I love gypsy jazz, I really do. I'd love to be able to play it, but I can't. The scale length, the action - oh yes, and the lack of ability - conspire to tell me that it's not for me.
Not to blow my own trumpet, but I have developed some similarities to Django in my playing. Apparently I sound as if I've lost the use of a couple of fingers, so that's my tribute to him sorted.
I wanted to give it my best shot, and I'd tried a couple of Gitane brand guitars previously, so I blamed them for my crapness. I've really admired JWC for a while, and knew an endorsee of theirs who is a truly wonderful player, about half my age, supremely talented and who I therefore hate with a passion that I previously thought was impossible to attain.
When this one came up, I was quite excited, and when I found out that it had been made as a special order for the owner, who is an ace guitar tech in his own right and was a tech for a 'name' gypsy jazz player (as well as other famous names) I was so excited that I wet myself, although that's happening more and more these days without prompting.
I now have a 'petit bouche', although the weather's partly to blame for that and, besides, you can get a cream for it. It's a real beauty, and they pulled the stops out with this one, at a 'standard' price. It has a gorgeous quilted maple back and sides, and a colour aged spruce top. It really is a work of art and it plays beautifully - it's less than two years old and is immaculate. It comes with a fitted case, a set of Argentine 10's, and a copy of the previous owner's (Trevor Jones) book, Basic Guitar Set Up. I haven't read it, I just take my guitars to him, which is much easier.
What else can I say? The price - yes, of course. Well, it was £1645 new, so I'd like £950. I might also be open to suggestions of a quality acoustic.
I've also had Trevor set it up to more my tastes, and it's about a 2.9mm action, although it was 4mm. Factory settings are normally 3.1, which means that the action at the first fret is higher than I have mine at the 12th fret, as anyone who's ever bought a guitar from me will testify.
I really wanted to keep this and be competent at gypsy jazz, but two months in and I can play the first four bars of The Godfather theme. My wife is muttering about 'having me whacked'. In fairness, she's been muttering that for some years now.
If it touches your gypsy soul, PM me and we can chat. As usual, I don't do PayPal or posting but I'll meet up, visit - laybys, public conveniences, deserted woodlands, you know the sort of thing. Well, you might not, but there's a whole new world out there.
Call me Dave.
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By the way - how did you like the fret marker at the 10th fret? It sure plays tricks on me, when I play gypsy jazz guitars like that.
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You didn’t disappoint !
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