The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Yeah. So this thing looks like the ultimate combination of selmac, solid body electro-acoustic and Fender tele. But is it?

    Anyone had a go? There are none of these in london.

    Seem a little steep compared to the other Godin models like the multiac, A6 and so on.

    Multiac Gypsy Jazz Natural HG | Godin Guitars

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    The demo video... He didnt plug in into Marshall, why?

  4. #3

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    I can uderstand why it would be more expensive. There are a lot of very specialized specs. Not much there that can share over multiple models. The long scale length and wide spacing really appeal to me.

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    Yeah. So this thing looks like the ultimate combination of selmac, solid body electro-acoustic and Fender tele. But is it?

    Anyone had a go? There are none of these in london.

    Seem a little steep compared to the other Godin models like the multiac, A6 and so on.

    Multiac Gypsy Jazz Natural HG | Godin Guitars
    I had the opportunity to try a Godin Gypsy Jazz Multiac. It seemed very appealing to me because of the difficulty of amplifying a traditional Selmer-type guitar. I currently have a Dupont MD-50, which is a great/authentic Selmer replica, but I have never been totally satisfied with the various pickups and amplification systems that I have tried. I thought the Godin would be the answer for live gigs. I found it to be a very well made instrument with the right look and feel. The various pickups can be blended nicely to get endless combinations of acoustic and electric sounds. Having said that, I wasn’t convinced that it had the authentic sound of a Selmac. It was certainly close enough to be quite useable (and trouble-free) but it just sounded a little different to me. Unfortunately, the price was significantly more than other Godin Multiacs, which was a little disappointing. If it wasn’t so expensive, I probably would have bought it, but I decided to pass. There are a few threads about it on the forum at Djangobooks.com, including some insight from the guy who helped design it. In one of those threads, our fellow forum member, Stringswinger, convinced me to just hang in there with my Dupont. I’m glad I did, but I still think about that Godin every once-in-a-while.
    Keith

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by floatingpickup
    I had the opportunity to try a Godin Gypsy Jazz Multiac. It seemed very appealing to me because of the difficulty of amplifying a traditional Selmer-type guitar. I currently have a Dupont MD-50, which is a great/authentic Selmer replica, but I have never been totally satisfied with the various pickups and amplification systems that I have tried. I thought the Godin would be the answer for live gigs. I found it to be a very well made instrument with the right look and feel. The various pickups can be blended nicely to get endless combinations of acoustic and electric sounds. Having said that, I wasn’t convinced that it had the authentic sound of a Selmac. It was certainly close enough to be quite useable (and trouble-free) but it just sounded a little different to me. Unfortunately, the price was significantly more than other Godin Multiacs, which was a little disappointing. If it wasn’t so expensive, I probably would have bought it, but I decided to pass. There are a few threads about it on the forum at Djangobooks.com, including some insight from the guy who helped design it. In one of those threads, our fellow forum member, Stringswinger, convinced me to just hang in there with my Dupont. I’m glad I did, but I still think about that Godin every once-in-a-while.
    Keith
    How are you amplifying your DuPont?

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    How are you amplifying your DuPont?
    Christian:

    My Dupont has a Bigtone bridge pickup (piezo). I plug the guitar into an LR Baggs Venue (EQ and DI) to shape the tone and remove some of the brightness. For an amp, I use a Fishman Loudbox Mini.

    I am not crazy about the sound of a piezo pickup but this setup seems to work fairly well, mainly due to the very effective EQ in the LR Baggs Venue. It is designed to sit on the floor and it has two foot switches. One is handy mute/tuner and the other is a boost. The amount of volume increase for the boost switch is adjustable, so I set it to increase the volume for solos and then lower it again for rhythm. I really like the LR Baggs Venue.

    I also have a Krivo magnetic pickup which I have used with my Acoustic Image and Raezer’s Edge amp/speaker, but that is the “electric Django” sound, which isn’t really what I am looking for.

    Keith

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by floatingpickup
    Christian:

    My Dupont has a Bigtone bridge pickup (piezo). I plug the guitar into an LR Baggs Venue (EQ and DI) to shape the tone and remove some of the brightness. For an amp, I use a Fishman Loudbox Mini.

    I am not crazy about the sound of a piezo pickup but this setup seems to work fairly well, mainly due to the very effective EQ in the LR Baggs Venue. It is designed to sit on the floor and it has two foot switches. One is handy mute/tuner and the other is a boost. The amount of volume increase for the boost switch is adjustable, so I set it to increase the volume for solos and then lower it again for rhythm. I really like the LR Baggs Venue.

    I also have a Krivo magnetic pickup which I have used with my Acoustic Image and Raezer’s Edge amp/speaker, but that is the “electric Django” sound, which isn’t really what I am looking for.

