2006 AJL Model 503

Many are surprised to find that some of the best Selmer Maccaferri style guitars in the world are not built in Paris, but rather in the far north of Finland by the skilled luthier Ari-Jukka Luomaranta. Made famous by the legendary Swedish guitarist Andreas Oberg, AJL guitars have found their way into the hands of Gypsy jazz guitarists worldwide. AJL is known for his meticulous attention to detail, deep knowledge of traditional building techniques, and replica hardware which is second to none.

This is AJL's tribute to Django's legendary Selmer guitar which bears the serial #503. Selmer #503 was unique in that it had a shallower pliage than later Selmers and was also built using only four braces (the fifth brace "bass" brace was missing) which resulted in a warmer and more rounded tone.

The design is pure Selmer, with a 15 3/4" body, 670mm scale, spruce top, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, and a walnut neck with the traditional grafted headstock. This guitar is outfitted with AJL's beautiful vintage tailpiece and closed tuners. The interior is lacquered and the top features a heat bent pliage.

AJL certainly succeeded in making this instrument sound "old" as it has the clarity and dryness that one rarely hears in new instruments. Not often do I hear a new guitar that produces the strong, clear fundamentals that this one does. If you're looking for an instrument with definition and punch, than this is it.

This guitar comes with one of AJL's amazing ultra slim, ultra strong flight cases. It's so small you'd hardly believe the guitar could fit in there...and is so strong that Andreas can stand on it with out damaging the guitar inside (I'm serious, he tried it).

This guitar has some playing wear (small dings and scratches, some light finish checking, and some pick wear) but is generally in very good condition with almost no fret wear and super slinky 2.6mm action.

This is the CASH price...add 3% if you'd like to pay with a credit card. Add 4% for international credit card orders.