Gitane D-500 Django

I have had mine for about a year. It is the glossy finish model. Beautiful guitar except for cheap looking tuners and tailpiece. I removed the black "resonator", it drove me crazy. The neck is wide, plays similar to a classical but I have the Argentinian steels on it. I have compared it side by side to a matte finish version which was set up with nylon strings and it was no contest. So if you have one set up with nylons you need to try the "manouche" strings. I don't think you will go back, what a tone.

I mostly am playing Brazillian Bossa stuff but also use it in folk rounds and am dabbling in Gypsy Jazz stylings. I own supposedly better(certainly more expensive) guitars than this but this is the one I almost always play. I try not to leave the others out but there is just something about this guitar. It is lightweight but extremely powerful. My guitar teacher was amazed at this guitar and recommended it to some of his students.

Had to lower the action a tad, although it came playable. I agree that it is tough to make all players happy with a setup. Previous reviewers have complained that the setup is a little too high or too low so who knows. Set it up to your own taste, put the right strings on it, and let it loose. The fit and finish is excellent. This guitar always has people marveling.

I am not easy on my guitars and when I got it I was laid up with a broken leg. It has been sat on a couple of times and bashed by a strat and has not given an inch. I haven't replaced the tailpiece although I removed the black thing, which looks cool but buzzes and you need to stick a pick in it to mute it. I haven't had any problems with the guitar staying in tune once the strings stretch out. Yes I have used it at gigs without a backup.

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I have been hacking and playing for a span of 44 years but have picked it up seriously in the past two years. I played in folk groups, Kingston Trio etc. when I was 12, acoustic blues at 16, rock at 17, jugband at 19. Then I hardly picked it up for a long time. I now have several acoustics incluing a Martin and Gibson as well as several electrics. This is the guitar I play. It sounds as good or better than my Martin on the highs and eats it's lunch on the lows...same for the Gibson. I am selling both of them because with this guitar I don't need them. The recommended pickup seems to be a "bigtone" but I haven't needed the volume. This guitar has all it needs.

Whilst i consider the sound of the Gitane D500 bright and percussive it is more boomy than the 'Oval-hole' Le Modele Jazz (DG255).

This guitar was really put together nicely for a factory built guitar, when i changed to the 'correct strings' namely Argentines i had to make a slight adjustment to the truss rod, not a dificult job by any means, just a slight clockwise turn to the right.

Been gigging with this guitar and like the classical construction of the 12th fret join, less tiring than the DG255.

Yes very good, i've had several e-mail responces from both Saga and John Jorgenson( their endorser) relating to questions i had about my Mac guitars. (I have both the D and Oval models)

Great guitar, been using it for gigs with no amplication! just small restaurant stuff and small wedding receptions, competing against a double bass, saxophonist and congas and still being heard!

I purchased this Gitane model D-500 (by Saga) new in August 2004 on Ebay and it was shipped directly from Saga warehouse in California and included a somewhat loose fitting hardshell case. It has a nice (for finger style)wide and thin neck (2" at nut) made of mahogany with MOP dot inlays. The heavy glossy finish is similar to other instruments in this price catagory. The enclosed tuners appear somewhat cheap to me but have kept the guitar in tune none the less. The manufacture's web site states nickel plated tuners but mine do not appear to be so. They have a somewhat matte copper color with white plastic knobs. Perhaps that is just the covers and not the actual gears, I am not sure. The stamped metal trapeze tailpiece also appears somewhat cheap but looks sort of cool too. This guitars main feature is its unique look for which I give it high marks!

I bought this guitar as its sound is the opposite of my Taylor 715. The Taylor has a lovely tone and is wonderful to play but is somewhat weak in the low end. The Gitane provides a deeper bass response which I like for certain finger picking styles which have moving bass lines and not a lot of chording. While it was shipped with steel strings (which sounded very mid range and honkey to me) I immediatly put on nylons which provide a wonderful round tone for the music I like to play on this guitar. I have noticed a very mild buzz at times and will have a guitar shop look at it at some point although the buzz has not really bothered me enough to give it up for any reason. With the nylon strings the sound is not bright but round and mellow with a bass presence which does not bury the treble strings. Chords which combine treble and bass strings tend to be a bit muddy to my ear. But for my use it is perfect!

The action is very nice for my taste and it was quite easy and comfortable to play right out of the box. I have done nothing to adjust the guitar at all other than put on the nylon strings. I have not had any problem with the nut or bridge needing reworking to accomadate the new strings either. The intonation is good and the frets are well dressed. I have not noticed any finish flaws at all or experienced any problems other than the minor buzz at certain frequencies. There is not much fancey work on the guitar but it appears well made.

While I have not gigged since 1979 I can see no reason that this guitar would not perform well. I suppose I might be tempted to replace the tuners and install some sort of strap button if I were to use it for live performances as well as add a piezo pick up. The finish certainly appears to have been applied heavily (likely adding to the deep sound) and would take alot to get it to wear off. The manufacturer's web site states that it is a matte finish but it appears glossy compared to other matte finish guitars I am familier with.

