Gitane D-500 Django

WOW!
Loud and expressive, perfect for Manouche style but not only this...
I have many others Manouche style guitars cost twice or much much and I say this guitar it's amazing for th price.

The tailpiece screw was bad drive...And the tail piece was orrible inclinated!! 0_= Argh! I have to close and remake the holes!
How its possible??

I believe this to be an honest review. I have played many gypsy guitars.

D-500 Non-varnished interior. Rosewood back and sides, solid spruce top. Arched back, slightly curved top. Classical width neck (which I like as I play classical too). Truss rod. I paid about ??500 with case.

Loud, but most hand-made Selmer and Maccaferri copies are louder, with more character (but are obviously a lot pricier). Tone is quite cutting and metallic, a little tinny, but just enough sweetness. Very easy to express yourself on this guitar, and get the results you try for. The maple 250M by Gitane is a louder guitar, with more bass and less tinnyness - a fantastic recreation. In conclusion, for the money, and with Argentine or similar strings, the D500 has a good gypsy voice, but the 250M is better.

The action was set up low for me. A little too low actually, and it began to buzz. I built the floating bridge up, so now no buzzing, but action around the 12th fret is a tad high, but bearable. The tailpiece I can confirm is cheap (like others have commented), and mine snapped across the bend, while stored in its case. My hand-made Killy Nonis reproduction is a perfect fit, even the screw holes were in the same position. Looks better too! Apart from the tailpiece, the rest of the guitar is very well finished. Like others have said, the varnish is far too thick, and must surely change the sound characteristics. The guitar is also quite heavy compared to most hand-made copies.

I've been playing my D-500 for five years and apart from the tailpiece snapping, no problems. Durability, the thick finish withstands knocks and scrapes, the trade-off being the sound. Ebony fingerboard has no real wear yet. Raising the action at the nut requires a new zero fret - mores hassle than just jacking up the nut.

Not had reason to contact Saga or Gitane. I decided to sort the tailpiece out myself as it was two years after I bought the guitar.

I've been playing guitar for nearly 20 years, gypsy jazz for 5. I own quite a few classicals, hofner president + some other acoustics and electrics. I've played some high-end gypsy guitars, and for the price (about ??500), the D-500 is excellent value and a great guitar. I prefer the sound qualities of the maple 250 M by Gitane if given the choice now. With a bigger budget of ??900 - ??1200 I would go to Paris and find something hand-built and a bit more unusual. Rome Instruments on Rue de Rome do some affordable gypsy guitars, some of which sound beautiful. For ??500, the D-500 is great, but I would spend a bit extra and get the 250M.

Rosewood back, sides, spruce top with glossy finish, ebony fretboard w/24 frets, basically a beautiful copy of Django's Macaferri guitar. No electronics, so I'll rate her with a 9.

Tons of tone, very loud and articulate. The sound is VERY strong in the midrange and trebles, the basses are O.K. I play lead guitar in an acoustic band playing jazz, latin, etno etc. Cuts right through the mix and is easily the loudest string instrument in the band.

I was getting a slight buzz around the 11th/12th fret, so I lifted the floating bridge a little. It sounded much better with Argentines than with stock strings, but I really wanna try John Pearse Nuages. It looks and feels like a quality instrument.

The tuners feel a bit cheap, but they do their job just fine. Time will tell how this guitar will take live perfomances. I take it to live shows without a backup, just use an extra set of strings.

Never dealt with'em.

Been playing for 15+ years, also own a Cuenca classical, Giralda flamenca blanca, Ibanez AR 300 and S 540, Fender 50th deluxe strat, 75' Twin reverb, 87' Marshall VS 8240 loads of effects etc. Playability is awesome, very loud and it's beautiful. I owned a Fender semi-acoustic (korean crap IMHO), Takamine (excellent) and played acoustics from Ibanez, Garrison...this one is by far the best sounding and best looking guitar of the lot. It doesn't get any better than this for 600 EUR!!!

