Things you should know about Gypsy Jazz guitar

[Emma]

1.The sound of it：
great big, midrange-forward, loud tone

People describe [the tone] as nasal- or crunchy-sounding—or just weird. But that’s exactly how a Gypsy-jazz guitar should sound.’----Thomas Davy

2.Its Origins
The instrument was conceived in the early 1930s through a collaboration between the Italian musician and luthier Mario Maccaferri and the French instrument maker Selmer.
Though the instrument is closely associated with guitar legend Django Reinhardt—and Gypsy jazz in general—it was originally intended for the classical guitarist.

3. Its look
The earliest Selmer-Maccaferri guitar was an oddball creature with its large D-shaped soundhole (grande bouche or large mouth); wide, floating bridge; fancy tailpiece; gently arched (not carved) French spruce soundboard; and ladder-braced top and back. The Selmer-Maccaferri was the first guitar with a cutaway and a steel-reinforced neck.

Maccaferri only worked with the company for 18 months. After he left, his original design saw various modifications, among them the introduction of a smaller oval soundhole (petite bouche or small mouth) and a long scale length of 670mm (26.38 inches). Still, Maccaferri’s name is forever associated with the instrument whose defining sound is characteristic of Gypsy jazz.

4. Reason behind its specail material design：
As opposed to fine steel-string or classical guitars, with solid backs and sides, most of the Gypsy-jazz model Selmer-Maccaferris had laminated Indian rosewood backs and sides—for sonic reasons, and not cost-cutting measures. “

The use of laminate was designed to isolate the top.
An arched/bent pliage top and laminated back and sides make the sound reflect outward as much as possible, so the attack of the guitar is quite immediate.

5. What you should pay attention when you choose one
①　what kind of music you wanna play
playing straight Gypsy jazz-----a Selmer or Maccaferri copy(a solid, arched spruce top; laminated rosewood back and sides; and a walnut neck with a 12th-fret . )

②　loudness
It’s one thing to hear a Gypsy-jazz guitar on a recording, but many musicians, upon playing one for the first time, are surprised and even taken aback by how they sound. “People describe it as nasal- or crunchy-sounding—or just weird.
But that’s exactly how a Gypsy-jazz guitar should sound. And it’s also why it’s best to first experience Gypsy-jazz guitars in person.

③　playability
Another surprise comes in the form of playability:
This type of instrument’s optimal setup differs from that of a regular steel-string.
The action on a Gypsy-jazz guitar is generally three millimeters above the 12th fret on the low-E string and around 2.8 on the high-E，noticeably higher than on a standard steel-string.
If you set the action (弦高)too low without enough tension, like many novices do, the guitar will have no projection or power.
While you shouldn’t confuse high action with a poor setup, you should know that entry-level Gypsy-jazz guitars often take a bit of work out of the box to ensure the best playability and sound.

[devon]