Saga D-500 Django

Purchased from MusicBrokers on Ebay (March 04) for $480 plus shipping.

Specs for this guitar are on the Sagamusic.com site.

The D-500 is the Gitane with the D hole.

Very nice instrument. No problems on finish, or hardware. Machine heads could be better but easy to replace.

There is no strap pin.

Neck is very straight. Setup out of the box is PERFECT!!

Fret ends are sharp and need to be filed down. Relatively cheap thing to get done.

Sound is ok with factory strings BUT MUST use Argentine strings from juststrings.com to get the TRUE Gypsy sound.

This guitar does compete with other American made Gypsy guitars even though it is way cheaper. I will never pay over $1500 for a Dell'Arte and I actually preferred the feel of my Gitanes.

I am a jazz player who has turned to the Django book.

Yes. The setup out of box was Fabulous. Further my buddy who bought one last year also has a great feeling action. The SAGA GITANE guitars are great for ELECTRIC players who want to stretch out abit on an acoustic guitar.

BEWARE..there guitars are very light and a few drops and you can really do some damage. This is true of all GYPSY guitars. You notice its lack of weight as soon as you pick one up.
Top soundboard is very light weight as it should be.

I actually email Saga Music all time with questions and they eventually do respond. Support needs for GITANE needs to come from your local music store and not the manufacturer/distributor.

Chinese made in 2003, this gloss finished guitar features a solid spruce top that has been stained 'Cremona' orange - a little dark for my taste. Sides and back are rosewood laminated over mahogany. The back is beautifully bookmatched. The 21 fret classical style neck is mahogany with an ebony finger board and is joined to the body at the 12th fret. A perfectly perpendicular cutaway allows access to higher frets and there's a 24 fret extension (just for the high 'E' string)that overhangs the "Grande Bouche" D-shaped sound hole. The 'moustache' bridge is actually 3 pieces, the center one being adjustable for intonation purposes. The no-name tuners (which seem to be quite good, despite their looks) are sealed, 3 to a side on a slotted headstock. The tail piece is stamped brass and can accomodate both ball & loop end strings. No accessories, not even a case and it was VERY difficult to find one that fit the unusual dimensions (16" lower bout). For that reason alone I give it a...

This guitar came strung with medium gauge bronzes, which made it sound like a very boomy, bassy flat top. When fitted with correct 11-45 'Manouche' style silver coated strings, the instrument really came to life. Using a heavy (3mm!) pick and played close to the bridge with lots of fast vibrato, this guitar nails Django's lead tone - Snappy attack & fast decay. Strummed over the soundhole, a much warmer, softer sound is attained, with a great deal more sustain. My only complaint is a lack of string volume balance, with the wound lower strings sounding much louder than the plains.

One of the bridge moustache ends had come unglued in shipping. Fixed it myself with 5 minute epoxy - no big deal. Factory set action very low - in fact, I've never seen a guitar with such low action at the nut/zero fret. Beautifully finished on the outside, the guitar does have blobs of glue exuding from arond the internal braces, but I've seen worse on far pricier guitars. When I installed lighter strings, I encoutered buzzing at the zero fret, nescessitating a loosening of the truss rod. I've had trouble in the past tightening trussrods, but it took all the strength I could muster to turn it counter clockwise. I did manage to correct the backbow, but there are spots where the fretted strings choke out a bit. The frets will eventually need to be leveled and dressed professionally, but I know lots of players who have this done to much finer instruments right out of the box. The guitar arrived with a bit of'fret sprout'. Let the guitar continue to dry out for 3 months and just had the overhanging frets filed down yesterday. Again, this is a problem found in guitars of all price range and has more to do with humidity/dryness than construction quality. The brass tailpiece & the faux-gold tuners show no signs of tarnish yet.

This is a very light guitar with a fairly thick poly coating. It seems fragile to me - but I'm used to beating on Telecasters. Time will tell as to its durability. No strap buttons - finally, a guitar that's made to be played sitting down! As far as backup goes, I've got a "petite bouche" (small oval hole) on order.

