Official Luthiers Forum!

Good point Mike On the Petite Bouches I made with the pickups in, the active pickup was easy as it was directly in front of the soundhole but all the pots e.t.c I had to put in place using a long surgical clamp thing (not sure what they are called but I just aquired it from a medical outfit once).

Pete I envy you, what a great collection of Selmers, how do you find the DuPont compares?

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Nick Oliver

http://www.oliver-guitars.com

Only one of those Selmers in the picture was mine. As far as the Duponts, there are good ones and bad ones. I wasn't impressed at all with the one in the picture. Sounded like it had socks inside it. Very muted. I have played some wonderful ones though... They make some great guitars..

Pete

For those of you who might be interested in building with laminated backs and sides, I now have sets available through my site. They include a set of solid liners as well.
We also have rosettes.
You can have a look here:
http://collinsguitar.com/shop/category/guitar-kit-parts

Plans are there too.

If anyone has any specific questions for me about building these things I will try and answer them.

My site also has a blog, and we are going to be posting pics and text to document the first selmer/maccaferri guitar building course at Roberto Venn.

Michael Collins

Thanks Mike, I'll be taking a look at the site. I was planning on doing solid back and sides. Is there any reason not too? Is it just tradition to use laminate or is there some sort of theory to how they produce sound?

I'm hoping to get started on this project in about two weeks.

He was the first guy who tought me about guitarmaking, and I still believe he is one of the best, especially when it comes to Selmer Style:

http://www.hahl-guitars.com/

Don't miss the photo-gallery!

you´ve learned from Stefan Hahl? I´m truly jealous... my dream Selmer copy would be either an Hahl or a Barault...

cheers,
Miguel.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

Thanks Mike, I'll be taking a look at the site. I was planning on doing solid back and sides. Is there any reason not too? Is it just tradition to use laminate or is there some sort of theory to how they produce sound?

I'm hoping to get started on this project in about two weeks.


This really depends on what it is you are trying to achieve.
I use laminate construction since the majority of Selmer's were constructed in this fashion. Mario Maccaferrri's design called for laminated backs and sides, and this may have had something to do with introducing stability into an instrument where a crack repair would be very tricky to perform (in an instrument with an internal soundbox).
A laminated body has it's own characteristics that's for sure.
If you are trying to get that characteristic Selmer sound, you should use similar construction, and if you are just experimenting, then don't worry about it.

MC

I would love to try a D hole Macaferri classical. Any plans available in US? I'm not up for a SS.
Kent

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Wood Creations by Kent A. Bailey
EXCELLENCE IN SCULPTURE, CARVING, LUTHIER, ARCHITECTURAL MILLWORK AND DESIGN

http://www.kabart.com

there ya go:

http://www.elderly.com/books/items/509-6.htm
http://www.gypsyguitars.com/accessories ... .php?id=11

then, there´s always rfCharle, but he is in france. anyaway: http://www.rfcharle.com/HTML/PlanSelmerA.html


cheers,
miguel.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

Perhaps you can contact Michael Dunn guitars fror plans , he has been building maccafferi style oval soundhole guitars since the 60/s he/s located in vancouver bc canada. I own model #123 circa 1972 recycled vy tight w red cedar top brazilian rosewood back an sides plus b. rosewood bridge. a cutaway . and yes I concur with mad dog that the sound most so called factory guitars compared to the maccafferi/s is lame

Also, for those of you who might be interested in taking a course, or just following along. Here is a link to the Selmer/Maccaferri guitar building course we are offering through the Roberto-Venn school of Luthiery:

http://collinsguitar.com/blog

MC

Ok finally starting to get this thing going. My biggest problem has been how to deal with the pliage. I have Collins book and it's a great book but I'd prefer to build in my style which is on an open solera rather than a mold. So I've been racking my brains out trying to build a solera.

The thing that kills me about the pliage is that you take all this time in getting it built into the top and then you force it down onto the sides which have no profile in them, IOW they do not take the contour of the pliage, they are straight.

My turn of the century mandolin has a contour built into it to take it's pliage. I built a solera thinking I was knowing what I was doing till I dropped the sides on it

One of those things.

So now I am thinking of doing it like the old mandolin. I'm not married to the idea of building a perfect replica but I also don't want to build junk either so I welcome your input based on the following pictures.

So what I am thinking is that if I build this way then the top will not have tension on it from being forced to the flat sides. My fear is that it's this tension that is very important for the tone of a selmer.

Thoughts?

Regards.

This might be of interest if you haven't seen it.
http://www.tngforum.mimf.com/phpbb/view ... ?f=3&t=230

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Dave
Milton, ON

Dave, thanks for that link, just when I thought I read every forum and article on line about Selmers. Anyway maybe now I am even more confused

But the good news seems to be that even the experts are confused to some extent as to how Selmer and Maccaferri managed to get things done. It's almost like the company was constantly in a development stage making changes here and changes there and then just faded away before perfecting the design.

I like the one post from the above article that stated that Maccaferri could never get Selmer to do what he wanted. What he really wanted was a guitar built like the mandolins that inspired his design, that is, with a scored line under the pliage and the pliage canted into the sides.

Whether that is true or not I think I will go down that road.

Pics to follow as I build.

Hi JF,
Glad to see you're starting that Selmer. Nice work on the solera. I almost did the arched cradle but ended up not doing it. I think I would make the cradle next time, though things went OK without it.
I thought about the side profile issue, too. I think that the lack of profile in the sides is part of the design that gives the top a true arch. It really is more archtopped than benttopped like a mandolin once it's together. I'll know more how it all comes together once I get the neck made and see how the top arch and neck go together.

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Chuck Kish

Wow I can't believe I posted the original post going on a year now. Probably be putting the final touches on this instrument by then unless I contend for more doofus awards. Anyway I've got the box closed now and the neck fitted. Next steps will be profiling the top and binding.

More pics.

continued...

continued...

Looking great, JF!
I like your solera. I started one but in the end went forward without it. Definitely a future jig when I do another Selmer.

Looks like a good idea for bending the pliage. Did you have any throuble with that method? I bent first and then joined. Like you, had trouble seeing it before I did it, but it actually went a lot easier than I envisioned. Your way looks much more efficient.

Looking forward to more pics.....

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Chuck Kish

York, I had no trouble at all bending the pliage. I don't know at this point if that was just a lucky on off time with no issues or if it really is as easy as that, but it worked really well.

The solera did work out quite well too. I may for the next build make one on the other side of that apparatus for the back as well.

It's been a learning experience for me. I don't expect this one to be so great but who knows. One thing I am concerned about is the tap tone of the closed box. Not that I would expect it to sound like a classical or steel string box but it's very different. It's very tight and sounds like it needs to open up. I have not yet profiled the top as Collins mentions in his book so I hope that changes it up a bit, or maybe that's just the way these sound. IDK I'm a Selmer noob but I'm enjoying the ride.

I was actually considering not binding the back so that when the guitar is strung up I can take it off and get to the top bracing. I followed FC and Collins plans and made the bracing a hair lighter (the cedar top I am using is actually pretty stiff) but still it just seems so over braced.