By this time, violin and string instrument builders had streamlined their process enough by hiring specialized woodworkers who would assist them in the most time consuming tasks that there were plenty of quality, affordable handmade instruments. Its nuanced, woody tone was superior to that of other similarly priced guitars, though it lacked the depth of tone and powerful output of the professional-grade, handmade DuPont-which costs several times more.Eastman Strings began in 1992, but its roots date back centuries to the violin and bow makers of the 1800s. Overall, the DM1 offers a good version of the classic Django zing, with robust bass, an even response all along the fingerboard, and impressive projection. The setup was excellent from first strum and the intonation and fretwork along the thick ebony fingerboard were flawless. The flat-D-shaped neck profile is more substantial than the typical Chinese-built Selmer copy and more comfortable for my fretting hand than my trusty old Gitane. I compared the Eastman with a few other Selmer-style guitars, including a student-grade Gitane DG-250 and a stellar DuPont MD30 that has seen decades of service to Django’s legacy. (For those less interested in causing a riot at your next Hot Club jam, Eastman also offers the guitar in a more traditional natural finish.) Whether this color is your jam or not, the open-pore finish was well applied, and I get the sense that each one finished in this color will be unique. Though some other players thought it looked like fake antiquing, I liked the finish’s subtle shading and the fact that it resembles nothing else. It features Eastman’s unique Classic finish, inspired by the weathered and well-played look of old violins. Let’s address the gorilla in the room before we continue-our tester guitar’s finish is a controversial choice in the picky world of Gypsy-jazz traditionalists. This last feature is accurate to how the original Selmers were built, based on a pioneering design by Mario Maccaferri to make the guitars more durable and project more because of the stiff back and sides. I was able to get my hands on the first one available and had a swinging time getting my rhythm chops in shape for the chugging Gypsy-jazz rhythm called la pompe and working on diminished scale runs popular among Djangoheads.įrom a spec-sheet perspective, the DM1 checks all of the right boxes for the Gypsy-jazz fan: the oval soundhole with its characteristic striped rosette floating, compensated mustache bridge curvaceous metal tailpiece with ebony inlay ladder-braced spruce top, and laminated rosewood back and sides. While that may be true of some of the lower-end student models, a quality petite bouche (“small mouth”) guitar is a very quick and responsive instrument, with a woody midrange, growling lows, and singing high-end that’s super for lead and rhythm work alike.Įastman spent a few years working on its Selmer model, and the company debuted this guitar, the DM1, in January. If your ears are used to boomy dreadnoughts, your first impression of a Selmer-style guitar might be that it’s all zing and no booty. With their long scale lengths, small oval soundholes, and unique strings, these specialized instruments were built to create penetrating acoustic sound when played with a heavy pick. If you’re a guitar player looking to explore the music of Django Reinhardt and the manouche jazz of the Belgium-born Romani guitarist and his cohorts, sooner or later you’ll find yourself ogling the distinctive Selmer-style guitars that are practically required for playing this endlessly cool style.
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