Checked their website, Which has expanded and improved greatly since I first visted some years back in search of information on these elusive gypsy jazz guitars. Never attempted to contact Saga. Bought this guitar on line. Came in a box with no paperwork, so I have no idea about warranties

Been playing electric for 30 odd years (Teles, Strats) Got into open tuning slide on resonators (National, Dobro) awhile back. It seemed a natural progression to go acoustic. I'm a long time fan of Django and have played guitars by Shelly Park, Micheal Dunn, Rob Aylward and Dell'Arte - great guitars all, but at 1/4 the price, buying the Saga was a no-brainer. One thing I'd like to clarify, as there seems to be confusion abounding on this issue. The D-500 is very lightly arched. This is achieved by gluing a flat top/bottom to arched braces. Some say that this factor alone provides the guitar with its loud, snappy tone. I've seen old Selmers where the top has collapsed, leaving the bracing bulging out like skeleton ribs - then again, these instruments pre-date me by 20 years.

bought new with a hard case for $550----mine is not satin finsh --its gloss--good hard case--

i bought this for django music--(why else)?--it seems to be getting better sounding the more its played---its very loud--for sure--its a decent guitar for a good price--its very solid---the tuners are good and firm---the tone is not real subtle but i tell you the truth--i have played some of the old high priced favino selmer copies and they had NO sound--this guitar is a pretty darn good deal--its solid and has good tone---

if you buy this guitar new--take off the horrid factory strings--they suck--i bought some ghs silk and bronze strings gauged 11-49 and the sound improved a lllllllllllllot---you can buy those fancy "real" django strings but in my redneck part of the world, they dont got em...the action on mine was too damn low when i got it--i had to get an allen wrench and back off the neck tension some---this helped a lot---i put some cotton stuff under the 3 treble strings (between the string and the slot to raise the action some--it didnt seem to kill the sound at all--)---the bridge isnt adjustable up and down--you would have to shim it--which i will probably have to do to get the action a litle higher---thats not a big deal--it sure beats a guitar with too high action--one thing---you have to play django style correctly to get maximum sound---which means, you DONT rest your fingers or palm on the face of the guitar when you pick--you get a big thick pick--hold at 90 degrees and whack your wrist till you're afraid your arm will fly off--you gotta learn to play like a machine gun---no guitar will sound like a django record unless you can play as good as django did----when you get it together you will hear the diferrence in the sound--the guitar really will project a whole lot more if you play it correctly--this guitar isnt meant to be strummed like a j-45.......although it does play really good for acoustic blues---you dont have to play django style on it--but if you want a blues guitar--this wouldnt be the first choice--my main gripe is that the little "e" string doesnt sound too great when played alone---i think this is because the action is still too low--i may try putting a 12 or a 13 on it---i play hard and the 11 gauge string seems to give up sometimes--just sorta whimpers--i want it to sing---

this guitar is solid--you play it sitting down---i iamgine it would last for years unless you sit on it---oscar aleman is the only guy i have ever seen a picture of ..who played one of these guitars standing up---by the way--if you like django---you really need to find a cd by the great oscar aleman from south america--he was a contemporary of django and played a lot like him---only--his style is a little more accessible to us mortals--but he still was a master---he played a lot of "standards" and he was really a master player--just not as euro influenced as django was--

koreans?---i have idea who i would call....do they have phones?

i have wanted one of these guitars for quite a while--i finally found one at a good price--and , much like columbus, i took a chance---i think its a good guitar----if you have any talent at swing guitar, i think you can make this guitar work for you--you may have to spend a little time setting it up--but---it aint that hard--

Like all the other reviews - nice guitar - standard features, nice looking. I'm wondering how I'm going to fund a pickup to fit that soundhole, though.

I fund a good trick to adjust the action on individual strings (the action is generally not adjustable unless you use a thin wood shim under the bridge). For individual string height adjustment, cut a small portion of the cotton filling from a cigarette filter and place it in the cradle under the string - I mean a really really small piece. If it's too big you'll screw up the tone. Yes, yes - I suppose you could use part of a cotton ball, but , as a jazz player, what would you rather have attached to your guitar - a girly cotton-ball, or a cigarette butt from a smokey jazz club?

Unbelieveable sound. I live in an apartment, and I know my neighbors hate me by now because it is the loudest acoustic guitar I've ever played. It shouts when other guitars merely speak.

Decently set up, although the "gitanne" symbol/label on the headstock looks like it was laser-printed on, and hurriedly at that. Beautiful top and back, though. The neck is pretty sweet too - nice bouncy frets, slim back and wide top - everything I need. It holds a tune reasonably well, too.