I have not dealt with Saga customer support I might give them a call to inquire about tyhe buzz mentioned above. I am unsure about any expressed warranty. There is nothing mentioned on Sega's website and there was nothing offered from the Ebay dealer I purchased from.

I have been playing since 1968 and made a living giging professionally from 1975-1980. I put a lot of good guitars through hell. I currently own 13 guitars including a '55 LP goldtop, '02 custom L4 and '73 ES345. This guitar sounds good and plays well for certain styles of music. I would not want it to be my only guitar. I see it as filling a particular niche but not an all around general purpose instrument. Single note and fingerstyles sound good but chords do not have that bright clear ringing articulated sound I get on my Taylor. The slotted headstock is a bit of a pain for me as I like to tune all strings to the open high E by fretting an E on each string and simultaneously adjusting the tuning gears with my right hand. It is difficult (impossible) with the slotted tuners but they look so cool. I shopped some lower and similar priced classical guitars from Ibenez and Alveraz but really wanted the "gypsy" look. After reading the reviews here I took the plunge and ordered the guitar without ever having played one. I am glad I did! If it were lost or stolen I would try out some more expensive guitars to see how they compared but I am very satisfied with this instrument.

the "big mouth" maccaferri copy. 2004 model. made in china, i believe? great look and feel--much better than what you would expect for this cost.

main feature: LOUD. my god, is it loud! it has a very dry tone; no sweetness to speak of. the volume is astonishing. it could be heard surrounded by a bevy of banjos and mandolins. so, in summary, it sounds like it should. this is not supposed to be a sweet-sounding guitar. it is built to cut, and speak loudly and clearly...and it does--even with the recommended "manouche" (sp.?) strings, which run 47 to 11.

it looks great. based on all the photos i have seen of the old maccaferris, this instrument gets all the details right. there's nothing negative i can say. it's very clean, and very handsome looking. i see no flaws in the workmanship. the action is good--could be a bit lower, but it still plays fine.

it's a 10. how could it be anything less? for $500 i got a swing guitar that can be heard. it's very well made, to boot. what a great bargain!

I think it was made in 2003 I just got it a week ago of this writing.
It has technically 24 frets but not all the way across all 6 strings. The fret board 21 fret and above hang over the sound hole and that upper registry is playable. The guitar has a solid spruce top and a laminate rosewood back and sides. I'm told its a reproduction of Django Reinhardt's Selmer/Maccaferri guitar. I respect and appreciate Djanog's music but I bought the guitar because of its uniqueness and versatility. The tuners are like classical tuners but the actual machines are covered and they kind of Kluscon like. The neck i believe is a shorter scale or maybe its just the body being so wide? My guitar has a rosewood fretboard with dot inlays on the face and markers on the side of the neck. The one thing I thought was kewl was that it has a fret at the nut or i guess zero fret. Definitely something you don't see everyday. I remember only seeing that on older acoustics. I don't know the significance of that but I thought I would point it out. The tailpiece adds a nice decorative touch. The mustache bridge I'm told is of ebony and you can adjust it as far as its placement although I haven't tried because I don't want to mess with the intonation. You can not adjust the action from the bridge like you might find in other jazz acoustic archtops and ofcourse I understand this is a remake of Djanngo's guitar. A case was thrown in my deal. It says made in china. Its a hard case that fits the guitar. Its ok, not bad for a freebie.

The sound is just beautiful. The sound to me is very rich, very deep and has a clarity I don't hear in higher priced guitars that have new strings. I think its the low end strings that really stand out. I honestly feel that this could very easily compete if not beat out the mid to upper price acoustics in a 500 - 1200 price range. It resonates well and it has very good projection when it is strung with steel strings. I mean its really loud. Without me asking, all my friends commented on how loud it is. This is just a well designed well put together guitar. I was brought up playing jazz and I wanted an acoustic that made me want to play again and something that I could also put nylon strings on. The bridge is not setup for nylon strings so the high E can pop out of place when playing. I'll probably have that looked at by one of our areas best guitar techs. Even with nylons the sound still has a clear deep quality and I find this guitar with nylons strings very acceptable for jazz. For classical, I'm used to a wider neck but can make do with it. I've played on classical guitars in the 500-ish range that don't sound as good as this! :)

Out of the box, the setup was acceptable but I tend to like my action a little bit lower. I never expect much from 'factory setup'. How can they get it right when everyone has different taste? and besides they always use el cheapo strings anyway. The fret dressings are very smooth no jagged edges on the neck. The finish, is just awesome. I mean in bright light it has a light natural wood look but then in dimmer light it looks more orangish. I love that. I also like the 'D' sound hole and black and red lines outlining it. I mean overall this is just a unique acoustic.

