Selmer guitar

The Selmer Guitar (often called a "Selmer-Maccaferri" or just "Maccaferri" by anglophones, as its inventor's rather than manufacturer's name was stressed in the early British advertising) is an unusual acoustic guitar best known as the favored instrument of Django Reinhardt. It was produced by Selmer from 1932 to about 1952.

Construction

In its archetypal steel-string Jazz/Orchestre form it is quite an unusual-looking instrument, distinguished by a fairly large body with squarish bouts, and either a "D"-shaped or longitudinal oval soundhole. The strings pass over a moveable bridge and are gathered at the tail like a mandolin. The top of the guitar is gently arched or domed — achieved by bending a flat piece of wood rather than by the violin-style carving used in archtop guitars; the top is also rather thin at about 2mm. It has a comparatively wide fretboard (about 47mm at the nut) and a snake-shaped slotted headstock. The back and top are both ladder-braced, which was the norm for French and Italian steel-string guitars of the time (unlike American guitars, which frequently employed X-braced tops by this period).

Other models can be more conventional in appearance and construction, with the Modèle Classique, for example, essentially being a standard fan-braced, flat-top classical guitar.

Early days - "Maccaferri" or D-hole guitar

George Cole playing a D-Hole

Early models have a large, D-shaped soundhole (the "grande bouche", or "big mouth"), which was shaped specifically to accommodate an internal resonator invented by luthier Mario Maccaferri - this was designed to increase the volume of the guitar and to even out variations in volume and tone between different strings. The scale, at 640 mm, and fretting of the early guitars was very similar to other contemporary guitars (including the Gibson and Martin guitar designs from which most modern acoustic guitar patterns ultimately derive), but with a wide fretboard more typical of a classical guitar. Many of these guitars, produced during 1932 and 1933, were sold to the UK market via Selmer's London showroom (which also distributed the guitar to regional dealers) and it was during this period that the guitars became known as "Maccaferris" to Britons.

Post-Maccaferri or Oval-Hole guitar

Maccaferri designed the original guitars and oversaw their manufacture, but his involvement with Selmer ended after 18 months. Over the next few years, the design evolved without his input and, by 1936, the definitive^[1] version of the Selmer guitar had appeared. It was officially called the "Modèle Jazz", but also known as the "Petite Bouche" (small mouth) or "Oval Hole". These later guitars have revised internal bracing and a longer scale length of 670 mm. The vast bulk of guitars produced after the Maccaferri period were sold in Selmer's native France; these later guitars are always referred to as "Selmers" (as are the earlier guitars by the French).

While Maccaferri may no longer have been around (and his cherished^{[citation needed]} resonator had been abandoned), the later guitars retain many unusual characteristics of his original innovative design, including the world's first sealed oil-bath machine heads and a top that is bent, mandolin-style, behind the floating bridge - something that contributes to the guitar's remarkable volume when played.

Use

Before the advent of amplification, the Selmer guitar had the same kind of appeal for European players that the archtop guitar did in America: it was loud enough to be heard over the other instruments in a band. The "petite bouche" model has an especially loud and cutting voice, and even today it remains the design preferred by lead players in Django-style bands, while the accompanying rhythm players often use D-hole instruments. (This was the lineup in Django's Quintette du Hot Club de France during its classic period in the late 1930s, and it remains the pattern for bands that emulate it.) Modern exponents of the style often amplify their instruments in concert, but may still play acoustically in small venues and jam sessions. Gypsy jazz players usually couple the guitar with light, silver-plated, copper-wound Argentine strings made by Savarez (or copies of these), and heavy plectrums, traditionally of tortoiseshell.

Today, the Selmer guitar is almost completely associated with Django Reinhardt and the "gypsy jazz" school of his followers. From the 1930s through to the 1950s, however, Selmers were used by all types of performer in France and (in the early days) in the UK. The first Selmers sold to the UK market were used in the standard dance band context and were associated with performers such as Len Figgis and Al Bowlly. In France, the Selmer was the top professional guitar for many years and can be heard in everything from musette to the backing of chansonniers. Leading players ranged from Henri Crolla to Sacha Distel. More recently, the style of guitar (albeit a modification developed by Favino) has been associated with Enrico Macias.

