will match any Dread for volume and surpass any dread I've had the chance to play for punch. But I believe that you trade harmonics for punch. If you have a lot of one, you lose some of the other. The best Selmacs are dry (less harmonics). The D hole Selmacs have more.

Net net, is try a short scale D, if you can, and I recommend Saga D=500, or Cigano.
Good Luck

Bohemian

Here's an option
with traditional or modern bracing

http://www.lehmannstrings.com/guitars_gypsy-eclipse.htm


Have a listen to some of the sound clips on Michael Dunn's website...he seems to do"alternative" music quite well with GJ guitars.

The duo ,SEPHORA, recorded their first GJ CD using Martin dreadnoughts.