Should I buy a Cigano?

Ultraspontane

I was passing by a local music store the other day, and I went into their acoustic room, and I saw a Cigano GJ-0 hanging on the wall!

I was very excited to see it there. I've never even touched a gypsy guitar before. I picked it up, and played one note with just my thumb, and I was so surprised at how much pop that note had. The sound filled the whole room and put a big grin on my face.

The workmanship looked pretty decent, the only flaw that I found was that I could see glue around where the fretboard where it meets the top. It sounded really nice, and seemed to play really well. I was impressed.

I've been trying to learn gypsy swing on a regular steel string flat top guitar, and I was really shocked at how much more the Cigano projects than a flat top guitar.

There is one thing that has made me think twice about buying it, and that is the strings. I've heard that silver plated gypsy strings do not last long. The winding starts to come apart rather quickly. Is this true? I play rather hard and practice a lot, so I fear that I will burn through strings like butter and I can't really afford to buy a set of string every week.

Is there a brand of gypsy strings that sound good and also last a decent amount of time? Right now I play on bronze phosphors, and I can get two months out of them before the winding starts to break.

Thanks!

Jazzaferri

I use both Argentines and Galli's.

I prefer the sound of the Argentines on my guitar however both of them last me about a month and I average about 15 hrs a week. Usually the sound of the strings has faded enough that I want new ones. If I wasn't so lazy about string changes I would change them once a week.

I have broken a G string a few times but have never had the winding's come off.

rimm

Michael sells G strings on here so I would say it would be good to order maybe 10 extra-that with 5 packs of strings gets me through a year

Tele295

Ciganos are nice, but I'd go for a Cigano GJ10 over the GJ0. There is only a $33 difference through Djangobooks ($297 vs. $330), but the GJ10 has a solid top, where the GJ0 is plywood. The 10 projects more than the 0, and as it seasons will sound better. Plywood tops do not tend to season and mature with age.

I'd take a Cigano GJ0 over a Cordoba, though. My local store has both, and the Cigano is light years ahead of the Cordoba.

Argentine strings do make a world of difference over the GHS strings that come stock on the Ciganos

frater

As a rule of thumb, whatever is cheap and put a big grin on your face, be it a guitar or a woman, grab it!

bigeric

I played my Cigano CJ 10 for a couple of years. I recently upgraded to a better guitar. So starting off I would recommend buying one. Strings last me easily for a month. I would say I play about 15 hours a week or so. I just gave my Cigano away to a friend who is just starting to play some Gypsy jazz.
Get some good Gypsy Jazz books and your in business. I would also advise keeping the guitar well humidified.
best of luck!

Ultraspontane

Thanks for all of the responses.

I would buy a GJ-10, but the GJ-0 is $349 at my local music store. And the GJ-10 is 330 + 60 dollars shipping through Djangobooks. I'm afraid the GJ-0 is all I can afford at the moment.

You say that the laminate top wont project well? They also had the Gitane Modele John Jorgenson for $1,300 and the GJ-0 was quite a bit louder and seemed to project more than the expensive Jorgenson model. The Jorgenson has a solid top for sure, right?

frater

Sure, the DG 300 has a solid top: definitely not the loudest Gitane around but IMO the truer to the original tonewise. Again, guitars are like individuals. If you have found a lucky laminated guitar who sounds great and is exactly in your price range, you can't go wrong buying it. I think a lot of people are speculating too much about buying or not buying a guitar they tried and loved...and I've seen so many of them regretting when the guitar is gone. Me, I've always decided in a matter of seconds after having found one who put "the big grin on my face". Well, now I own more than 30 guitars but that's another story...

pinkgary

You must have a very big grin by now..

frater

They call me the Joker...

Ultraspontane

So is there a consensus on decent priced, decent sounding, and durable gyspy strings?

What about these?

http://www.instrumentalley.com/Gitane-D ... dg-011.htm