John Le Voi Guitars - Est. 1970

Inlays

Standard Le Voi inlays are a selection of black/white/brown (Mahogany) and other colours but customer's own designs and choices of inlay can usually be accommodated.

Tailpieces

Most players prefer the standard Selmer style tailpiece. This is made in solid brass with an ebony decorative plinth. It accepts either ball or loop end strings. I can also supply it nickel or, if you wish, gold plated at extra expense, with matching machine heads in either of these finishes.

I also offer Wooden tailpieces of various designs. I started making these back in the 1970's when there were no Selmer repro tailpieces available, but I still get asked for them by those players who like something a bit different. They accept only ball end strings.

 

 

Bridges

Headstocks

Machine Heads

As standard for Selmer style guitar I use Schaller open gear machine heads, which are brass plated to match the tailpiece. They have proved to be accurate and reliable and have the advantage that they can be repaired in the event of accident damage, as they are easy to dismantle to their component parts - I keep a stock of spares. I offer the option of hand-made Ebony or Rosewood buttons at extra cost.

Closed gearcase machine heads are also available. They are more expensive and in general not easy to repair - accident damage can require the replacement of the complete set.

For flat top guitars with solid headstocks there is a wide choice. Both Schaller and Gotoh have well made, stylish models.

Pickups

For Selmer Maccaferri guitars, I fit the Bigtone pickup as standard. It is embedded in the bridge (with no-slip fit saddle), and does not affect the acoustic performance of the guitar. As a simple 'plug in and play' system, I like it. It has good feedback rejection, is faithful to the original sound of the guitar and the signal strength is such that no pre amp is needed. Most players of this style of guitar don't want to cut holes in the body for battery boxes etc., and the size of the oval hole makes mounting the battery on the top block on the inside of the guitar a difficult proposition. Should you wish to use a pre amp there are several belt or floor mounted models available.

Other pickup systems are available including microphone types - some players are using such systems together with a Bigtone. The Bigtone adds depth and power.