Gypsy Guitar Selmer Style Oval Hole, now with sound!
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 11:36 am
This is my first gypsy style guitar. Made excactly like the original Maccaferri/Selmer from the '30s. The important differences to a "normal" steel string were posted in the Log-section. I did not post things of the later stages of the build, because they were not that different from other builds.
My challenges were
-The very thin folded top and glueing it
-The very tight bending of the cutaway
-The oval rosette.
But all went right, so I am very pleased with the outcome.
The owner did not want a "new look" on his guitar. For that reason I left the coloring of the top a bit blotchy. Also I did not sand away little scraches and dings. "Road worn" is fancy now, this one fits in. Ha!
Top- German spruce
B/S- EI Rosewood
Neck-Walnut
Fingerboard- Wengé
Bridge-Wengé
Tuners-Schaller 25021 Gold
Binding-Walnut
Finish-Danish Oil
Before I struggled with Tru-oil, but this Danish oil was a relief. 4 layers, one week rest and a little fine sanding. That was all. Sooo much less effort than laquer. But hey...one must like it.
About the sound: To be honest, I'm not that a fan of the gypsy tone. But this one does what it is supposed to do. Very loud and agressive. But still a warm tone, compared to the ones I played (also 50 years old ones).
The new owner made us a clip, here it is:
Gypsy Sound
My challenges were
-The very thin folded top and glueing it
-The very tight bending of the cutaway
-The oval rosette.
But all went right, so I am very pleased with the outcome.
The owner did not want a "new look" on his guitar. For that reason I left the coloring of the top a bit blotchy. Also I did not sand away little scraches and dings. "Road worn" is fancy now, this one fits in. Ha!
Top- German spruce
B/S- EI Rosewood
Neck-Walnut
Fingerboard- Wengé
Bridge-Wengé
Tuners-Schaller 25021 Gold
Binding-Walnut
Finish-Danish Oil
Before I struggled with Tru-oil, but this Danish oil was a relief. 4 layers, one week rest and a little fine sanding. That was all. Sooo much less effort than laquer. But hey...one must like it.
About the sound: To be honest, I'm not that a fan of the gypsy tone. But this one does what it is supposed to do. Very loud and agressive. But still a warm tone, compared to the ones I played (also 50 years old ones).
The new owner made us a clip, here it is:
Gypsy Sound
