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With pleasure. Yes agreed, Maccaferri wasn’t involved in the later oval-hole evolution, and the Selmer design changed substantially after he left. That said, I can understand why some people still mention him in the broader sense of the design and origins. Glad the label photos helped, and thanks for the follow-up, I appreciate your interest in the guitar.
I'm with Spatzo regarding the Maccaferri mention in the context of oval hole Selmer guitar. I'm not sure if Mario was happy that his name kept being tied to the design that maybe you could say it's an evolution of what he started but he had no part in what Selmer guitar ended up being. They're affectionately sometimes called Sel-Mac but it's really factually inaccurate to mention Mario's last name in relation to the oval hole guitar. It took me several years after I was playing this music myself to really realize and learn the difference. It is what it is and it'll never change so I'm good with it.
To me the soundhole and resonator are less significant than the cutaway, floating bridge and somewhat unique seeming hybridization of an archtop and a flattop guitar. I don't know how much if that was Mario vs what was floating around at the time but the guitars seem fairly unique regardless of the soundholes and resonators.
seeming hybridization of an archtop and a flattop guitar
100% and more specifically, at least to me, the Selmer Django box archetype has always felt like playing a hybrid archtop/classical guitar (which is obviously still a flat top) due to the wider neck profile in comparison to like a dreadnaught/OOO/etc.
I don't know how much if that was Mario vs what was floating around at the time but the guitars seem fairly unique
Truly seems like such a unique guitar design and to this day at that!
Hearing the guitar I think it might be interesting to have a slightly higher bridge (between 0.3 and 0.5 mm higher) and also to review the frets. Sometimes that's amazing how the result resonates: my quiet Favino has turned into an (unplayable) cathedral with just an upgrade of 1.5mm, the sound changed completely... You just have to check with an ajustable screw bridge and then build one at the proper heigth measured.
At about the same time as Maccaferri was experimenting with the stressed top for his guitars, the Larson Brothers of Chicago were developing a guitar that was "Built Under Tension" where the top was forced into a sort of dome and then glued to the braces but with a fixed bridge. These guitars were loud and had a unique sound, and John Bajo had one that Django supposedly played when he was in Chicago. John decorated the interior of that guitar with pictures of Django. He'd sold it when I met him, but he said that Django liked that guitar a lot. The only Larson I ever played was a square-shoulder Euphonon about 40 years ago which I promptly tried to buy with no luck. I still remember that guitar. Larsons were expensive and thus very few ever made it down south
Originals are quite rare and expensive, but Maurice Dupont makes a small number of replicas each year. I have never played a Dupont Larson but people like them a lot.
The Larsons also used braces made of spruce sandwiched over a strip of ebony, something also done today. The history of guitars is a history of people trying out new things!
The more I experiment with the design the more I think it has so much more potential than has been realized up to now. Ladder bracing is sort of low class in the lutherie world, but a ladder braced guitar with a floating bridge makes a ridiculous amount of sense as a means of bracing and generating downforce. Versus an x braced pin bridge where the guitar is trying to rip the bridge off the guitar, the floating bridge is applying force in one direction, the braces are counteracting it and the whole machine can be relatively simple. Simple being good.
I don't think Selmer or Maccaferri are the only ones to make a flat top (ish) guitar with a floating bridge and tailpiece and ladder bracing but maybe it is thus far the highest evolution of it.
I'm interested in trying other styles of guitars using this bracing system but it's also hard to figure out if any bluegrasser really wants a dreadnought with a floating bridge (actually, it's easy to figure, they don't). But I think it would probably sound killer.
Paul, you may find Iraqi/Bashir style ouds of interest. The original template for this style of oud was adapted from bowlback mandolins so they share a number of characteristics with Selmer guitars as well. Floating bridge, pliage, etc. They are normally ladder braced but I've seen other variations over the years. Much like Selmers they tend to be very loud and punchy when done well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLyekLsjDtY
https://www.oudnazihghadban.com/project_details.php?pid=154&project_id=8