I honestly feel this guitar was made to last and a lot of thought was put into this. The only thing that it does not have are strap buttons and I think this is because Gitane wanted to make an "exact" replica of Django's instrument. Thats just my speculation. I don't plan on installing starp buttons anyway or any electronics just because I don't want to take a chance on changing the sound it has. Live or recording, I'll gladly sit infront of a microphone if thats what it takes.

Never dealt with them but I think they are the better half of the French for making such a fine instrument! ;)

I've been playing for over 20 years. The last 5 I have not been very serious. I went through a burn out period and am now rededicating myself to the guitar again. I used to teach and have worked at several guitar shops in Houston of which carried high end acoustics such brands like Larivee and Taylor. This guitar is definitely a good deal at $600.00. You could probably double that price and find yourself with a well recognized brand getting less quality in my opinion.

Same as the previous submission...This guitar rocks! It's my baby, I love it. Perfect for that gypsy jazz crap, but great for bluegrass, jazz, country, classical and blues...this guitar is magical. Sometimes, if you use a heavy pick and you're feeling warmed up, it sounds like a friggin electric guitar. The tuners suck...I'm going to replace them

Ahhhh....wow. Beautiful sound. I haven't played any other of these instruments, but mine seems to have been crafted by god. Crazy amounts of sympathetic sounds i.e. you hit a note on one string, mute it, and you can hear that note ringing loud and clear from another string. It's beautiful...sounds like a piano. Projection!!! Pisses my acoustic guitar friends off because it's so damn loud. Great for performing. just stick a mic in front of it and presto, you sound money. The sound is bright, but it does have bass response. Chords sound so wonderful, almost has a light overdrive sound. I'm tellin you, the guitar is magic.

it came with crap strings set wayyyy to low. No flaws whatsoever, built perfectly smooth. I can't say enough about it!

Strings very very rarely break ( a good thing)
Seems like it will last forever
no strap buttons
Dependable, except I'm going to replace the tuners because they suck
I have and will continue to use it without backup at a gig.

No idea

This guitar is the shit. It's my baby, I take it with me everywhere. I went shopping for django guitars for months, and all i could find were these american 3000-4000 dollar models which didn't sound great at all (dell arte). they sounded no different from any flat top acoustic. but this one, I picked it up in the store and BAM!! I knew instantly that this was the greatest acoustic guitar I've ever played IMO. great if you like punchy, sustaining, singing, percussive, loud, fat beautiful responsive tone. RESPONSIVE...very very much so, almost like you're playing through a nice tube amp.

See the reviews listed under Saga as the manufacturer; this seems to be the newest version, with some of the bugs listed by other reviewers worked out.

Made in China.

Purchased at end of 2003, direct from Saga's warehouse via an ebay deal.

Solid Spruce top w/ "big mouth" D-hole, faint orange tint, gloss finish;

laminated rosewood back and sides;

25.5" scale mahogany neck, classical-style neck, slotted peghead w/ Kluson-style pegs, medium frets, on a radiused board;

Most literature states that the fretboard is ebony. I'm not so sure. I looks more like "ebonized" (filled and stained) rosewood to me. Long grain is evident in places, and I can detect a few faint brown streaks in the wood. It is smooth, but not polished, though it does seem very hard like ebony.;

moveable rosewood "moustache" compensated bridge;

stamped brass tailpiece;

Very neat ebony and maple binding and perfling (sp?);

Included a nice molded hardshell case.

These are made for the Django crowd. I play some of that, but have other uses for this guitar. It does a pretty good job on the Gypsy jazz tone: very bright and punchy, and projects beautifully. Very loud.

It came with cheesey bronze strings. I trid Martin and GHS silk & steels, which were okay. Then I tried Del Arte strings made for this type of instrument. WOW! They feel better and make the notes jump right out.

The action was way too low out of the box. Fine for heavy strings, but I'm basically an electric guy, and I go with 10s. I cut some small strips of brass sheeting to make shims to lift the bridge and now have the action at a serviceable level. As it is it plays super-fast--very shredable.

The manufacture is excellent. The symmetry is great (a hangup of mine); the binding, etc. is damned-near perfect, and everthing lines up as it's supposed to.

My only gripes: A. (and a minor one at that) pertains to a slight warpage of the neck. Most of it can be worked out with about a 1/4 to 1/2 crank on the truss rod, but I'd like it more even; and,
B. The tailpiece is kind of flimsy. It's stamped brass, but there's not much to it. I've ordered a replacement from Stewart-MacDonald.

Have yet to take it out.

It's a very lightweight axe, but doesn't seem flimsy, so I suppose it could be gigged.

Apart from the order, I've had no dealings w/ Saga, but given the rapid delivery of the item from their warehouse, I'd give them high marks.

Played over 30 years. I own several electrics, one cheesey old classical that I got hooked on last year. Got used to that classical neck. Always listened to Django, Borelli LeGrine, etc., and always wanted that sound. This axe has it, and on a shoestring at that.

It's super-playable, and has more versatility than a lot of guys might suppose. I've never been big on acoustics, but I love this one!

I do wish it came with alternate-height bridges so you could make more adjustments to the action.