In the past years I had the opportunity to work on several original Selmer guitars. Some came to me in a very bad shape. Forgotten guitars found on attics and even a Selmer guitar with severe damage due to a car crash. In almost every case I had to remove the whole back side to be able to do the restoration work. The inside of a guitar reveals interesting things about the construction. In this item I will discuss some special guitars I worked on,  Selmer nr. 430, Selmer nr. 657 and Maccaferri nr. 423

> Selmer 430

This Selmer was owned by a family in Amsterdam. They decide to sell it to Stochelo Rosenberg. It was not in playable condition. I received it in a worn out but original case (photo selmer 430-1). A closer inspection of the inside of the body, with a mirror and a light, revealed very interesting stuff. The top was supported by only 3 sound braces. A strange finding since most Selmers have 5 parallel braces. Looking at the serial number (#430) (photo selmer 430-2) of the guitar it was clear that this guitar was one of the transitional period.

> Transisional period

After Mario Maccaferri had left the Selmer factory, Selmer continued making guitars. They made some changes like introducing the small oval sound hole and the 14-th fret neck (67 cm scale length, 21 frets, 14-th fret to the body). In this period however they experimented, amongst other things, with the bracing of the top. Obviously they tried to make the top as light as possible. That is probably the reason for leaving out some braces. It is quite unique to find such a ‘transitional model’ and, due to the shape the guitar is in, have the opportunity to open it.

> Findings on the outside of the guitar

The guitar was in almost original condition. It is was clear that the top of this Selmer was not strong enough to deal with the forces of the string tension (about 90 kg). A severe dent in the top around the sound hole was visible (photo selmer 430-3 and 430-4). There was a wedge glued between the fret board and the neck (photo selmer 430-5 and 430-6) to compensate for the hollow of the neck. Selmer used a fixed neck re-enforcement made from 3 aluminium strips. Clearly, not strong enough in this case. Several Selmers I came accross with had a bended neck (hollow) and this kind of fix (glueing a spline between the neck and the fretboard) is often seen. The name of Django Reinhardt is engraved in the headstock, but strangely enough upside down, as this is a guitar for a right hand player (photo selmer 430-7). The ebony insert of the tailpiece was missing (photo selmer 430-8).

> The inside

Opening up the guitar by removing the back also reveils more insight into the construction.
1. The tops of Selmer guitars where traditionally bended at the bridge location by using a heating tool (photo selmer 430-9). The marks are clearly visible. 2. The lining is made from laminated wood, shaped after glueing it to the sides (photo selmer 430-10 & 430-11). 3. As often seen in these guitars there was no extra time spend for extra sanding of the parts and cleaning up excessive glue. 4. The grain of the centre support patch (which reinforces the bud joint of the top halves) is running in the same direction as the grain of the top. For higher strength one should expect it to run at a 90 degree angle (photo selmer 43 0-12). 5. The two braces that support the bridge are arched over the centre reinforcement (photo selmer 430-13). 6. There is quite some open space around the dovetail joint of the neck/body (photo selmer 430-14). 7. The braces of the back (and first top brare) are heavy and have a round shape (photo selmer 430-15 & 430-16).

There where only 3 sound braces to support the top (photo selmer 430-17). The lack of the fourth sound brace directly behind the sound hole caused the problem of the dent. A fifth brace, often seen on most Selmers, which is located between the bridge and the tailpiece is not a must. Maccaferri design used only 4 sound braces. 

> Restoration

The work needed to restore a guitar is always discussed with the owner. Our goals where to make the guitar playable again but keep it as original as possible. We decided to fix the dent and add a new sound brace directly after the sound hole.

The first step I took was to remove the dent in the sound board. A very delicate procedure, using a specially selfmade pre-shaped fixture, heat and steam. One must be very careful not to damage the lacquer on the top. After the dent was removed and the wood was dried, the new brace was applied directly after the sound hole. This brace will add extra strength and will help holding the (new) shape of the top. A straight forward procedure. The dimension of this new brace I took from earlier Selmer repairs.

The back and the bindings where glued back on. Very important while re-glueing the back is to maintain the tension in the body (this affects the neck angle). Finally, the guitar needed some finishing and touch up. It is very important to do the finishing in the ‘spirit’ of the guitar. This means that the bindings and finish are artificially ‘aged’ to match the cosmetics of the guitar, making the restored spots as invisible as possible. (this kind of work inspired me to the aged finish of the Antique model)

When the guitar was finally setup for playing, the result was very satisfying. Playability and sound were very good.
(photo selmer 430-18).

> SELMER 657

Selmer 657 was owned by a gypsy family in Germany. They played the guitar almost every day when disaster struck. The guitar was in its case in the trunk of a car, when an accident happened. The car was damaged severely, and the guitar as well. It came to me in thousand pieces held together with tape.



Although severily damaged, I could see that the guitar was an authentic Selmer. It had been in fairly original state before the crash, although there was some previous work visible on the top (crack repairs). Now, the sound board was completely broken in two, just above the sound hole, from left to right. The back had several cracks and twisted fractures. Many people would consider this as a total loss. However, the owner of the guitar and I decided that it was still worthwhile to try to reconstruct the guitar using all the bits and pieces available. Again, to keep it as original as possible.  I worked many painstaking hours glueing all the parts together making fixtures and holding fixtures to restore its original shape. During this restoration I developed a love-hate relationship with this old instrument though.

Then finally the day came I could put the strings on the guitar and started to play the guitar.



I remember well sending an e-mail to the owner telling him that a miracle had happened. Unbelievable the sound of this guitar! Good bass, punchy treble, a Selmer at its best. When the customer arrived to take it back with him, I had some mixed feelings. This one had settled in my heart and I would have loved to keep it. But the owner of course did as well, so it left me....  the fate of the luthier.

> MACCAFERRI 423

You won’t easily come across a Maccaferri D sound hole guitar, as they are very rare. Some years ago, I had to do a repair on Maccaferri number 423 owned by Nous’che Rosenberg. During a concert he accidentally bumped the guitar and punched a hole in the side of the guitar (photo mac 423-12). I was able to repair it by pressing it inside out maintaining the original wood. I took some foto’s of the inside of the guitar. Maybe you are wondering where all the dust is coming from? Nous’che explained that he tended to tip off the ashes of his cigarete in the body of the guitar. ‘Keeping it dry inside’ was his motivation.