This is a copy of the original Selmer Maccaferri guitar (minus the resonator)with a very nice solid spruce top and laminated rosewood back and sides. Same specs as the original D-hole guitar made famous by Django. Mine came with a hard shell fiberglass/plastic case which is very protective. The strings it comes with are ball-ended bronze strings--the brass tailpiece will accept either ball-end, or loop-end (as many of the european strings are). This is made by Saga instruments which produces most everything in China, but delivers very high quality for the money. Check out their Blueridge line of flat-top acoustics sometime for a great deal.

The scale of this guitar is somewhat short with 12 frets to the body. The headstock is slotted and tuners are quite functional, but certainly not ornate. Ebony fingerboard with standard dot position markers. This is a very playable guitar thanks to the short scale and familiar position markers. The small oval-hole Selmer style has a marker at the tenth fret instead of the ninth. This is hard to get used to...you don't realize how much you rely on those until they are in a different spot, like the Selmer's. This model has them in the standard location, so that helps.

The finish is nice, but perhaps a bit thick. this definitely gives away that this is not a hand made boutique guitar, but it does have a certain vintage petina, and is nicely polished. I'd give the finsh a 7. The overall appearance is very nice. Looks good on the stand or on the wall. Since this has everything a Maccaferri should have, I have to give it a 10 on features.

The sound of this guitar is really the standout. It is addictive to play it, since it's so fun to just listen to the huge tone. Extremely Django-esque, and perfect for gypsy jazz. I play gypsy jazz, but also solo, chord-melody jazz with it. This would really be very versitile, but has "that" sound for gypsy music. Traditionally, the D-hole models are considered the "rhythm" guitars of gypsy jazz, but it does great for lead, too. I have used a number of different strings, but there is no comparison to Argentines (.11's). These are not the easiest to find on the shelf anywhere, but you can order them from several places online. It can be warm or bright depending on the attack, and definitely should be played with a very heavy pick. Mine was intonated perfectly, and took just a minor tweak of the truss rod to set up to my liking. I do get the occasional fret buzz, but the action is awesome so I'll live with it. I've found most guitars will buzz if played very aggessively, so I don't think much of it. I wish they would put better strings on these when they ship them. I noticed recently that Saga is making new gypsy strings, so maybe these will be put on the new models standard. That would help to pick them up off the shelves and really see what they are made of. Either way, sound is AWESOME! Perfect 10!

I've already mentioned most of this stuff. I did have to make about a quarter turn to the truss rod, so I guess I can't give a 10, but I certainly have no complaints about this. The top on mine has a beautiful bookmatched grain pattern which looks very nice. the moustache bridge has an adjustable insert in the center to perfect your setup if it isn't dead on right away. I have noticed the action varies a bit on these, but mine is very low and comfortable. I mentioned the minor fret buzz, I could relieve the neck and shim the bridge and this would probably take care of that, but this is very minor. All and all, this is very sold setup.

This guitar is very lightweight and a great guitar to tote around. It does have a certain fragile feeling to it, and I'd be a little afraid to subject it to a lot of abuse. The hardware is very basic, and nothing special, but the tuners seem to hold pitch well. Because of the laminated back and sides, this should be less sensitive to temperature and humidity changes, but I try to pamper it anyway, since I don't want to lose it. I don't feel I would need a backup, though. This should be tough enough to hold up under normal use.

Haven't had any experience here, no need to deal with them directly so I have no opinion on this one.

I have played guitar for about 20 years, and have become exclusive to jazz over the past 5 years or so. I have a 1959 Jazzmaster, a Stromberg cutaway archtop, and an Eastman archtop. I have also owned several solid electrics. I own a Yamaha solid acoustic. These other guitars collect a lot of dust since I got this one about a year ago. I've never had a guitar I enjoyed playing so much. It's like a guitar and amp in one lightweight package. I love the sound, I love the looks, I love the playability...what else do you want? Nothing similar is even close to the price. Saga has made me a believer in Chinese craftsmanship. What a tremendous value. If you like gypsy jazz, you won't be disappointed in this guitar.

Standard D 500. I think it's an older model as the finish is much darker than most d 500s I've seen. Also the finish seems to be a satin rather than gloss finish on newer models. In my opinion it sounds better most D500s too. If anyone knows more about it please give me some info! Guitar Number 106. Serial number 0104050009

attorneywknox@hotmail.com

The tuners aren't so great.

