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Topic: Weissenborn - what do I need to know? |
Alex Cattaneo
From:
Quebec, Canada
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Posted 19 Dec 2015 11:31 am |
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| I'm thinking it would be nice to get my hands on a Weissenborn. I know nothing about them. Any advice or tips would be much appreciated! |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 19 Dec 2015 11:52 am
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I picked up a deep bodied Imperial Weissenborn a while back and really like it, full bodied tone.
Last edited by Erv Niehaus on 19 Dec 2015 11:54 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 19 Dec 2015 11:53 am
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Here's the text of my 2010 article from Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Some prices/availability may have changed since the article first ran.
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Taking inspiration from such prominent lap-slide guitarists as Bob Brozman, Ed Gerhard, Ben Harper, and David Lindley, more and more guitarists are adding the unique tone and gossamer sustain of an acoustic Weissenborn-style lap-steel guitar to their musical arsenals. Lap-style guitars first emerged in Hawaii in the 1880s, where players raised the action of their standard guitars, laid them flat on their laps, and learned to play melodies with a metal bar sliding along the strings. The yearlong Panama Pacific Exposition (held in San Francisco in 1915) introduced mainland America to Hawaiian-style playing and ignited a 30-year fad for island music.
Although he was not the first to build a flattop guitar specifically designed for lap playing, Los Angeles, California, luthier Hermann Weissenborn refined the concept in the 1920s. His unique integration of a hollow neck with an elongated body yielded responsiveness, sustain, and a glossy, shimmering tone that many aficionados describe in almost metaphysical terms, and original Weissenborns now command eye-opening prices.
Original Weissenborns were lightly built using Hawaiian koa for the entire body. They have unscalloped, X-braced tops; wooden fret markers inlaid flush with the fingerboard; hide glue construction; and shellac finishes. The guitars came in four styles of increasing ornamentation from the plain Style 1 to the Style 4, whose ornate “rope†binding (constructed from alternating light and dark diagonal strips of wood) became a signature of the instrument. The enduring popularity of Weissenborn’s design, and the high price of vintage specimens, has resulted in quite a few contemporary luthiers either copying or expanding on the basic concept. Let’s take a look at what’s available.
OFF THE RACK
If you’re on a budget or unsure exactly how deep you want to wade into acoustic lap-steel waters, several companies offer very affordable Weissenborn-style guitars. For example, George Boards imports two models built in China: an all-laminate model ($399.99) and a solid mahogany model ($599.99). The guitars come with a 24.75-inch scale (original Weissenborns varied from about 24.75 inches to 25 inches), closed-back tuners, and even optional electronics.
Gold Tone offers three budget-minded models: a laminate mahogany version (LM, $699), a solid mahogany model (SM, $899) and a solid Australian blackwood version (Style 4) similar to Weissenborn’s original Style 4 specifications ($1,519). Gold Tone options include a soundhole pickup with an extended bar magnet capable of picking up the wider string spacing of Weissenborn-style guitars.
Superior’s Hawaiian-style guitars, built by luthiers in the mountain village of Paracho, Mexico, and imported by Berkeley Musical Instrument Exchange, are another lower cost option. Superior offers a spruce top model with palo escrito rosewood back and sides ($1,100) and a mahogany model with a Canadian cedar top ($1,025). Rope binding and an abalone rosette are available as options on both models.
CUSTOM-MADE LAP GUITARS
Since the original’s body shape, hollow neck and aesthetics are a large part of the Weissenborn sound, contemporary lap-slide guitar builders typically offer a more limited range of variations and options than those available for standard guitars. Hawaiian koa is far and away the most popular tonewood for tops and bodies (in varying levels of figure and cost) followed by mahogany and rosewood, although other woods are often available. Custom lap-slide guitars typically include a scale length of around 25 inches, a bone nut, an aluminum or bone saddle, the choice of dot or Weissenborn Style-4 geometric position marker inlays, and a satin lacquer, gloss nitrocellulose, or (like the originals) shellac finish.
The salient aesthetic option unique to these instruments is the iconic rope binding. Some players love it, and some don’t, so most builders offer rope binding alternatives ranging from rosewood to abalone. Like many standard-guitar builders, Weissenborn-style luthiers are usually willing to discuss adding a unique inlay scheme to personalize an instrument. Lazy River Guitars (whose prices start at $1,500), for example, offers to inlay a customer’s initials for $30 per letter.
Luthiers Bill Hardin of Bear Creek Guitars, Bill Asher, and Tony Francis (whose instruments start in the $2,200–$2,800 range) are among several custom builders whose passion for unraveling the secrets of the original Weissenborns has enabled them to build very accurate reproductions both in terms of construction and tone. Asher developed his line of hollow-necks via meticulous study of a 1928 Style-1 owned by Ben Harper, while Hardin enjoyed access to Bob Brozman’s collection of Weissenborns. Francis has also spent many hours measuring vintage instruments in an effort to create a flawless copy.
