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Well might be looking for something else
quinng
Miamisburg Ohio New Altimira M01, dell arte basic 503
So I recently got the 503 basic, amazing transaction and great service, had a extra bridge made, shipping and case included , took days two get to me couldn't be more thrilled with it at the time, but after playing it all day, I'm just not jiving with it that much the neck feels to beefy for me(compared to my altimira) and there's quite a bit of overtones on the higher strings between the 7-12 fret on the high strings that I can get to go away with any kind of muting material behind the bridge.
It's very distracting and some of the overtones are almost louder than the note played. I'm gonna give it another week and take it to my local tech and see what he can do, maybe just needs adjusted for the weather here, or gian is nice enough to let me return it.
I realize I have not gotten a chance to play a ton of different GJ style guitars this and my Altimira are it, and I've also come to realize as I'm getting much better at this style , I also really just enjoy playing it for myself and playing at a couple local spots for fun, id prefer just the playability over pure authentic GJ tone. So I'm maybe considering going for a altimira m30 as I've grown to be very acustom to my current one, the neck profile is what seals the deal for me it, it just feels like butter to play and can't put it down.
Are their some other guitars I should check out that have the same neck as the Altimiras.
Thanks for everyone's patience and input with me, I'm beyond grateful for all the knowledge.
Comments
Sorry it didn't work out. Hopefully you can find something that you like.
Bummer, sorry to hear that. Buying unplayed is tough, I do it a lot. I'm about 50/50 on keepers(probably less)
I had an Altamira, didn't love it, got this Altamira D Hole & definitely prefer it but dry sounding it ain't, maybe that's why I like it. It's a little brash sounding, a little less of that I wouldn't mind. There's a few M30s at Gruhn's that I'm tempted to try to see what the difference is. Good luck!
Well I'm still gonna give it another week or so attempt to make it work cause I'm still new to all this and don't wanna make hasty decisions with out having another opinion on it , the guys at work who have never played one before really like and think it sounds amazing so that means something, Maybe I just need more time to adjust to the neck profile and get the action set a little lower like my other one..yeah I've searched around Ohio and outside and there's nothing close to me I'm pretty sure unless I drive 8-10 hours.
How new are the strings? New strings on a new high quality guitar will produce a lot of overtones. They'll usually mellow out over time on most guitars as the strings and the guitar itself break in. With GJ guitars, technique also plays a big role in how apparent the overtones are. "Authentic" sounding high quality GJ guitars can definitely throw people for a loop though, they're very different sounding especially when playing solo.
I had an Altamira and always felt like it played and sounded more like a hybrid instrument... not exactly a GJ sound but still different from any other type of acoustic guitar. I can see how that type of sound would be more attractive to some players than a strictly authentic GJ tone.
@JasonS yeah I definitely play other kinds of music on the Altimira and lends itself very well to my originals and covers. I can definitely tell this one is more geared to traditional GJ which is fine , it has some kind of 11s in it they're not Argentines maybe that's part of the issue
@quinng Does the 503 have more a "D" profile neck compared to the soft "C" of an Altimira? If so, I would def play it for a good month or so to see if you can get used to playing on it before moving on - if it's causing too much tension while playing, try the best you can to relax your left hand a bit more because even "chunkier/beefier" necks shouldn't be causing any cramping or pain. Also, throw on some Argentine 11s and although there will still be overtones, see if they die down after a good 5-7 days of playing - I personally find this happens with new strings on all my Django axes regardless of make/model/price point and the "sweet spot" with new strings is usually after a good 4-6+ hours of playing on them, at least in my experience.
Maybe I’m a slow learner but it took me years to appreciate these guitars for their intended purpose. Sold some and got a chance to play them later and they were better than I remembered.
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IMO the necks on most Altamira's I've played have been too thin for me, almost like a neck for some transitioning from an electric guitar. Some players like those necks, but I like a big fat neck on my Selmacs. I think those fat necks really contribute to the tone of some of my favorite guitars.
I've never had a M01 but the neck on my M10 compares very favorably with the neck profile on my Dupont Busato and Park Encore (Park is probably thinner than the Altimira tbh). By far the thinnest neck I've ever played on is the first GJ guitar I ever owned, a Gitane DG-250M, which is like an electric neck; honestly, I wouldn't recommend that guitar to anyone besides from complete beginners and imo the super thin "shredder" neck actually becomes a hinderance for developing rest stroke technique over the long term.
@voutoreenie interesting why is that?