Here's my big bitch. I apparently didn't humidify it sufficiently, because, despite a homemade humidifier, the fretboard cracked after three months... and it started buzzing on three strings. I'm still in the process of resolving this with the place of purchase. I've owned many guitars and never had one go and crack on me. Unbelieveable.

Never dealt with Saga, but if the reatiler doesn't resolve this to m satisfaction I may try to deal directly with saga.

I've been playing for about 15 years - just started the gypsy thing about 1.5 years ago. This machine is perfect for the 'chug-chug' type of rythm involved with manouche jazz. I just wished I'd asked about any special care I needed to take with it (like storing it in a full bathtub to keep it hydrated). That, and I wish it had 14 frets to the bode, like an oval hole selmer.

Hello,this is a very under rated guitar....the d-hole id great....lots of room for all ranges from highs to mids to lows as well...it deserves a try out at your local music store....
there is a good warm feeling when you play this one....it has a smooth finish.....good tuning machines.....nice neck.....
extended frets into the d-hole......
it was made over seas....and I believe it has not yet been accepted as one of the better Maccaferri Django type copy guitars....
please try one out soon....remember you do not have to pay out a lot of money just to gat a great guitar....
and as my father said many times ....
....it is not the guitar it is the player...."
Joe Nania
http://www.hollywoodjoe.com
New York

This is a guitar for many styles not just Django style....
folk players as well as swing....jazz....country.....blues....and flatpickers and finger pickers will all take notice of it's versatility.......

The action is quite good for this d-hole Django type guitar....
so what if you allow it to be high a bit....
Django himself played many a time on high....action....necks.

The Saga D-hole is great playing out....
put it in it's case when done....
remember it is a classical style guital with a flat top.....
it is loud....and you can place a Stimmer or Haussel pickup....(both from Europe)....onto it's D-hole successfully.....

I spoke to a few reps from Saga and they were very cordial to me on the guitar subject....
saying if I did not like it they would return it.....

The Saga D-hole Django model guitar....
is a must for anyone interested in trying to get into that Django thing....
Why go out and spend ton$ of money.....when here it is....a good all around swing box that will get you there for a 3rd if not a 4th of the going prices out there in guitar -world....
Think about it....!

OK, I'm not going to write a long review as the ones below are sufficient, but I really want to talk about this guitar to someone, and my wife is sick of hearing about it! The features are fairly simple - solid top, mahagony neck, adjustable truss rod, ebony fingerboard etc

Oh, that sound. In solos it is as clear as a bell over any other instrument. I think I could be playing this thing in a coffin six feet under and people would still be able to hear. It is LOUD. It is the same brash but subtle sound you will hear on the early Django recordings. I have played it over a number of styles of music, and have always been impressed on it's ability to 'fit' the tone of the music. It has an unmistakable charater, but can be either cheeky and lively or subtle and melancholic depending on how you pluck those strings. I don't want to sound too sycophantic, but the sound is without doubt one of the most beautiful noises I have ever heard. Astounding depth, resonance and variety - clearly the main selling point.

Well, I've heard a number of things regarding the quality of Saga products, mostly negative. Supposedly they are getting better, but clearly they still fall a way below what you'd expect from a custom luthier. In a couple of places, the joins were a bit messy, glue oozing out, especially around the neck, but these are only really visible very close. The action was perfect though, my fingers just seem to slide gracefully between notes, no hard pressing and no buzz (though that might be more to do with the new strings I put on it).

Hmm, I'm not too sure having ownly owned it a matter of weeks. It certainly seems sturdy enough, but it is unbelievably light. Although I think it probably is strong, the combination of messy finishing and low weight mean I'm reluctant to leave it anywhere it might get scratched (because that wood is just too beautiful to damage!)

Never dealt with Saga, got it in an auction

There has been a lot of debate about this guitar on the gypsy jazz Yahoo group. Most of the heat stems from the elitist attitude taken by many of the jazzers. Of course, if you are a working professional who can afford it you should invest in a custom built guitar that will accomodate your particular needs. However, if you are a humble amateur who wants to play with that authentic Hot Club sound, this is a perfect guitar, and a bargain at twice the price. I've been playing along with Django recordings since it arrived, and the only problem I've had with it is that it is so loud I need to turn the cd player up to full volume to compensate! Truly a great guitar.

