Gitane DG-320 (CD-1519) - Chitara acustica

GITANE - SELMER STYLE JAZZ GUITAR - MODÈLE JOHN JORGENSON

Body style : Horizontal cutaway body with a 14-fret dovetail neck/body joint

Top : solid Spruce top with aged look

Back : Figured Brazilian rosewood

Sides : Figured Brazilian rosewood

Neck : Mahagony

Fingerboard : Mahagony

Body binding : Dalmatian-tortoise

Unique features : Adjustable truss rod, Gitane logo and Modele John Jorgenson in gold scripts, Ebony peghead overlay and underlay, Moustache bridge with movable center, Inlaid wooden rosette with Dalmatian-tortoise square insert and Dalmatian center rings, Deluxe 14:1 gold engraved tuners with grained ivoroid buttons, Gold-plated tailpiece with Dalmatian-tortoise insert, Signed label

Factory producing for us is proud to be collaborating with John Jorgenson, to make some of the finest Gypsy Jazz guitars available on the market today and with the popularity of his first signature Gitane guitar, the DG-300, we have decided to add a brand new and unique guitar as a matched set. Introducing the new Gitane DG-320 “Modele Jorgenson” 14th-fret D-hole Gypsy Jazz guitar! This unique and custom design guitar combines all the playability of a traditional long scale “petite bouche” instruments, with the power of the original Maccaferri large mouth D-hole design. Already becoming one of the most sought after models in the Gitane line!

"Selmer-type” guitars were favourited by Django Reinhardt for a big part of his career and became a symbol of Jazz-Manush also called Gypsy Jazz (Gypsy Jazz, Jazz Manouche). Such guitars were made by Selmer from 1932 to 1952.



Early models had a D-shaped sound hole «grande bouche». This form has been specifically designed for the use of internal resonator to increase the volume of the instrument. Mario Maccaferri was the inventor of this guitar.



Selmer type guitars have a number of distinctive features that affect the sound.



An obvious feature that catches your eye is the irregular shape of the sound hole. The most common form of the hole is an oval. Its small size affects the guitar sound - it becomes more muted and slightly "nasal". However, the main influence on the sound is the design of the body. The lower deck is slightly convex, and the length of the strings is longer than in usual acoustic guitars.



These features are designed to provide the highest volume of the guitar even without micing or amplification. This is a very bright sounding instrument that is difficult to mistake with something else.

Among the traditional features that distinguish Selmer guitars from other acoustics is a non-standard string arrangement. Strings are attached not to the lower nut but to the tailpiece, and instead of the traditional ball in the end, the strings have a loop.



Historically the headstock has a narrower shape, not typical for an ordinary acoustic guitar. However, it doesn’t have any influence on the sound. This feature was developed during the creation of the very first Selmer guitar.



Interestingly, the lower nut of the guitar is movable and is located between the strings and the upper deck, same design as used in construction of violins.



Number of distinctive features of the Selmer guitar ensured its popularity with musicians playing in jazz-Manush/Gypsy jazz style.