-
Wow, a 15 year old thread revived.
Since my last post in 2015, I have replaced one of my Duponts with another Shelly Park, so I have a Dupont and a Park (probably more than I will need moving forward). The Dupont nails the traditional Gypsy guitar sound while the Park has a more modern tone (and feel).
I haven't seen many Gitanes for sale in recent years as I think the whole Gypsy jazz thing has died down somewhat. My old advice still stands, start with a cheap Gypsy jazz guitar before you commit to an expensive one as they are tough to sell. I would say Cigano, Gitane and Altimira are the best bets, but I would also consider an Eastman DM (and there is one for sale in the classified section of this forum as i write this).
I have played some downright awful cheap Gypsy guitars, so proceed with caution.
-
04-18-2026 10:39 AM
-
what about this one:
Aria Clone Shape Instruments - Gypsy Modell Oval Hole | GG10687
the AI says i should get a used Gitano GJ 10 or 15. i got small hands and am used to 60s gibson pencil necks. so maybe the d-hole short scale gj 15?
-
I second the AI. Ciganos used to be great bang for buck but they seem to have gone up in price quite a bit.
going from my 68 ES175 to the Altamira is always a total shock lol. I'm not sure what to suggest. My guitar has a super long scale length as well as a wide nut
-
yeah. that is not for me.
Originally Posted by Christian Miller
-
I’m not sure it’s for me either lol Originally Posted by djg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
That makes at least 3 of us. Playing a guitar with a 26 1/4 scale , with an almost flat fingerboard radius and a 1 3/4 nut is a difficult task. Add in the fact that these guitars have a VERY fast decay and it means that a boatload of talent is required to sound good with these guitars. And since most of us lack that talent (me included probably), most give up on these guitars and I have found them more difficult to sell than any other kind of guitar. Originally Posted by Christian Miller
-
My first foray into the GJ world came along in the early 2000's I was browsing in a little shop in South Pasadena and there was a Gitane DG-250M on the wall. Even though I wasn't even anywhere close to being a GJ player, I dug it and took it home. It had a very thin neck, 680mm scale 14 frets to the body. I tried to get good at the specialized approach needed to make these guitars sing. I "kinda" did, and began working with a very talented violin pal from the LA Phil who was interested in the music. I decided to go with a Grand Bouche since I was playing a lot of rhythm in that duo.
I went with the Latcho Drom Djangology with the 670mm scale. These were made in the same shop as the Altamira guitars. It served me well until I fancied I was getting better at it and got the Dupont bug. Alain Cola had Raul Reynoso's Dupont MC-30 14 on consignment and I traded the Latcho plus cash for the Dupont.
I was a whole other world. Dry, crunchy in a good way, the GJG tone forever. My violin buddy moved away and recommended one of his students. We got a bi-monthly gig at a Basque social club. The Dupont came with a Schatten pickup which was just so-so. Really didn't need it.
Fast forward to last year I had a family issue with my Sister and the only guitar I could see letting go was the Dupont. I expected to sit on it for several months, but lo and behold a fellow forum member that lived 40 minutes away bought it.
I couldn't throw all those hours spent practicing GJ away, I picked up a Gitane D-500 and it while it somewhat of a letdown after the Dupont, it does what I need it to do. I miss my Dupont.
Every Cigano I've tried has been in need of a setup but did sound good. I would really recommend saving up a bit and going with a Altamira.
Also, check out Tommy Davey's business Django Guitars in Laguna. He's super knowledgeable and also a very excellent GJ player. In fact I thought I was doing well in the GJ world until I sat down with him with a couple GJG-he promptly kicked my ass around the room with his talent!
-
At least the fretmarkers on the Altamira are in the right place haha Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
hah. another point for the Cigano. Originally Posted by Christian Miller
-
I recently joined the gypsy-Jazz Club aswell!
It's a richwood, which are the cheapest entry-level gj-guitars I think. It's a budget instrument, and to be true: I didn't really wanna buy it, but still made a total lowball offer on eBay, not thinking I'd get it for that money... Well for 80€ it arrived at my door and what should I say, it's still fun!
I didn't expect too much, but I still do really enjoy playing it. I swapped the tailpiece out for a higer qualitaty one though, and built a new bridge for it.
Nothing wrong with the stock bridge, but my experiments with using a microphone with it didn't work out as planned, so I wanted to see if an undersaddle Piezo might work for me.
-
I think it has bronze strings. Argentines will definitely be a better choice. Originally Posted by djg
Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk
-
Something that trips up a lot of people is that unless you're accustomed to Selmer style guitars, with all their quirks, and have been playing them awhile with proper GJ technique it can be difficult to even be able to evaluate whether a cheap guitar is good or can get "the sound" if you really commit to GJ. Even excellent expensive guitars can be hesitant to really reveal what they're capable of unless you're playing them properly, if that makes sense. It's like someone who has never played an acoustic archtop trying a Super 400 versus someone who has spent a lot of time learning how to get the most out of a big acoustic archtop.