Other Selmer guitars

Although best known for its steel-string D-hole and oval-hole guitars (known initially as the "Orchestre" and later the "Jazz" model), Selmer - during the Maccaferri period - also made and sold Maccaferri-designed classical guitars, harp guitars, 6- and 7-string Hawaiian guitars, tenor guitars and the "Eddie Freeman Special", a 4-string guitar with the scale-length and body-size of a standard guitar, designed to be used with a special Reentrant tuning that was briefly successful in the UK market. Most of these "other" instruments featured Macaferri's distinctive D-shaped soundhole and many contained the resonator. Production of all but the Modèle Jazz had ended by the mid-1930s.

Copies, replicas and similar guitars

Selmer-Maccaferri and Selmer style replica guitars

Selmer did not make large numbers of guitars (fewer than 1,000 were ever built), and the company stopped production altogether by 1952, so playable original Selmers are rare and command high prices. Before the current rise in interest in Django and his guitars, other European builders were producing instruments emulating the Selmer design, but with their own variations, such as (starting in the 1930s) Busato, Di Mauro and, from the 1940s onwards, Jacobacci, Favino, Anasatasio, the Gérôme Brothers, Olivieri, Rossi, Bucolo, Patenotte, Siro Burgassi and a few others.^[2] In the 1970s a line of Selmer copies was produced in Japan for CSL and Ibanez and in the 1980s for Saga Instruments under the "Blueridge" brand, meanwhile in France production continued by a few luthiers including Jean-Pierre Favino and more recently Maurice Dupont. Elsewhere, Selmer-style guitars have been a speciality offering from some high grade luthiers including John Le Voi, the late David Hodson, Rob Aylward, Chris Eccleshall and Doug Kyle in the U.K., Michael Dunn and Shelley D. Park in Canada, Leo Eimers in the Netherlands and more. More recently again, instruments have also become available at a range of price points under the Gitane and Dell'Arte/John S. Kinnard brands.

Common departures from the original designs include omission of the internal resonator, addition of a scratchplate, the use of solid (non-laminated) woods and building D-hole models with a 14th fret neck-join rather than the original 12th fret join.^{[citation needed]}

Surviving original Selmers

Less than half of the 800 or so original Selmer guitars survive in playable condition; a number of these are owned or have been owned by notable musicians. (Note in the Selmer sales logs as reproduced in the F. Charle book, the sequence starts at 085 in 1932 and ends at 885 in 1952).

