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OK, so I just purchased a hand made gypsy jazz acoustic that looks amazing.
only problem is that when playing lines on the high strings the open strings will start to vibrate producing this crazy kind of reverb sound. It is also happening very nociably when I play an A on the D string the open A will sound off like it has been struck. I contacted the supplier and was told this was normal.
does any one else have any experience of this?
will try to do a video at some point.
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10-10-2016 01:52 AM
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What is the brand and who was the supplier?
Originally Posted by Maaj12
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It's pretty normal that open strings ring sympathetically with the strings sounded. The same happens to the length of string between tailpieece and bridge and between nut and tuners. Sometimes tailpieces will do the same. Some people put a rag beteeen the tailpiece andmthe top to dapen it. Some use a device a la the Van Eps string damper to dampen the open strings. I use to dampen open strings with my right palm or the fingers of my left hand (a fretting finger dampen a nabour string).
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+1 on Stringswinger's question. Who built it? If it is a luthier built instrument and you have concerns about the tone, he or she would be my first call. Not to mention if it was ordered from a individual builder you probably have a substantial investment in it. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
And a video or soundclip would be most helpful.
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Have made a very quick video here. please excuse the bad playing.
Yes I am in contact with the seller who said that these guitars have a natural reaction to resonate.
That they have there own character.
It sounds like I am playing with a big reverb tank.
what do you guys think? Is this normal ?
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Some Gypsy guitars are wet, some are dry. Yours sounds particularly wet. This is a problem with cheap Asian made guitars (Gitanes and Ciganos in particular) for sure, but even some high end Gypsy guitars suffer from this. Your guitar is too reverby for my taste.
Again, what is the brand and who was the seller?
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This was not a cheap build. The most I have paid for an instrument that hasn't got circuitry in it. I got it from JWC guitars here in the U.K.
Agree it is very wet when soloing but Good for playing rhythm on as all the strings are muted.
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Without any palm or adjacent finger blocking, when you play a octave note such an A on the 4th string right next to the open A of the 5th string, yes it will resonate. I would also guess that the guitar has brand spanking new strings if you just received it. That can also increase the "reverb" sound you are hearing. I have a Manouche Latcho Drom Djangology, which is a D soundhole. I use the Argentine strings on it and when I do a string change it takes a lot of playing in before the "new string" brightness wears away.
GJG's do have their own character, however just about any guitar will ring out given the circumstances. My suggestion is to play the crap out of it until the strings are worn in enough before pushing the panic button.
IMHO of course.
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Hair scrunchies work like a Van Eps damper for much less money.
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Yeah people get bothered by this, don't they?
I think it's an acoustic guitar. If we were playing classical, we would be letting everything ring.
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Mr. Cho's guitars are quite "wet". If you do not like this, I suggest trying a Dupont or Favino. Most of these are far more "dry". Originally Posted by Maaj12
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Heck, this is the nature of guitars. It's more pronounced in some but it occurs in all but the deadest instruments. When I was reading your post, I had my hardtail Partscaster in my hands and even that guitar does exactly the same thing (28 year old alder body, for a slab it's really quite resonant). My archtops do it, my flattop really does it, my semi-hollow Tele does it, my cheap China-made Squire Affinity Tele does much less.
What you've got is a resonant, responsive instrument with brand-new, bright jangly strings. Play the heck out of it for a couple of weeks. You will find that (1) you'll figure out how to capitalize on it, (2) you'll figure out how to control it and (3) the guitar will change a bit in response to your playing over time. Basically you adjust to it and it adjusts to you. IMHO this is a good place to be- dead instruments rarely improve a lot IME (although for archtops with a pickup in them, sometimes deader actually sounds better once amplified). A year from now you're going to really love that guitar.
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It might be down to the fact that I haven't played an aucostic instrument in 4 to 5 years. Since then I have done a lot of sound design with synths where you really have to zero in on the sound in all its detail. So I could be noticing it all the more than I usually would. Have also only played my arch top with old dead flat wounds on for the past few years.
thanks for all your guys advice, panic over. Might have to get some new strings on it soon as I feel these are not heavy enough for my liking. Will that have any effect on the resonance?