Several builders make guitars that bow to tradition while breaking new ground. Instruments developed by the Breedlove Guitar Co. and luthier Jayson Bowerman for fingerstylist Ed Gerhard can be ordered with the option of partial standard guitar–type frets to allow fretted bass notes in additional to slide techniques. Breedlove offers the guitar as its Acoustic Lap Steel (starting at $2669.00 (for mahogany), and Bowerman, who now works independently, builds a similar guitar called the Weissenborn (starting at $3440). New Zealand luthier Paddy Burgin offers Weissenborn-style guitars (starting at $2,440) made of Tasmanian blackwood, walnut, or sapele that feature a deeper body and internal bracing designed to deliver greater volume and consistency throughout the guitar’s range.
Others find inspiration beyond the rarified world of Weissenborn. Joseph Yanuziello’s guitars (which start at $6,200) are informed as much by the sound of Martin flattops as by Weissenborn’s Hawaiian guitars while Michael Dunn’s hollownecks (Starting at $3800) reflect the originals reimagined through a fine arts lens. Cole Clark’s Violap ($3,020) uses the Weissenborn body shape and hollow neck (tweaked with f-holes and a choice of piezo and magnetic pickups) to enter electric lap-steel territory.
A BRAVE NEW WORLD
Eighty years after their heyday, Weissenborn-style guitars are hipper than ever and guitarists have a wide range of choices across the price spectrum. Like standard guitars, higher end Weissenborns will get you closer to the slide guitar tonal Nirvana that’s the hallmark of the hollow-neck design. There’s never been a better time to put bar to string and discover for yourself, the magic of lap-style guitar playing.
Andy Volk (volkmedia.com) is the author of Slide Rules: Tunings for Lap Steel, Bottleneck, Resophonic, and Indian Slide Guitar.
SIDEBAR: Contemporary Makers of Weissenborn-Style Guitars
Asher Guitars: asherguitars.com
Bear Creek Guitars: bcguitar.com
Bowerman Guitars: bowermanguitars.com
Breedlove Guitars: breedlovemusic.com
Burgin Guitars: burginguitars.co.nz
Michael Dunn: michaeldunnguitars.com
Cole Clark: coleclark-america.com
Tony Francis Instruments: tonyfrancisinstruments.com
George Boards: steelguitarcamp.com
Gold Tone: goldtone.com
Lazy River Guitars: lazyriverguitars
Superior: berkeleymusic.com
Yanuziello Stringed Instruments: yanuziello.com |
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Mike Spieth
From:
Santa Fe, New Mexico
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Posted 19 Dec 2015 12:23 pm
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Thanks for the article, Andy. Is this some newish resurgence, or were these guitars always available? It seems as if there were very few Weissenborn style instruments made between the 1940s and more recent times.
If you plan to spend under $1000, it looks like the oriental instruments are nearly the only choice. There are a few other names not on Andy's list now: Bediaz from Germany and Anderwood from Britain come to mind. I bought one from Twisted Wood, in Edmonton, Alberta, type 4, which some call a "clown guitar." It's got a solid Sitka Spruce top.
The plastic built-in preamp looked awful to me, and they are very cheap. Tom at Twisted Wood installed a K&K Pure Mini pickup instead, which I absolutely love. |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 19 Dec 2015 1:02 pm
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Be careful buying cheap Weissenborn guitars. Make sure they are braced properly. Top bowing bridge bulge is a problem that even the originals had in some examples.
_________________
Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Alan Simon
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 19 Dec 2015 1:58 pm
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I own and love a Goldtone SM and a Iseman syle 1 Weissenborns. The Goldtone is made from solid Sapale wood and the Iseman is made from solid Koa wood. The Goldtone is tuned to low bass G and the Iseman is tuned to open D. As far as price and quality, if you want something good sounding and playing, would be the Goldtone SM. Pick up a used one. It won't break the bank and you will have a great guitar to boot. I have pretty much switched to Weissenborn guitars from lap steel because of their rhythmic (thunky)bottom sounds as well as their soring highs. You will sound like a one man band when Travis picking the guitar. When amped they have a big, powerful sound for sure.
Hope this helps. Excuse me for rambling but I really like them. |
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Larry Carlson
From:
My Computer
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Posted 19 Dec 2015 2:23 pm
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
I picked up a deep bodied Imperial Weissenborn a while back and really like it, full bodied tone.
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Hey.........you have my Weiss!!!
For the price I really like mine and yes, the tone is amazing.
_________________
I have stuff.
I try to make music with it.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn't.
But I keep on trying. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 19 Dec 2015 6:40 pm
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My Asher deep-body Hawaiian. Canadian maple.
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Bob Blair
From:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Alex Cattaneo
From:
Quebec, Canada
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Posted 19 Dec 2015 7:58 pm
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Damn, Andy, that guitar is stunning. I already own an Asher lap steel and I love it.