• Number 085 (D Hole), 1932, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 093 (D Hole), 1932, illustrated in the JWC Guitars "Selmer Gallery" as at April 2013.
• Number 097 (D Hole), illustrated on p. 80 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 099 (D Hole), illustrated on p. 242 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition) as owned by Féré Schedegger.
• Number 103 (D Hole), previously owned by collector Scott Chinery, George Cole and, allegedly, Django's brother Joseph Reinhardt.^[3]
• Number 126 (D hole, no cutaway), 1933, currently owned by the "Cité de la musique" museum of Paris, France
• Number 130 (D Hole), 1932, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 132 (D Hole Concert model), illustrated on p. 58 and 190 (label) of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition), auctionned in Vichy, France, in 2008 décember 12th according to vichyencheres.wordpress.com/catalogues
• Number 142 (D Hole), owned and played by Ian Date.
• Number 152 (D Hole, 7 string Hawaiian), 1932, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number ??? (D Hole, originally 7 string Hawaiian with later added cutaway and converted to 6-string), previously belonging to Francis-Alfred Moerman, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number ??? (D Hole), 1932, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 162 (D Hole 4 string Grand Modèle), 1932, illustrated on p. 92 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition); listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 163 (D Hole), 1932, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011; believed to have originally belonged to Joseph Reinhardt according to description on www.gypsyguitars.com.
• Number 175 (D Hole Orchestre model), label illustrated on p. 190 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 197 (D hole, erroneously given as number 719 however the latter is a later oval hole model) illustrated with Nils Solberg in the JWC Guitars "Selmer Gallery" as at April 2013.
• Number 199 (D Hole 4 string Grand Modèle), illustrated on p. 97 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 214 (Espagnol model - round hole, no cutaway, gut strings, fixed bridge), illustrated on p. 68 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 221 (D Hole 4 string Ténor model), 1933, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at April 2013.
• Number 226 (D Hole 4 string Ténor model), 1933, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 233 (D Hole 4 string Ténor model), 1933, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at April 2013, currently owned by the "Cité de la musique" museum of Paris, France
• Number 238 (D Hole Eddie Freeman model), 1933, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 241 (D Hole 4 string Ténor model), illustrated on p. 102 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 248 (D Hole), illustrated on p. 91 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 252 (Round hole, no cutaway, movable bridge + tailpiece), illustrated on p. 84 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 254 (D Hole), 1933, previously owned by Louis Gallo, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 246 (D Hole Eddie Freeman model converted to 6-string), 1933, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 258 (Eddie Freeman model transformed into 6-string), illustrated on p. 199 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 261 (D Hole Eddie Freeman model), 1933, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 275 (D Hole Harp guitar with 3 extra bass strings, fixed bridge, gut strings), 1932, previously owned by Mario Macaferri and illustrated in the for sale section of www.retrofret.com as at September 2013
• Number 277 (D Hole Harp guitar with 3 extra bass strings, fixed bridge, gut strings), illustrated on p. 67 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition) auctionned in Vichy, France on 2008 December 12th
• Number 278 (D Hole Harp guitar with 3 extra bass strings, fixed bridge, gut strings), illustrated on p. 62 and 67 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition) currently owned by the "Cité de la musique" museum of Paris, France
• Number 282 (D Hole Eddie Freeman model), 1933, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 284 (D Hole), 1934, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 285 (D Hole), 1934, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 315 (D Hole Eddie Freeman model converted into 6-string), illustrated on p. 196 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 317 (D Hole Eddie Freeman model), 1933, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 320 (D Hole Eddie Freeman model converted into 6-string), 1933, illustrated in the JWC Guitars "Selmer Gallery" as at April 2013.
• Number 338 (D Hole 4 string Eddie Freeman model), illustrated on p. 98 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 348 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 119 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 350 (D Hole), 1934 previously owned by Francis-Alfred Moerman, Sarane Ferret's rhythm guitarist, illustrated on p. 145 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition); listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 372 (D Hole), 1934, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number ??? (Oval Hole, 12 fret transitional), 1934, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 403 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 116 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 417 (D Hole 6 string Hawaïen model, no cutaway), 1933 illustrated on p. 111 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition), auctionned in Vichy, France on 2008 December 12th and illustrated in the catalogues section of vichyencheres.wordpress.com
• Number 418 (D Hole 7 string Hawaïen model, no cutaway), circa 1934, illustrated on p. 106 and p. 111 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition); listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 423 (D hole) belonging to Nous’che Rosenberg, recently repaired by Leo Eimers