    Keith
    Keith,

    I also amplify my Dupont (1993 MD-20) with a bigtone or Krivo magnetic pickup. The Krivo works great with my Clarus/RE rig (with the tweeter fully engaged in my extended range cabinet, it can get pretty damn acoustic in tone). I use a Baggs Paracoustic DI box into an AER Compact 60 with the Bigtone and get a great sound. For a loud venue (a bar or restaurant gig), the Krivo is the better choice, IMO.

  9. #8

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    Some good pro gypsy players have been using this lately........haven't tried one, but sounds less bright and brittle than a big tone on first listen

    Carlos Juan Acoustic Amplification >> CS SENSOR

  10. #9

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    The neck is wide like a Classical guitar almost! This is deal breaker. I don't understand why, the chord grips usually require thumb over, not Classical way at all. So unless you have huge hands... Most master built GJ guitars I tried had narrow necks. That's for a reason! I don't think Godin knows what they're doing.

  11. #10

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    I have to say I wasn’t super impressed by the piezo tones on the demo of the Godin.

    My problem - which I think is much like everyone else - is, here’s what I want:

    - feedback rejection with a loud band
    - attack and transients
    - sustain

    Of which I think we get to pick two.

    What works well for rhythm usually doesn’t work so well for lead, and his is the situation I have with my K&K definity or my Krivo, or my pro 70.

    However, I’m thinking a boost in combination with a compressor might be a work around for lead sounds. There’s some preamps that do this.

    Currently working with the Baggs Para DI, which does neither.

  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
    The neck is wide like a Classical guitar almost! This is deal breaker. I don't understand why, the chord grips usually require thumb over, not Classical way at all. So unless you have huge hands... Most master built GJ guitars I tried had narrow necks. That's for a reason! I don't think Godin knows what they're doing.
    We’ll have no idea how accurate it is but my Altamira has a crazy neck. Wide like a classical, and basically rectangular in cross section.

    I can get my thumb over though because I am a man beast.

    It’s also a loud bastard.

    I always assumed lacking better information that this was an attempt to reproduce the original Selmers because I don’t see why else you would do it lol. Gitanes have a more normal neck style.

    (Mario Maccaferri was a classical guitarist, btw. The guitar was presumably designed for a classical left hand, not folk style technique, not that a thinner neck isn’t advantageous for gypsy style playing.)

    The more expensive gypsy jazz guitars (DuPont mostly) I’ve played seem to have a more sophisticated tone and more ergonomic designs. They are also very easy to play, which makes me suspicious haha.

    Denis Chang divides GJ players into two categories - those that hit hard and prefer vintage style instruments with higher actions and those that play quieter and prefer more modern style guitars that they amplify.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    Keith,

    I also amplify my Dupont (1993 MD-20) with a bigtone or Krivo magnetic pickup. The Krivo works great with my Clarus/RE rig (with the tweeter fully engaged in my extended range cabinet, it can get pretty damn acoustic in tone). I use a Baggs Paracoustic DI box into an AER Compact 60 with the Bigtone and get a great sound. For a loud venue (a bar or restaurant gig), the Krivo is the better choice, IMO.
    Stringswinger:

    We are using similar equipment. My guitar is a 2000 MD-50 with a genuine Dupont Bigtone bridge. I am pretty sure your Baggs Paracoustic DI is basically the same as my Venue, except for the on-board tuner and boost switch. I have used an AER Compact 60 a few times and it was terrific (definitely a step up from my Fishman). Regarding the Krivo, I play it through a Clarus and Stealth 10ER but I don't think I have ever tried it with the tweeter up full. Maybe I should play around with that setup a little more.

    I didn’t mean to sound like I’m totally unhappy with my sound...it’s just that there are trade-offs when you have to choose between the piezo or the magnetic pickup. The Godin allows you to easily blend the two so you can have the best of both worlds, right at your fingertips. That seems appealing to me. I guess we could do that with our current guitars and pickups, but I can’t imagine dealing with two cords and a stand-alone mixer.

    Keith

  14. #13

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    I'm not overly impressed with the Godin sound samples I have heard, which is sad cause I really wanted to like it. Still, I'd love to check one out with my own hands!

    I amplify my Dupont DM50 with a Bigtone bridge and a K&K Definity into a both channels on a Fishman Artist Pro Loudbox. The Bigtone goes to a Baggs ParaDI and the K&K directly to the amp. It's important to use the balanced output on the Baggs, i.e. a mic cable instead of 1/4" cable. For the Bigtone channel, I dump most of the mids on the Baggs and the amp, and cut a bit of the bass. On the K&K channel I cut the mids on the amp to about 10:30 and the bass close to off -- this helps reduce handling rumble. Adjust treble and balance of channels to taste. I keep the tweeter off.

