1951 Selmer "Petite Bouche "

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With the explosion of Kit-Guitars on the Market; many are now choosing to set up a home workshop and start to assemble their kit guitars and make adjustments in the comfort of their mini home workshops.
The GPS and XLT model TechDecks that you see in all of the instructional videos; are being shipped World-Wide to Guitar Techs / Guitar Enthusiasts and Luthiers from Germany / Indonesia / Japan / South Korea / UK / Slovakia / Slovenia / Australia / New Zealand / New York / Nashville / LA / Los Vegas / Toronto / Vancouver / Montreal / Ottawa / Houston / Boston / Washington / Maryland / Texas / multiple locations in California / Calgary / Winnipeg / London / Paris and dozens of other US and Canadian destinations.
These workstations and accessories have opened up a whole new world for Guitar Techs and Guitar enthusiasts.
I remain ever grateful for the encouragement and support from all of my Students / Customers / TechDeck owners / KZbin subscribers and Patreon Subscribers as we all continue to "Make the World a Better Place" ... one guitar at a time.
Gratefully in your Service, Michael McConville.

[@MrThreescoops]

Wow, that is an amazing example of a Selmer! One of the cleanest I’ve ever seen. I would love to own one, one day…

[@ENSOTAVES]

I have so much respect for Artisans like this gentleman for their wholistic expertise and love for the craft and art.

[@FixNewsPlease]

He really knows his stuff. So much skill in those hands.

[@bennybonilla2864]

I hope younger generations are learning these restoration techniques because every detail counts. Great job sir, it sounds good!

[@andreasfetzer7559]

Wow, you are a real Expert. Wonderful work on a wonderful guitar. Thanks.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Thank you very much! MMcC

[@sanchopp]

Fantastique !!!! Love the way you take care of this old "madame".

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Thank you very much! MMcC

[@innocentoctave]

Beautiful instrument, fine work.

[@wlacosta]

the holy grail indeed. always wanted a Jacques Favino copy... great work and great video as always

[@StringTechWorkstations]

This customer has a Favino too.

[@johnstorace1967]

Workmanship that a fellow craftsman can certainly appreciate !

[@petermontagna3461]

Michael, I've learned much watching your videos but what impresses me most is the level of care and respect you give each instrument you work on regardless of how expensive or inexpensive it is.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Thank you for your kindness and support Peter. I do feel blessed and privileged to make a humble living bringing these instruments to full bloom. I'm glad that I can help shed light on these issues that face my peers / students and viewers. Sadly, there is too much meanness and selfishness in our present day societies. I take great comfort in the solace of my shop.... unhurried and consumed in the moment .... as I go about my daily activities. Joyfully, Michael

[@syn707]

What an interesting process to witness. This is years of learning right before our eyes. Amazing, that to my ears, these Selmers sound like steel stringed instruments on Django’s recordings and does so here.

[@anfiorsceal]

great to see a craftsman at work

[@jackdoe8483]

The song at the end is called "Reverie" by Fapy Lafertin, he's a very well-known player of the Gypsy Jazz style.

[@johnheart6890]

An amazing craftsman an artist at work! I like to play my guitar, but I don’t know anything about building and maintaining them! Very interesting! Thanks!

[@oscardelatorre]

That is such a beautiful guitar!! So stylish!

[@mahler2112]

A friend of mine owned a nylon string that was given to him by Mario Macciaferri. I used to get chills when I played it.

[@fredfloyd34]

Amazing technology..Just a beautiful instrument.

[@santiagobluerain9370]

Great 🎸 work gracias.

[@barryhuddlestun3098]

Master at Work! Wear protection if you are trying to get close enough to see. Hahaha beautiful craftsmanship!

[@henryashley9945]

The first guitar I ever saw up close and personal was a Selmer. It belonged to a neighbor who entertained at local KCs, Elks, Shriner, VFWs, etc. playing guitar and singing folk tunes. I was an impressionable and curious kid of the 50s and 60s and I was intrigued by musical instruments and the people who could play them. I remember being reminded of the Selmer tone when I began hearing Willie Nelson on his famous “Trigger”.