Amazing! One of the best sounding guitars I've ever played and I never post on these rating sites. Hard to believe this was not made in a boutique. Came with great JP Manouche strings. Incredible tone. I tried the Argentines and the sound was drastcally reduced on the bass strings. Sounds even better tuned down a step or two in open tunings.

Pretty good. Buzzes in spots but I need to have alot of work done. There are three major cracks on sound board that may be contributing to the buzzing issues.

I will definitely put a pick up in and play it live.

I gave Saga my serial and model numbers but I was told I need to send them pictures if they are to speculate about when and where it was built. Strange.

Professional

2005 D-500. All the features have been described in previous reviews.
Came with case.

loud, aggressive, flamenco-like tone in a steel string context.
Echoey, resonator-like harmonics are possible. Very unique sound.
You cannot purchase any other guitar in the world for several hundred bills that will sound better than the D500. Saga did their homework on guitar sound and the Gypsy Jazz style.

Mediocre fret job, neck is shaped a little too wide for my tastes.
Action cannot get low enough without E-string buzzing a bit too much.
Solution is fret job, but $100 repair bill on a new guitar doesn't make
one happy, so might wait a while to do this. Finish milkshake thick. It does not make sense to smother a guitar in finish. It must degrade the guitar sound, even with how good it is under the finish.

Very ruggedly built.

Sent Saga email asking them some question and got no response.

Been playing since Gypsy Jazz was invented and own tons of gear - guitars, amps, pedals and this is the most fun guitar ever purchased.
The quality for the humble price of several hundred bucks is astounding.
Hate the thick finish. Tuning pegs suck, too. Also, the damn guitar should have been set up properly with a good fret job. Saga doesn't
seem to care about that. Go play one of those Blueridges, and
they buzz too much and have @#$%^& up action. But, like the Blueridge,
the Gitane has a magnificent sound, second to none. And action can be
at least partly fixed on a cheap guitar. So, therefore, the Gitane
is the bargain acoustic.

This is an update to my prior review.

I played the D-500 at a gig with just an AKG CS1000 running through the house PA. The guitar performed very well. Punchy, clear, retained it's wonderful dynamic response whether I played fingerstyle, flatpick, blues or swing. I use metal fingerpicks with a plastic thumb.

I also tried a set of extra-light bronze d'Addario's on the guitar and tuned it down a whole step to complement my baritone-range singing. The guitar played great, no buzzing, with the high E set to 3/32 at the twelfth fret.

Since the gig, I installed a Baggs i-Beam into the guitar and that also sounds wonderful through my Bose PA. You need to carve out a semi-circle in the foot of the i-beam to straddle the centerseam reinforcement on the D500's spruce top.

I've put the Argentine medium strings back on for the more authentic Selmer tone. Forget medium or light gauge bronze strings at normal pitch. They simply won't do justice to the guitar. It would be like putting truck tires on a Mazda Miata.

These are great guitars. I've also ordered a DG300

Beautiful rendition of the Selmer-Maccaferri Grande Bouche jazz guitar. Made as the originals: solid spruce top, laminated rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard, GORGEOUS ebony and wood body binding.
This is definitely one of those guitars that makes you wonder how the heck they can Mfg. these in China with such awesome quality and great price.
Domed top and back, ladder braced, key to the signature Django sound.

One of the most expressive and dynamic acoustics I've played. Thanks to the domed top, you cannot overdrive it with hard strumming. It just gets louder and more dynamic. The 500 has a lovely percussive quality to it and goes easily from the rythmic chunk of swing or jazz to soft, melancholy legato passages. It's one of the most soulful acoustics I've ever played. I'm sorry I waited to long to try this style of acoustic guitar. I play fingerstyle with metal picks and a plastic thumbpick. The guitar is also unforgiving of any mistakes. It's clarity and note separation is a players dream.

No glue globs inside the box, and I checked with a mirror. Outside finish and detail work makes the D500 eye-candy. The tuners work very smoothly and are attractive in an art-deco sort of way, very appropriate for the guitar.