    The final step is using a Sennheiser e609 to mic the amp. I NEVER use a DI if I can at all help it. A mic will always sound better.

    I prefer to use my gypsy guitar only in gypsy settings. Otherwise, one of my archtops/teles gets the call.

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by D.G.
    I'm not overly impressed with the Godin sound samples I have heard, which is sad cause I really wanted to like it. Still, I'd love to check one out with my own hands!

    I amplify my Dupont DM50 with a Bigtone bridge and a K&K Definity into a both channels on a Fishman Artist Pro Loudbox. The Bigtone goes to a Baggs ParaDI and the K&K directly to the amp. It's important to use the balanced output on the Baggs, i.e. a mic cable instead of 1/4" cable.
    Aha! OK this I will have to do. I always assumed they sounded the same... Useful info.

    Usually a string player wants to plug into my mic channel. Mic inputs on AERs are basically regarded as public property.

    I prefer to use my gypsy guitar only in gypsy settings. Otherwise, one of my archtops/teles gets the call.
    The big problem is the GJ guitar sounds so badass in the studio that they want it all the time. I get enthused, play along for a bit, spaff money on expensive amplification solutions, and then slowly get so pissed off with the whole thing that I refuse to play anything other than an ES175 for around 6 months all while declaring loudly that I actually hate Gypsy Jazz and can't be bothered with it any more.

    Then the whole ghastly cycle repeats itself.

    Boom mic works well. If you have a competent sound engineer (HA!)

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    Then the whole ghastly cycle repeats itself.
    ROTFLMAO! Great turn of phrase!

  17. #16

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    That demo on their site sounds revolting.

    Im pretty sure I could make, well, anything sound comparable to that. You would think these folks would hire pros to get a good sound out of an instrument they clearly put a lot of work into.

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    Then the whole ghastly cycle repeats itself.
    Christian - you know this GJ thing is just distracting yourself from the fact that you are really gassing for a 335.

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by newsense
    Christian - you know this GJ thing is just distracting yourself from the fact that you are really gassing for a 335.
    If you say so Sigmund.

  20. #19

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    The para di and the venue di are significantly different, with the venue di having a lot more eq capabilities. I used to have a para di and used it with various guitars (and a handmade gypsy one), I upgraded to the venue and it really helped in taming the different instruments in different rooms and gig situations.

    I didn't like the sound on the video at all either, but the godins do have a tradition in doing good electric sound, so who knows. At that price though, I'd go for the real thing and endure the gig difficulties..

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alter
    The para di and the venue di are significantly different, with the venue di having a lot more eq capabilities. I used to have a para di and used it with various guitars (and a handmade gypsy one), I upgraded to the venue and it really helped in taming the different instruments in different rooms and gig situations.

    I didn't like the sound on the video at all either, but the godins do have a tradition in doing good electric sound, so who knows. At that price though, I'd go for the real thing and endure the gig difficulties..
    Alter:
    Thanks for the info on the Venue vs. the Para. I wasn’t aware that the EQ capabilities were different (I never owned a Para). I do know that my Venue is extremely effective in shaping the tone of any guitar that I have plugged into it. It’s a great pedal. I especially love the tuner feature.
    Keith

  22. #21

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    This comes across to me as a "in addition to" guitar as opposed to an "instead of"

    I mean, the best part of playing Django style IS playing ACOUSTIC.

    I'll tell ya though, if Godin did something similar like they did with the Duet Ambiance electronics, this will be a winner. My Grand Concert never ceases to amaze me...I can literally plug that guitar into any amp and get a "beliveable" acoustic sound in minutes with absolutely zero piezo quack. It's the best pickup system I've ever used.

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by floatingpickup
    Alter:
    Thanks for the info on the Venue vs. the Para. I wasn’t aware that the EQ capabilities were different (I never owned a Para). I do know that my Venue is extremely effective in shaping the tone of any guitar that I have plugged into it. It’s a great pedal. I especially love the tuner feature.
    Keith
    Yep very helpful, Alter. I might have to get one. And the Para DI is a great piece of kit as it is.

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alter
    The para di and the venue di are significantly different, with the venue di having a lot more eq capabilities. I used to have a para di and used it with various guitars (and a handmade gypsy one), I upgraded to the venue and it really helped in taming the different instruments in different rooms and gig situations.

    I didn't like the sound on the video at all either, but the godins do have a tradition in doing good electric sound, so who knows. At that price though, I'd go for the real thing and endure the gig difficulties..
    another thank you for this. I own the Para DI, and have been considering an upgrade. Will look into the venue.