[@stevenedwards4470]

Thar was nice to watch That guitar is a work of art. You did a great job.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Thank you kindly!

[@GuitarlosCarlos]

I CERTAINLY ENJOY THIS CHANNEL CARLOS GUITARLOS 90042 USA

[@dannyvalentine468]

Beautiful sounding guitar! Funny thing is whenever you sand the neck the youtube captions thinks its "Music".

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Lol !

[@JohnvanderGeest558]

Great video. Love the presentation too. Enjoyed it a lot.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Glad you enjoyed it! MMcC

[@neondynamite2071]

what a spirited axe- would love to try a vintage one like this. My gypsyjazz guitars have slight sinking dimples in the soundboard exactly in the shape of the 2 vertical braces that are underneath the saddle area. Does anybody know what caused this on both of my guitars and hopefully a remedy?

[@carlrudd1858]

Very good.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Thanks!

[@martinlouden9005]

Very thoughtful and skilful fingerboard refurb and fret job. They are a beautiful looking guitar. However, I've never been keen on the sound they produce!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

It is a sound unto itself. Fast attack / fast delay.... and very loud !

[@martinlouden9005]

@@StringTechWorkstations that may be so, but it just doesn't "do it" for me!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

I get it totally. Not everyone is into that "buzzy" sound ... Lol ! This is not a guitar that you strum G-C-D on ... or thunk out a Rock and Roll rhythm . It is pretty well a pre-requisite to play Gypsy Jazz on this type of guitar. This was Django's guitar of choice for good reason. That "Hot Club de France" sound needed a guitar that "cut" ( before the advent of the electric guitar) through the clarinet / violin / sounds that were so prominent during that era. The long scale length and soundboard / bridge design ... produced the needed projection for stinging single line attack OR chopping chord vamps.

[@Dobrovinskiy]

High technology guitar repair! 👏

[@viniciusmarcilio3194]

wow! Now this is real savoir-faire.

[@kennyhooning8646]

I had no idea selmer made guitars, I play sax and guitar and you hear alot about selmer saxes but I've never heard of selmer guitars

[@StringTechWorkstations]

They were a big influential company ... movers and shakers.

[@MrZodiac666]

Django played one similar

[@michaelskasick1560]

The ghost of Django Reinhardt is smiling.

[@rcpmac]

I appreciate your work on this old Selmer. Did you lose the middle of the video? Seems like the majority of the restoration process is missing.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

This is an old video from 4 years ago. Here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGOag593hq6LeZo is a Favino refret. Cheers, MMcC

[@SaccoBelmonte]

I have two SelMac style guitars (not selmer) ...and that guitar you have there is literally the holy grail. Wow! are you heating the frets using electricity?

[@StringTechWorkstations]

The frets are heated using a Weller soldering gun for 2 or 3 seconds. Then the fret is removed immediately, before it cools.

[@mwj5368]

Hi! Thanks for the nice video! I'm wondering what you're using for the wound 3rd G string as I notice it is a wound string. Did you use it because of the deadened sounding 3rd G string problem? I have a nylon string Takamine No. 10 made in 1986. I've been trying different 3rd strings. I'm using the Savarez Alliance HT Classic 540J classic strings except for their 3rd string that sounded dead. I tried the Hannabach Silver-Special High Tension G-3rd string that is a wound string. It sounded the best of about 3 others I tried, beautiful, most expensive of all... but it soon broke very easily, and even in the low open C tuning I play in. I'm presently using the D'Addario Pro Arte J4403C -G-3rd .038: or (0.965MM) Extra Hard Tension Composite that has been the best sounding or second to the Hannabach, but still not exactly happy, and when using a capo it is thicker than my 4th string so 4th string will tend to buzz more easily unless I apply a lot of capo pressure (I have the G7th capo that pressure varies with how hard you squeeze it.)... so I'm wondering what others prefer. What brand do you have? Thanks!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Denny ( customer ) supplied me with those strings. They were not a brand I was familiar with... I'll have to ask him.... and get back to you.

