Gypsy Guitar Selmer Style Oval Hole

[Herman]

I am not into jazz, but still I was asked to build a Gypsy guitar. The new owner really can play. That helps a lot.
He likes a Selmer style with an oval hole with original specs. For that I got a copy of Michael Collins book and a full size plan from Mr Charle in paris. Ready to go.

I got to go from zero, because a gypsy guitar is different in several ways. The major difference from a flattop is the top. It has a kink, just below the bridge. The pliage. Made for a steeper string angle over the bridge. The strings are not attaced to the top, but to a tailpiece, like a jazz guitar.
Most modern builders do not make this pliage. Instead they make a domed top. Easier to make, but not the original design. Difficulty for me is first to bend the top plates (at 2mm/0.08"!!!) separatedly. And glue them together with their bend in them and not having room for sanding out flaws. Hmmm. Challenge!

At the moment I am making molds for the body, the headstock layout, 7' and 12' radius cauls for bracing and a plate, on which I can glue the kinked top plates together.

Dave pushed me to write this log. He is very persuative (or was it seductive?) So here we go.
Herman

[Dave Bagwill]

You are a brave man, Herman. I cannot wait to see how this turns out.

One thing I've adopted from Collin's book - on page 210 - is the semi-hemi fret ends, and I found an easy way to make them. They look great and are the smoothest ends I've been able to produce.

You're going to make the bridge yourself, I take it? What about the tailpiece?

[Herman]

I have the fret end not on my mind yet. Let's talk that later.
The tailpiece will be bought. The bridge will be out of my hands. No big issue IMO.
Later types of the bridge are made out of stained rosewood, instead of ebony. Lighter you know.
The inside is hollowed out to reduce extra weight.
Mine will be made of Padouk. the fingerboard of Wengé. Light and very ringy (read Erwin Somogyi).

[Dave Bagwill]

A friend gave me a nice little stash of wenge, and yeah it is ringy and nice. Like you said once before though, you can drop a camera into one of those pores and lose it forever.

[John Parchem]

I look forward to following the progress on this guitar.

[Tim Benware]

As an aside to this thread: My uncle played with Django Reinhardt in 1946 when he toured the US. Django only spoke French and my family was of French origin and spoke French so my uncle and Django were able to converse with one another. My uncle was a professional jazz guitarist.

[Herman]

Nice aside Tim, thanks.
These Maccaferri/Selmer jazz guitars are popular, maybe only because of Django. From 1932 up to 1952 they only made 800-900 guitars in a tiny workshop attached to the large Selmer wind instrument factory. Without Django they would not have been sold, and the brand would be unnoticed. So credits to him and your uncle.