Best way to try a lot of Gypsy jazz guitars in one place?

ebertius · August 31

I'm about a year into my jazz manouche journey and am loving every minute!

I've gotten myself started on a Saga Gitane DG-255 and like it a lot. Turns out I’m heading to Paris next month and want to take advantage of the pilgrimage!

I understand Guitare Village is the biggest guitar shop in the vicinity, but it’s pretty far outside the city. Within Paris, it seems Castelluccia and Casanova are worth visiting. Anything else? It would be great to try out a range of Duponts - where does one go?

Here in the U.S. - is the best way to educate myself about different builders to attend Django festivals? I’m in California — is DjangoFest Northwest the best on the West Coast?

Buco · August 31

It sounds like you're already aware of most of it but here's past topic on the subject with the address for a DuPont showroom (if it's still in the same place)

https://djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/13923/paris-gypsy-guitar-shops

Fly and visit Michael in Seattle if you can afford it. That's on my bucket list. Festivals are great to see, hear and try a lot. DFNW is the biggest on the West Coast. Django in June on the East Coast. Several other smaller ones. Not a lot of luthiers come to these, but you just ask people to try their guitars. Lot of luthiers do come to Samois festival and set up shops. There's a shop in LA area that we don't mention here for business competing reason but easily searched.

Cheers

pdg · August 31

I'd go to Guitare Village, even if it's an hour outside Paris.

wim · August 31

Oh, you should definitely still go to Guitare Village. It's not that far, really, probably less than an hour from Gare du Nord.

axel · September 1

Took me 2h to get to guitar village the first time. I could spend 3/4h playing Gypsy ones. Since most of them are hand made you at least need that to get an idea of this or that guitar sound, find what you like..

Can't recommend enough. Otherwise some players have different ones but really not the same scale..

lucky · September 1

The best way is to go to a festival and jam with people. Never presume - but most players are happy to let you try their guitar and a lot of guitar swapping takes place in jams. Playing guitars in a shop is never really the same - although if you are in Paris you absolutely should visit all the guitar shops.

In terms of your journey the 255 is an excellent guitar to start with. Unless money is no object, I wouldn’t rush into buying your next guitar. They are expensive - and not easy to sell on - so I would wait until you know more about yourself as a player before committing to an expensive guitar.

My best advice - don’t get sucked in by the hype. They’re all good, and none of them will make you a better player. Buy local if you can - find the nearest experienced luthier, then you can develop a relationship with them and you will be able to get the guitar maintained, setup and maybe even sold on as time goes by.

Good luck - savour the journey’

billyshakes · September 2

and none of them will make you a better player.

I think this is probably the most important thing to hear. It's not the gear...its just the time spent practicing.

Russell Letson · September 2

On the other hand, a guitar that speaks to you provides an incentive to play more, which is one path to playing better.

But on the main question: My most extensive exposure to GJ guitars came in the years I was at DFNW. I don't know what the dealer room looks like these days, but in the years I was attending (early 2000s), I got to play instruments by Shelley Park, Michael Dunn, Bernie Lehmann, John Kinnaird, and whatever our host here had brought--as well as hearing the whole range of guitars played by other attendees and performers close-up. If I were in the market (instead of already in possession of a Dunn and a Park), I'd try to arrange my travel to include a visit to Djangobooks in Seattle. Though if I were visiting Paris anyway, I'd certainly explore around there.

Buco · September 2

It's kinda fun to get sucked into the hype if you can afford it though, lol

I always bought a guitar that told me to take it home. Not my Ivanovski, which was made for me, but it was one of his guitars that I played which told me "you want one of us for yourself". This approach isn't easy given the overall scarcity of these guitars compared to everything else but some of these trips you're planning might have something waiting for you.

pdg · September 2

Although the "finest" guitar is not the main thing for learning, a good "medium" setup is definitely a help in learning to play well in the style. The action, neck relief, and maybe the zero fret height, should probably all be set up to a middle ground between super-fast technical playing and super-high macho. (Bob Holo has a youtube video on that.)

Trying out different guitars, they'll all have different setups, not to mention neck shapes. Not to mention different humidity on different days, etc.

paulmcevoy75 · September 2

I'd go to visit Michael. I don't know, it was a long time ago but Guitar Village I found a lot of the guitars were poorly adjusted and in need of repair.

Casanova's is a cool experience.

In my mind though, for actually playing, having a guitar that's perfectly adjusted beats provenance 8 times out of 10.

Not having been there, I imagine Michael has a lot of well adjusted guitars.