MADE IN CHINA,TWELVE FRETS CLEAR OF THE BODY, SOLID SPRUCE TOP,ROSEWOOD BACK AND SIDES SEEMS TO BE SOLID NOT LAMINATE.
NICE WIDE CLASSICAL WIDTH NECK.

I AM PRIMARILY A BLUES GUITARIST WHO REALLY LIKES SWING MUSIC. THIS GUITAR DOES BOTH REALLY WELL,AND IS ALSO GREAT FOR FINGERPICKING.
IT HAS INCREDABLE SUSTAIN ON SINGLE NOTES,AND IS A REALLY RESPONSIVE INSTRUMENT. I BOUGHT MY JANGO THROUGH THE MUSIC STORE WHERE I WORK, AND USED MINE TO TAKE SEVERAL ORDERS FOR THE STORE.
EVERYONE WHO HAS PLAYED IT HAVE BEEN BLOWN AWAY. THE GUITAR SOUNDS AS IF IT HAS A REVERB CHAMBER IN IT. ONCE YOU START PLAYING YOU DON'T WANT TO STOP. OTHER THAN A SMALL RUB THROUGH MARK ON THE BASE OF THE NECK THE GUITAR ARRIVED IN PERFECT CONDITION. ACTION WAS LOW AND FAST.
HECK THE THING WAS EVEN IN TUNE AFTER COMING CLEAR ACROSS THE COUNTRY!
I HAVE OWNED A LOT MORE EXPENSIVE GUITARS, BUT NONE HAVE PLEASED ME ANYMORE THAN THIS INSTRUMENT! BRAVO SAGA

GUITAR ARRIVED IN A MOLDED HARDSHELL CASE WHICH IS OK BUT NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY, A GUITAR OF THIS QUALITY DESERVES A RESTING PLACE, BUT THIS CASE DOES THE JOB. THE GUITAR PLAYED GREAT RIGHT OUT OF THE CASE NO BUZZES OR FRET PROBLEMS AT ALL NECK WAS STRAIGHT ACTION WAS LOW AND FAST. THE ROSEWOOD BACK AND SIDES HAVE A LOOK OF FINE ANTIQUE FURNITURE THE TOP HAS A WONDERFULL AGED AMBER LOOK TO IT. ALL THE BINDING IS EBONY AND MAPLE INLAY, NO PLASTIC TO BE FOUND, THE ROSETTE IS ALSO WOOD INLAY. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY CAN MAKE SUCH A INTICATE GUITAR FOR SUCH LOW BUCKS. I WILL TAKE OFF ONE POINT FOR THE RUB TROUGH MARK ON THE BASE OF THE NECK,OTHERWISE ITS GREAT!

GUITAR IS VERY LIGHT IN CONSTRUCTION SO I WILL HANDLE IT VERY CAREFULLY, BUT I THINK IT IS VERY WELL MADE AND SHOULD HOLD UP WELL WITH REASONABLE CARE. I HAVE BEEN PLAYING IT DAILY FOR OVER A MONTH WITH NO SET UP PROBLEMS OR FINISH WEAR TO SPEAK OF. THE FINISH ON THIS GUITAR IS A VERY LIGHT MATT FINISH,AND THE GRAIN OF THE ROSEWOOD IS LEFT OPEN NOT FILLED UP WITH FILLER! I THINK THIS ADDS TO ITS ANTIQUE LOOK AND VIBE.

HAVE NOT DEALT WITH THE COMPANY ON WARRANTY ISSUES, BUT THE PEOPLE I HAVE TALKED TO SEEM WILLING TO HELP! NOT SURE HOW LONG THE WARRANTY IS.
I'M A GUITAR TECH SO I AM NOT TO WORRIED ABOUT ADJUSTMENTS AND THINGS AS I DO ALL THAT MYSELF.

