DjangoBooks.com
Welcome to our Community!
Categories
- 19.8K All Categories
- 1.1K General
- 449 Welcome
- 57 Archtop Eddy's Corner
- 135 CD, DVD, and Concert Reviews
- 380 FAQ
- 26 Gypsy Jazz Italia
- 22 Photos
- 199 Gypsy Picking
- 21 Unaccompanied Django
- 15 Pearl Django Play-Along Vol.1
- 16 Gypsy Fire
- 40 Gypsy Rhythm
- 1.3K Gypsy Jazz University - Get Educated
- 126 Gypsy Jazz 101
- 210 Repertoire
- 205 History
- 696 Technique
- 46 Licks and Patterns
- 6 Daniel Givone Manouche Guitare Method Users Group
- 20 Eddie Lang Club
- 1.2K Gypsy Jazz Gear
- 742 Guitars, Strings, Picks, Amps, Pickups and Other Accessories
- 422 Classifieds
- 43 Recording
- 62 Other Instruments
- 18 Violin
- 5 Mandolin
- 22 Accordion
- 7 Bass
- 10 Woodwinds
- 314 Gypsy Jazz Events
- 136 North America
- 95 Europe
- 83 International
In this Discussion
Who's Online (1)
-
11:09AM
Today's Birthdays
Comments
Hmm while I understand the type of join is uncommon I'm not seeing why you'd need to take it to a specialized repairperson to have it fixed. I think any good luthier would be able to sus out what needs to be repaired. Violin shops may be more accustomed to this type of repair than guitar people. Assuming the tenon is intact it probably just needs to be glued back as geese_com mentioned his friend had done.
Harry from Stringphonic will get back to you quickly but I'd be very surprised if the join isn't exactly as Selmer prescribed. He is pretty insistent about Stringphonic guitars being built with period correct techniques and geometry.
It's definitely not a usual way to join the headstock and the neck. I've taken my guitar to a very reputable shop in Chicago and the guy was convincing me that the heel on my guitar was made "waaay too thin". I told him that's the Selmer thing, that's how these luthiers do it. He was like "yeah, yeah, I know but this is way too much". There are several things about this design that are simply uncommon. With that "selmer" neck cut perpendicular to its length I was thinking what else could they do other than some form of mortise and tenon. But, I'm a hack woodworker so I don't know. And yes, what Gian said, it looked to me it could just be glued and clamped.
Glad to know others have had the same experience. To JasonS, I agree a specialist is not necessary if one knows an experienced luthier--glue and clamping all that might be needed. As I mentioned, I'd like to get some perspective before I hand the instrument over to someone, especially if they are not aware of the *tenon joint. (Sorry for my previous usage error. I'm not a wood worker!)
As has been stated on this board by many people before me, if Django didn't play a Selmer guitar, a lot of these techniques used to construct the guitar might no longer be used or have fallen into the sands of time. They produce their own set of problems or challenges (i.e. not being able to get inside the soundhole as the Frets.com article mentions, the nasaly tone, the heel and headstock joins, etc.) But, because he did play one, many seek to reproduce the construction of the Selmer guitar as exactly as possible.
It reminds me of a story of Josef Stalin copying the US B-29 Super Fortress. The USSR at the time didn't have a similar long-range strategic bomber. When a few of the US aircraft were forced to land in the Soviet Union on an emergency divert, Stalin had Tupolev reverse engineer the plane EXACTLY (what became the Tu-4). One of the US aircraft had previously received airframe damage that was repaired in the field with a form of a patch. Even though it was clear that the patch was not part of the initial production, and it actually made the airframe somewhat weaker in that spot, Stalin decreed that he wanted an EXACT match so things wouldn't get screwed up. "You go tell him that his instructions shouldn't be followed in this instance!" So, they ended up essentially cutting holes in the airframe and "repairing" them just to make the exact copy. Something totally not necessary for the effectiveness of the aircraft, but done so it matched what came before.
All that said, I have absolutely zero knowledge of luthiery to know which of these Selmer characteristics are part of what gives them their sound vs. cosmetic choices. Nonetheless, the market sets its own demand and the fact that there are so many relic-ed 503 copies or EVH Frankenstrat copies (down to even the same year coin used or brand of reflector,etc) is a sign that many people do desire to have that exacting copy.
EDIT: Here's a link that references the Tu-4 story.
This would not make me think anything one way or the other about the luthier. It's like taking a Ferrari to the Kia dealer.
If they used hide glue in the joint it could be super simple. Work glue in the joint and clamp it. If it is other glue it might be somewhat more complicated but probably pretty simple.
I’ve closely examined and/or worked on 6 Stringphonics, all were very well made, and all had the same (Selmer-traditional) headstock joint. It’s a hassle to make this joint, I don’t use it myself (of course, tons of modern builders do), but I have to admit being kind of a recent convert to the concept, because it tends to “break” cleanly- typically the headstock joint glue gives way before the wood tongue breaks, which makes for a *much* simpler headstock repair than a classical/Martin/Gibson headstock break.
I posit that “ease-of-repair” was a design consideration for this specific joint design (why else go through the technical hassle + cost of it🤷♂️’). It’s also not impossible that the headstock joint glue was specifically formulated to release easier that the neck-body joint (many if not all luthiers build with different glues, depending on what should come off and what shouldn’t).
…
🤞it’s a straightforward successful fix, looks like it should be. Don’t let the fixer use epoxy, specify that!
To Gouch: I had the same thought about relative ease of repair on this break, especially if using traditional wood glues. To that end, I agree with you on avoiding epoxy. Stay tuned!