[@mwj5368]

@@StringTechWorkstations Hi! Wow! Very nice of you to go out of your way with this! I'm very grateful. I try to ask others what their G 3rd string solution is as I know it varies. Also, you are very talented with your restoration repair to such what I imagine is a very rare gem. It looks beautiful and sounds unique. It must be a very valuable guitar too. Carpe Diem!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

@@mwj5368 www.stringsandbeyond.com/savarez-gypsy-jazz-guitar-strings-1610-extra-light-ball-end.html

[@harrytuttle8161]

Like a Doctors Oath ," First , do no Harm " Primum nil nocere .

[@williambock1821]

Could you temper the frets when the guitar is new if it makes them harder? Soft frets are the bane of my guitar playing existence.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Fret wire does come indifferent alloys ... some harder than others.

[@EbonyPope]

Isn't this a end grain to end grain joint between headstock and neck? Isn't that very unstable?

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Good question. The combination of the walnut neck / the shallower pitch / and the extra thick ebony overlay / take care of the potential liability of the end grain to end grain joint.

[@wesmatron]

I have a question for you.... I played an acoustic guitar in a shop a while ago... it cost about £3,500 and was the easiest acoustic guitar I have ever played. I have never experienced anything like it. Is it possible, with the right skill, to be able to make any acoustic guitar play that well?

[@StringTechWorkstations]

In most cases, yes. No guarantee of a great robust SOUND ( with a cheaper guitar ) ... but playability and intonation can be accomplished, in most cases.

[@willrichtor]

Look into the guitars made in the LaPatrie collective in Quebec headed by Robert Godin. Seagull, La Patrie, Godin, Simon & Patric Luthiers are all a part of that community(it's a literal commune of luthiers) They make hand crafted guitars that sound like antiques(lighter bracing, thin finishes) and play as easy as a well adjusted electric, with prices to fit any budget and no drop in quality in the lower end pieces. A few years ago i got a notion to finally buy a twelve string guitar and after narrowing it down to a Martin and a Taylor I really liked, I walked into a local store with a Seagull 12 string and fell in love. Made in North America by hand with sustainable, fast growing North American hardwoods, and it sounded and played quite significantly better than the Martin and the Taylor at a fraction of the cost.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

@@willrichtor I have always been a big fan of Robert Godin. Dollar for dollar they are pretty hard to beat. MMcC

[@vukvukasinovic3816]

Thank you for the great tips! Please explain one detail from the video. You put some black material on the ends of the frets. What kind of material is it? You call it : “ Speck of lacquer.“ I am grateful to you in advance!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

This is a "hi heat" lacquer stick. Lee Valley sells it here in Canada.Mohawk Finishing products is another brand. The electric hot-knife can be bought at grizzly.com

[@FIGGY65]

@@StringTechWorkstations . Thank you for sharing this particular detail Michael as I had the same question . This is a priceless education for a beginner to this arena. Thank you!!!

[@ferescheidegger5829]

Dear Michael, how is the action at the 12th fret? (1. and 6. string) thanks and greetings Fere

[@StringTechWorkstations]

All I remember is Denny ( the customer ) did not like it too close. That was quite a while ago .... I don't remember exactly.

[@larryn2682]

I don't see or hear any mention of there being an adjustable truss rod.

[@StringTechWorkstations]

No adjustment on this neck.

[@theprogrammerrolandmc3039]

squeaky selmer Maccaferri's association with Selmer ended in 1934, the company continued to make several models of this guitar until 1952. That makes 18 years of copying Macaferri's design something went wrong

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Django was happy !

[@Mike41200psg]

What's his serial number?

[@StringTechWorkstations]

He just got his #529 1942 Petite Bouche. I think he might have sold the 1951 .....

[@thebrooklynbrothers]

@@StringTechWorkstations can you possibly find out for us (I'm compiling a list

[@thebrooklynbrothers]

must be in the 800+ numbers, hope he can find out

[@StringTechWorkstations]

@@thebrooklynbrothers I'll ask the customer. This is the 3rd Selmer that I have worked on for him.

[@BobWarnerBarn]

.............:)

[@johnstasio6205]

I love my petite bouchée but it is a p.I .a to work with this helps, thanks 😎

[@StringTechWorkstations]

You're so welcome! Lol !