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING OVER 30 YEARS, I OWN A NUMBER OF GIBSON LES PAULS AND A ES345 NUMEROUS FENDER GUITARS,A NATIONAL TRICONE. IF THE GUITAR WAS STOLEN I WOULD SEARCH OUT ANOTHER ONE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THE GUITAR IS THE WAIT APPROX THREE MONTHS FOR DELIVERY.

an exact replica of a a 1932 selmer maccaferri manouche guitar. spruce top, rosewood back and sides.... well, it is a clone, and one that didnt cost me 3400.00 like a maurice dupont. got it in a case for $800.00. squared cutaway, extended 24 fret fingerboard,the nicest neck heel i have ever seen on an acoustic, which also makes me wonder about how long it will last, but the selmers are still hanging in there. stamped trap tailpiece, accomodates bot loop and ball end strings. stays in tune center part of the moustache bridge is removable and movable for intonation sets. waited 6 months to get this guitar directly from the factory. it is the real thing

that is it... the ONLY guitar that gets the tone. i have put sil and steel on numerous 00, 00, and dreads trying to get the django tone, but this guitar does it, must come from the enormous bridge and even bigger enlarged D soundhole. the plastic insert in the tailpiece was loose and caused all kinds of vibration (i.e. rattle) though. i know they say it is a percussive guitar, but i dont think that is what they meant. i had a buddy that builds shaker furniture make me a replacement out of ebony. problem solved, but you could just as easily lay some epoxy to the regular one and kill its vibration, or stick a piece of something under it.. the sounds is incredible, butr it is designed for one purpose only, django tunes.... aahhh sweet geaorgia brown never sounded so good. no G-runs here folks, it aint your saturday night bluegrass guitardoes well with fingerstyle or aggressively picked jazz though, and chords and single lines all sound great. came in smelling like all saga instruments do. what is that smell? the glue? curry powder? do they build them in a barn? if you have ever owned a blue ridge or a ky mandoline, you know the smell i am talking about. it is gone now, but one of these days, i would like to know what that smell is!!!!!!!

action was high, tailpiece was tarnished ( brasso took care of that in 5 minutes). got that straightened out.... oh, and the fifth fret was noticeably higher than the rest, like hitting a speed bump!. didnt forget the tailpiece insert (that is really the only "bad" thing)that rattled like a eastern diamondback. but let's see, $3400.00 vs $1000.00 retail, i made the changes and still came out smelling like a dozen roses. i also wonder about these gypsy guitar builders that make changes....maple back and sides, different hole designs, smaller bridge, different t/p... are they changing the tones? seems as though they would have to be. this one nails the tone i wanted,..... cheap, ratty, non sustaining. i mean, i have some killer dreads... taylor 810, NG yamahas, handcrafted yamahas, gibson j-50, plus martin 00-18 from 1944. this is now my favorite guitar. you can do the jeery reed baldwin thing on this guitar too.the claw or nuages.... this is your guitar, billy in the lowground or blackberry blossom? get a dread.i give it an 8 on the tarnished rattling tailpiece, and the smell.

well, it looks sturdy to me...havent had any problems with it yet the tuners dont look all that great, but they arent that great on a lot of much more expensive guitars that i own either.

never dealt with them, but the store ordered two of these guitars and one of them had a chipped tailpiece insert (recurring problem?). he called them up and they sent him a new tailpiece... the whole she-bang, so i guess they are good. these guitars come a long way, and from the looks of the strings,and THE SMELL they dont do anything to them when they land in the USA. they come in like they left whatever sweatshop they left, so expect a little this and that when you get yours... and dont get riled when you find out how long you have to wait, compared to over $2K-$3400 for the others, they are worth the wait and they NAIL THE TONE.

i love it, i love it, i love it. it is a one trick pony though... and i cant stress this enough... okay, two tricks if you also play jerry reed stuff. i would absolutely break down and cry if something ever happened to it, mainly because of the wait i had to get this one, besides that, it is just TOO COOL sitting in the stand at the house.it was worth the price as an ornament in the living room. this is so cool. since i changed the plastic t/p insert to ebony, i think i will contract my buddy to do some inlay work on it as well ( just the block), that way, if it gets stolen, i can spot it. if you are entranced by manouche music, you have to have one of these guitars, plain and simple. and if you love the music but know you arent going to make a living playing this style, the D-500 is the only way to go, plus from what i have seen at the NAMM shows, it is the truest replica of all of the builders out there, and for that, i thank them. they just clone the real thing, with no "improvements". if this guitar had a glossy top, maple back and sides, or whatever, it just wouldnt sound the same. for VALUE, i wish i could give it a 20.