The Gitane DG-255 disappointed. The instrument had a surprisingly good fret job and played in tune up and down the neck. The cosmetics were on par or above expectations. The sound was where it suffered. This style of guitar, with very light bracing, relies on select pieces of wood to achieve the desired sparkling mids, snappy highs and not too much low frequencies. Some of the older DG-255's I heard sounded OK (but not great). This new guitar, manufactured only a couple of months ago, did not make the grade.
So, I sent it back in exchange for the next model up which is the DG-300 John Jorgenson signature model.
Stayed tuned for another product review in the coming weeks.