[ON HOLD] Selmer - Oval Modele Jazz - (#575, 1942) - DREAM Gypsy Guitar!

Selmer #575, 1942

Importance:
Hard to know where to begin. First off - Selmer has been esteemed for the last 80 years as the greatest gypsy jazz guitars ever constructed. In their short time in production, they built only a couple hundred instruments, a small subset of which were Oval-hole jazz models (the most desirable, like Django Reinhardt's).

500-Series
Second - this guitar is from the coveted 500-series. The best Selmers were constructed in this run. Django's own was #503. This guitar was built in 1942, during the occupation of France. 

Roget Chaput
Third - this guitar belonged to Roget Chaput, who was Django Reinhardt's rhythm guitarist and a founding member of the Quintette du Hot Club de France. The guitar was the primary instrument of Chaput for most of his life until he sold it to a student of his in France. This is one of the few Gyspy guitars with bonafide provenance. Certification of ownership by Chaput was made by renown expert Jacques Mazzoleni.

Moreover, the guitar #575 is listed in the Selmer Factory log as being sold to Chaput. So the origin is clear. While a stereotype, I would suggest there's a very high likelihood that this guitar was played by Django himself. While impossible to actually prove, it's almost certain that Django at some point checked-out his bandmate's guitar.

Sound and Condition 
Because Django was a Selmer icon, Roget had his pick of instruments, and he chose an incredible one. Check out the video - the sound speaks for itself. 

As put by Mazzoleni: "it sounds absolutely fantastic..perhaps the best sounding one I ever had.. and that, dear readers, is saying something" - when talking about this instrument. 

The finish throughout is all original. The neck was reset and the fingerboard refretted, so the action and playability are perfect. There is a crack on the top between the bridge and tailpiece, but is stable and had no impact on sound. Tailpiece is original, tuners and bridge are replica.

Spruce top, rosewood back and sides, and the highly-covered one-piece neck (instead of the usual grafted headstock). 

Soundhole
This guitar started its life as an oval hole. Chaput was a musician, painter, and renaissance-man artist. He completed the modification to this incredible inlaid target rosette. It actually adds additional gusto to the sound, and makes the guitar truly a piece of his artwork.

Comes with hardshell case.

Simply as good as it gets. This is an instrument of incredible sound and sacred importance.