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Gypsy jazz styled guitars are cannon like boom sticks. The only style of guitar I have played that requires the musician to physically turn down their pick attack to be able to blend in with other acoustic instruments. Man, a well made one is louder than bagpipes and banjos!
I would be concerned if such an instrument didn't have sympathetic resonated notes.
This experience should help promote a new skill with your interaction with the guitar, that being string muting with your left and right hands and fingers.
During my guitar teaching days I found students would struggle with this extra information when playing. I have never seen it mentioned in guitar educational primers. I would say the concept is easily absorbed through percussive rhythm playing. Yes, more of a concept.
I would teach basic folk guitar (I was living in trad folk Scotland at the time). The basic concept would be easier to present with the first position D major chord. The fretting hand would have fingers 1, 2 & 3 forming the chord, the thumb would be over the neck pressing on the F# while the fleshy tip would either mute, or not, the A string and finally the pinky finger would be used to mute the fretted chord. What you then do with the strumming hand is create a rhythm pattern which you could accentuate by either bringing in the chord or muting it!
I know I am teaching grandma to suck eggs here but as I said I rarely see anything written in guitar primers on this skill as I guess the term 'intermediate player' presumes the individual has this skill.
The other thing that is not addressed early on is string squeak! I see and hear accomplished players on yootoob that squeak like a mouse in a mouse trap! Mate, that really annoys the blue blazes out of me.
Mice in the guitar
Phew, the caffeine has worn off. Time for another cuppa...Last edited by jazzbow; 10-11-2016 at 03:49 AM.
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Oh dear. Oooooh dear....... Originally Posted by jazzbow
Some say bagpipes was originally introduced in Scotland by the Irishmen. And some say it was actually a prank - but they have yet to realize it in Scotland.
(Fast over and out - I'm running for shelter)
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Yeah I think that's it. I don't even notice it, but I do notice this stuff when I play electric, funnily enough. Originally Posted by Maaj12
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I have to admit, I like the fact that the body is so resonant this is happening. Can I ask which model it is? I've been looking at JWCs for a while, but I'm a bit limited by the fact that I need 25" or 640mm scale length MAX.
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As you are probably aware, 11-46 are about the "heaviest" gauge that GJG strings are supplied. If it has 10's on it you might try going up to 11's but I doubt that will change much. And these silver plated strings are a big contributing factor to the bark. Try to play it enough to deaden out what's on there-and although of course it is your instrument to do what you please with-I would recommend against putting heavy gauge bronzewound strings on it or a silk and steel set. Originally Posted by Maaj12
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I dunno, currently digging gauge .11 martin retros with my GJ guitar after being an Argentine player for years. Originally Posted by SierraTango
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It is the Modele Jazz with a scale of 670 which I am having to get use to. Have been playing the my Ibanez pm2 for the last two years and that is a 628mm. Just a small stretch already getting the hang of it. Also have to get use to the dot being at the tenth fret not the ninth. Originally Posted by bananafist
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Originally Posted by SierraTango
I remember years ago when I played acoustic folky stuff, I use to love the sound of new strings.
How things change....
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Wet GJG can take away the enjoyment of playing. As I have had many Gitane/Cigano ones, I can say that there is a lot of wetness that goes away once the technique is perfected. This includes finding the right combination of volume, attack, pick, strings, bridge material, tailpiece, right hand magic, etc.
For a quick and very effective fix, check my video here; shot long time ago, maybe it will help here
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Is that just a capo?
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Those are a Monel wrapped correct? Nickel/Copper? I could see where that would work easily on a GJG. I was sharing with the OP that IMHO the strings that most folks associate with acoustic guitars-Bronze or Phosphor Bronze-don't usually do many favors tonewise with GJG's in my experience. Originally Posted by christianm77
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I like 80/20's as well. Originally Posted by SierraTango
Haven't tried PB's. I don't tend to use them on archtops, probably wouldn't on GJ..
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