• Number ??? (D hole), composite of Maccaferri body and Selmer neck, restored by Rob Aylward, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 430 (Oval hole), recently restored by Leo Eimers
• Number 441 (Round hole, transitional), illustrated in the JWC Guitars "Selmer Gallery" as at April 2013.
• Number 442 (Round hole, transitional), 1938, listed and illustrated in the "for sale" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at April 2013.
• Number 445 (Round hole, transitional), 1938, label illustrated on p. 191 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition); listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011 and www.rfcharle.com as at April 2013 (http://www.rfcharle.com/HTML/GalerieA.html).
• Number 447 (Round hole, transitional), illustrated on p. 114 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 448 (Round hole, transitional), 1938, listed and illustrated in the "for sale" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at April 2013.
• Number 453 (Oval hole) bought by Henri Crolla in 1938, kept by his wife, Colette Crolla, in Paris. Perfectly preserved.,^[4] illustrated on p. 207 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 485 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 244 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition) as played by Raul Reynoso.
• Number 494 (Oval hole, maple body, flat [non-slotted] headstock, no cutaway), illustrated on p. 140 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 501 (Oval hole), previously owned by Fapy Lafertin and Nils Solberg, illustrated in the JWC Guitars "Selmer Gallery" as at April 2013.
• Number 503 (Oval Hole, "Django Reinhardt" on headstock). Django used a number of Selmer guitars in his life, but #503 is considered "the" Django guitar, used by him almost exclusively from 1940 until his death.^[5] It is now in the Musée de la musique, Paris, having been donated by his widow, Naguine Reinhardt.;^[6] illustrated on p. 134 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 504 (Oval hole, "Django Reinhardt" on headstock), the "sister" of Django's favourite guitar, owned and played by Stochelo Rosenberg.;^[7][8][9] illustrated on p. 137 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 505, the other "sister" of Django's favourite, owned by Kees van Oorschot
• Number 507 (Oval hole), owned and played by Ian Date.
• Number 511 (Oval hole, "Modèle Django Reinhardt" on headstock), illustrated on p. 137 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 520 (Oval hole), 1940, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 525 (Oval hole, maple body, flat [non-slotted] headstock), illustrated on p. 138 and p. 158 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 526 (Oval hole), 1941-2, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 547 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 118 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 548 (Classique model - round hole, no cutaway, gut strings, fixed bridge), 1942, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011; illustrated in the JWC Guitars "Selmer Gallery" as at April 2013.
• Number 550 (Classique model - round hole, no cutaway, gut strings, fixed bridge), illustrated on p. 70 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition). Currently in the Netherlands according to the JWC Guitars "Selmer Gallery".
• Number 552 (Jazz model oval hole - no cutaway), previously owned by Loulou Gasté and currently owned by his widow Line Renaud. Was shown in the Paris exhibit "Swing de Paris" from October 2012 to January 2013.
• Number 566 (Jazz model - oval hole) currently owned by Thomas Dutronc. Was shown in the Paris exhibit "Swing de Paris" from October 2012 to January 2013.
• Number 573 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 125 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition) in the possession of Marcel Bianchi (photographed in 1942), present whereabouts not recorded.
• Number 574 (Oval Hole) owned by John Jorgenson, illustrated on p. 243 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 575 (Oval hole, subsequently enlarged to round hole), 1942, formerly belonging to Roger Chaput, listed and illustrated in the "for sale" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at April 2013.
• Number 585 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 128 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition) in the possession of M. Van Crauwenberghe ("Texas Dan") of Ghent, Belgium (photographed in 1940s?), present whereabouts not recorded.
• Number 589 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 122 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 607 (Oval Hole), rediscovered recently and shared by a group of young musicians called "Selmer 607"^[10]
• Number 617 (Oval Hole), 1946, was auctionned in Vichy, France, on 2006 décember 16th as shown on vichyencheres.wordpress.com/catalogues/
• Number 625 (Oval hole), 1946, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 634 (Oval Hole), 1946, model acajou, 6 strings, Christophe Lartilleux - Latcho Drom (Photo in the Book of François Charles)
• Number 636 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 130 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 645 (Oval hole), 1947, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 648 (Oval Hole), 1947, auctionned in Vichy, France on 2008 December 12th and illustrated in the catalogues section of vichyencheres.wordpress.com
• Number 652 (Oval hole, rosewood/spruce), 1947, previously owned by Stochelo Rosenberg, listed and illustrated at tfoa.eu as at January 2014.^[11]
• Number 657 (Oval hole), recently repaired by Leo Eimers
• Number 662 (Oval Hole), 1947, previously owned by Sarane Ferret,^[12] listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 665 (Oval hole), 1947, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 698 (Oval Hole), 1948, previously owned by Matelo Ferret,^[12] listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 709 (Oval hole), 1948, currently owned by the "Musée des musiques populaires" in Montluçon, France.
• Number 717 (Oval hole), 1949, listed and illustrated in the "for sale" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at April 2013.
• Number 719 (Oval hole), previously owned by Henri Crolla, illustrated in the JWC Guitars "Selmer Gallery" as at April 2013. (Note a D-hole guitar illustrated with Nils Solberg is also stated to have this number, however the latter is an error for 197)
• Number 731 (Oval hole), 1948, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.rfcharle.com as at April 2013 (http://www.rfcharle.com/HTML/GalerieA.html).
• Number 744 (Oval hole), 1949, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 763 (Oval hole), 1949, listed and illustrated in the "for sale" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at April 2013.
• Number 786 (Oval hole), 1949, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 793 (Oval Hole), was auctionned in France, Enghien les Bains, on 2012 October 28th as said on www.enghien-svv.com.
• Number 795 (Oval hole), 1949, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 807 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 133 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).
• Number 822 (Oval hole), 1949, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at April 2013.
• Number 824 (Oval hole), 1950, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 831 (Oval hole), 1949, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 832 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 242 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition) as owned by Féré Schedegger.
• Number 833 (Oval hole), 1950, previously owned by Ken Sykora, illustrated in the JWC Guitars "Selmer Gallery" as at April 2013.
• Number 849 (Oval Hole), 1951, previously owned by Loulou Gasté, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 851 (Oval hole), 1951, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 859 (Oval hole), 1951, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 861 (Oval hole), 1952, owned and played by Ian Date, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 862 (Oval hole), 1951, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 863 (Oval hole), 1951, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of http://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/Category/selmer-guitars as at February 2011.
• Number 865 (Oval hole), 1948, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.rfcharle.com as at April 2013 (http://www.rfcharle.com/HTML/GalerieA.html).
• Number 866 (Oval hole), 1950, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at February 2011.
• Number 872 (Oval hole), 1952, listed and illustrated in the "sold" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at April 2013.
• Number 879 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 243 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition) as played by a member of "The Rhythm Brothers".
• Number 881 (Oval Hole), illustrated on p. 243 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition) as owned by Raul Reynoso.
• Number 882 (Oval hole), 1951, listed and illustrated in the "for sale" section of www.gypsyguitars.com as at December 2013.
• Number 884 (Oval hole), illustrated on p. 241 of "The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars" (English edition).