If you don't want to deal with the longer scale length of an oval hole guitar a D-hole will feel more like a normal guitar. There are exceptional soloists who use D-holes and great rhythm players who use oval holes, it doesn't matter. Fretboard radius varies but these guitar are almost always pretty flat. Broadly speaking, cheaper guitars tend to have thinner necks whereas hand built guitars tend to be beefier. There are exceptions to that though.
The really cheap guitars kind of are what the are. Around $500-1500 you have Gitane, Altamira, & Eastman. The Altamira guitars can be quite nice. I've heard people sound great on all three brands. I've also heard some not so good examples from each lol. On the lower end of hand built guitars are Geronimo Mateos, Stringphonic, and Risto Ivanovski. When their guitars come up used they're usually under $2k and can be great.
-
the cigano seems to be hard to find. cant order them new either. i got a gitane D500 incoming. wish me luck.
-
If you get a good one, that’s you sorted. Originally Posted by djg
Fingers crossed!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
Originally Posted by djg
As a consolation prize after having to sell my Dupont, I bought a Gitane D500. It's no Dupont but it's a really excellent instrument for the money. Best of luck and hope it's a great guitar for you!
-
got a used one for 700€. i think i did ok? argentine strings and a fat pick incoming.
-
Congrats! That's right about what I paid for my D-500 without a case. I had a gig bag left over from the Dupont so I didn't care about a case.
You are on the right track with the Argies and fat pick! Will really wake it up.
Play it in good health.
-
it did wake up. tons of fun. Originally Posted by SierraTango
-
Regarding the Eastman DM-1 I seemed to get the first one into the UK, and I thought it was excellent. It cost me £1100:
I sold it later when I moved on from Gypsy Jazz. Fast forward a few years to late last year, and I thought I’d give it another go. The new one I bought was not as good as the old one, making me wonder if the first batch were excellent, but perhaps a new team was making the later batches. Maybe it was just an oddity. I returned it, disappointed. You can pick them up at a fairly low price these days, but make sure you try first or there is a good return policy.
Undaunted, I’ve just bought the brand new Eastman DM-4 from Mak’s Guitars, which should be with me in the middle of the coming week. I’m hoping that as it’s the first of the new model, it might be good. Again, I think I have the first in the UK. I’ll report back. Fingers crossed. It’s an upgrade on the DM-3, both grande bouche guitars.
-
I got my gypsy jazz guitar from Tommy Davy at: GUITARS - Page 1 - Django Guitars USA
He was great to work with, he recorded a few demos and texted them to me so I could hear some different models. I ultimately went with the Altamira Tommy Davy model. My only comparison is with my teacher's Eastman model and I think mine sounds better and looks nicer. Added bonus is that the guitar comes with a case; same model for same price through Djangobooks.com does not come with a case and you have to pay extra for it.
Hope this helps.
Pete
Here is a link to a write up of the Altamira TD model that was in Vintage Guitar a few years ago. Price has gone up a bit.
Altamira TD Birdseye Oval Hole – Vintage Guitar(R) magazineLast edited by petelet; 05-03-2026 at 11:59 AM.
-
[QUOTE=petelet;1462005]I got my gypsy jazz guitar from Tommy Davy at: GUITARS - Page 1 - Django Guitars USA
He was great to work with, he recorded a few demos and texted them to me so I could hear some different models. I ultimately went with the Altamira Tommy Davy model. My only comparison is with my teacher's Eastman model and I think mine sounds better and looks nicer. Added bonus is that the guitar comes with a case; same model for same price through Michael Horowitz does not come with a case and you have to pay extra for it.
Hope this helps.
Pete[/QUOT
Congrats! Last year when I was speaking with him about my Dupont, he mentioned that he was working with Altamira on a model to his specs. I looked on his website for any updates and never saw any. Could you share the details on your new TD model?
-
-
I have known Tommy Davy for many years and I have performed with him on the concert Stage at Djangofest Mill Valley. Nobody (and I mean NOBODY) know more about Gypsy jazz guitars in the USA than Tommy. Tommy is a good guy.
Another highly informed source to consider is Michael Horowitz of Djangobooks (I have known Michael for many years and can say that he is a stand up guy to do business with.) Michael is a good guy.
Tommy and Michael are competitors for a limited market and there may be some bad blood between them (there was in years past), so bear that in mind if you choose to deal with both of them in a search for the right Gypsy jazz guitar.
-
There is still some kind of issue between them IIRC. You're not allowed to mention Tommy or his shop on the Djangobooks forum lol. I've had positive experiences with both of them.
Those Altamira TD's are great. A lot of players consider them the best budget GJ guitar on the market.
Reply With Quote
Andy Bartosh plays "Stella By Starlight"
Today, 01:51 PM in The Songs