Too soon to tell. Not playing? Put it in the case. I won't hesitate to gig with this guitar. Can't wait! It's very well built. For example, the top and back braces terminate in notches cut in the inside solid wood lining. That's the sign of a well-built instrument.

No opinion

This is an exceptional guitar and, in my opinion, a must have for any serious acoustic fingerstyle or jazz/blues/swing player. Folkies may not care for it. It demands to be played, and played well. All opinions are based on 40 years of playing and 8 years of building and repairing instruments. www.kozelguitars.com

Others have described the features, so I won't state everything again.

Having said that, I have one that's a little different. The INSIDE of the guitar has a laquered finish, like the original SelMacs. Nobody on the Hot Club Forum has heard of a D-500 with interior finish before mine.

With crappy original strings- It didn't sound bad with the stock strings. Great for blues, slide, fingerpicking etc. Not so good for Manouche.

With silverwound "correct" strings (Galli ball end 10's made in Italy)- HOLY CRAP!!! This is the best sounding acoustic I have ever owned. And I've owned many. It is also the LOUDEST acoustic I've ever heard!!!!

Sounds great with whatever style or attack I lay down on it.

To pick nits, I did find some finish issues. The finish on the body, (where a pickguard would be on a drednaught) was cloudy. There is a very slight ridge at the neck joint (slight, but I noticed it).

This guitar is built like a tank. Someone mentioned crappy tuners earlier. I just want to state that mine are very smooth and I don't ever forsee any problems with them. Heck, I don't forsee any problems with anything on the guitar.

I've been playing guitar for over 30 years. After getting this, I have sold EVERYTHING else. I fully expect this to be my "last guitar." I will be buried with it. If stolen or lost, I would instantly get another. I always wanted a gypsy-jazz guitar. now I have it. I chose this model over an oval-hole one, because I like the look of the D hole and extended fingerboard. Also, I've always been a fan of 12 fret necks.

For the price, this guitar is truly in a class of it's own. They could have sold it for $2000 and it would have been worth every penny. For $599, I feel like a bandit!!!!

If you have questions about my D-500, feel free to email me. Put "Your D-500 Gitane" in the subject line, so I don't think you're trying to sell me Viagra and delete it without reading it.

Purchased online May 2005. Made in China. D-hole acoustic with gloss natural finish, tailpiece, compensated (and movable) "moustache" bridge. No strap buttons. Has a zero fret. This is an exact replica of the Selmer Macaferri design played by the legendary Django Reinhardt.

This is extremely LOUD - the loudest acoustic guitar I have ever heard. It was designed to cut through sax/piano/violin even when playing single-note lines, and I believe it will do so.

However, the instrument I purchased was also quite boomy (overly resonant) on some notes - particularly on the middle strings (D & G) and frets 0-5. This bothered me enough that I returned the instrument. In fairness, I had previously played another instrument of the same model at a music store and found it be loud and clear, without the boominess.

Several reviewers have discussed strings. No question that the original strings are terrible. I initially tried putting nylon strings on it, but I found the buzzing on the open top 2 strings was intolerable. What happens is the larger nylon treble strings sit higher on the nut, so they are not tight against the zero fret. IMHO, you would have to cut the nut slots wider to use nylon strings. I then installed Savarez Argentine 010 strings, which are definitely bright and strong. Still, did not cure the boominess.

Everything looked really good to me. No obvious fit or finish flaws. Neck appeared to be straight and action good. A fine-looking instrument.

Looks like it would last, but haven't tried it.

I have been playing 41 years, did some paying gigs when younger. Play all styles from classical to heavy blues/rock. Own a variety of guitars; my main steel-string acoustic is a Martin OMC-15E which sounds gorgeous. Main nylon-string is a Cordoba Gipsy King, which I probably play more than any other. Also the usual Strat & 335.

As I said above, the sound was too boomy for my taste. I realized going in that this guitar wasn't going to have the rich sound of my Martin, but loud and clear would be good, not loud and boomy.

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.

N/A

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.