Other Maccaferri guitars

Maccaferri moved to the US and became interested in plastic manufacturing. He produced plastic classical and steel-string guitars — of similar shape to his Selmer designs, albeit with F-holes — in the 1950s and 60s, along with many musical and non-musical plastic products. Produced first under his own name, and after 1964 under the name "Mastro", the guitars were of short scale, but accurately fretted and intonated. These instruments were not a huge success at the time and are now considered oddities.^[13] However, the many variants Maccaferri's plastic ukulele enjoyed a considerable vogue in the 1950s and sold in large numbers.^[14]

Maccaferri also produced 440 near-replicas of his original D-hole design in partnership with Ibanez guitars in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were individually signed by him and are considered quite playable and collectable.

Sources

• Charle, François. L'Histoire des guitares Selmer Maccaferri. Paris: François Charle, 1999. ISBN 2951351607.
• Charle, François (trans. Karslake, David). The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars. Paris: François Charle, 1999. ISBN 2951351615.

References

External links

• gypsyguitars.com specializing in Selmer and Selmer-style guitars
• F. Charle Gallery of Portraits including Selmer and Selmer-style guitars sold in that shop in Paris (see here for their current inventory)
• JWC Guitars Selmer Gallery
• Selmer information on Eimers guitars website
• "A brief history of the Selmer-Maccaferri guitar..." on Youtube
• "Setting up the Selmer-Maccaferri" Gypsy Jazz guitar video (excerpt) on Youtube
• "Building a Selmer Guitar" (first part) on Youtube
• A 1932 Selmer Maccaferri on Youtube
• Selmer 503 (Django's guitar) on Youtube
• Selmer 607 on Youtube
• Selmer 645 on Youtube - also here
• A newly found 1947 Selmer on Youtube
• Selmer 863 on Youtube