Thanks everyone for your input. Keep your suggestions coming, all this information is very valuable to me and hopefully to others also. |
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Don Walworth
From:
Gilmer, Texas, USA
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Posted 20 Dec 2015 7:32 am Twisted Wood model
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I'm a new player -- wanted a non-amplifier required instrument and selected one from Twisted Wood. I have re=strung it to C6 tuning, so matches my lap steel. Love the tone, but that is not fair to say on my part - I have nothing to compare it to; let's just say I like it.
Also Tom was very helpful to me in making my choice of instrument. I did order it with a pickup - does sound good amplified the one time I tried it.
Don |
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Rob Anderlik
From:
Chicago, IL
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Posted 20 Dec 2015 7:52 am
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In addition to Andy's excellent post, here's a link to an interview that I did for my blog with author/historian Tom Noe which goes into detail about the 10 years he spent researching Chris Knutsen/Hermann Weissenborn and their guitars for his book Chris J. Knutsen: From Harp Guitars to the New Hawaiian Family Tom is a member of the SGF and a great resource for all things Weissenborn.
You didn't mention what your budget was, but prices range from less than $1K for entry level imports to $3K and up from the top builders. Having played a lot of different Weissenborns - vintage and contemporary copies - my main advice is to be aware that there is a wide range of quality in contemporary Weissenborn guitars. It's a little tricky to describe this in writing, but part of the magic in a well built Weissenborn guitar is that they ring like a bell and have amazing sustain with a certain haunting tonal quality.
http://squareneckjournal.com/2015/02/06/hermann-weissenborn-the-man-and-his-guitars-an-interview-with-author-tom-noe/
Last edited by Rob Anderlik on 20 Dec 2015 3:12 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Alex Cattaneo
From:
Quebec, Canada
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Posted 20 Dec 2015 8:09 am
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I'm not sure of my budget yet, but I'm thinking in the 1k range, which I'm aware is sort of too much for an import and not enough for a high-end. One issue right now is that the Canadian dollar is extremely weak, so that makes it harder for me to buy something in US funds. Also, I will most likely have to buy sight unseen or order from a local luthier, and neither is ideal. Not a lot of Weissenborn on the market in my neck of the woods, that's for sure.
What about all the deep-body models I see? Those seem quite popular, any particular reason why? |
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Don Walworth
From:
Gilmer, Texas, USA
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Posted 20 Dec 2015 12:33 pm
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| Alex Cattaneo wrote: |
I'm not sure of my budget yet, but I'm thinking in the 1k range, which I'm aware is sort of too much for an import and not enough for a high-end. One issue right now is that the Canadian dollar is extremely weak, so that makes it harder for me to buy something in US funds. Also, I will most likely have to buy sight unseen or order from a local luthier, and neither is ideal. Not a lot of Weissenborn on the market in my neck of the woods, that's for sure.
What about all the deep-body models I see? Those seem quite popular, any particular reason why? |
Twisted Wood - is in Canada...
Don |
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Peter Lindelauf
From:
Penticton, BC
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Posted 20 Dec 2015 5:38 pm
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Worth checking out the Superiors in your price range. I've been happy with my Sitka spruce top Weissenborn with Sunrise pickup. Not a lot of volume unplugged, though. I'll be looking for a deeper bodied model in future but won't part with this one.
http://www.berkeleymusic.com/Hawaiian08_03.html
_________________
...but you are the music / while the music lasts (TS Eliot) |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 20 Dec 2015 5:54 pm
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I've played some less expense Weissenborns that sound just fine - especially with the right pickup through an amp intended for acoustic instruments - a Weissenborn can sound positively massive.
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Alan Simon
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 21 Dec 2015 5:51 am
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| I was a little reluctant to get a a wide body Weissenborn cause I knew I was going to amp them up and I didn't want to deal with feedback issues. As Andy said, they sound huge amped. |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 21 Dec 2015 6:10 am
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| Andy Volk wrote: |
| I've played some less expense Weissenborns that sound just fine - especially with the right pickup through an amp intended for acoustic instruments - a Weissenborn can sound positively massive. |
I'll be honest. Some of the Chinese cheap ones actually sound pretty much the same as the more expensive weissenborn guitars.
Your playing technique, tone bar and tuning are what really produce the biggest effect.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 21 Dec 2015 9:20 am
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| Your playing technique, tone bar and tuning are what really produce the biggest effect. |
Absolutely true but, like anything else in life, a high quality, hand-built product will always have more intrinsic utility and aesthetic value than a cheaply-made version. You can definitely make a cheaper instrument sound pretty good (look at the great music David Lindley got out of the microphonic pickups on cheap Asian guitars). Yet if you play a Bear Creek, Asher, Burgin, Francis etc etc. guitar side by side, the comparison will be glaring. Like everything in life, you get what you pay for and you make the best of what you have if you can't afford the top tier.
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 21 Dec 2015 9:22 am
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| Quote: |
| Your playing technique, tone bar and tuning are what really produce the biggest effect. |
Absolutely true but like anything else in life, a high quality, hand-built product will always have more intrinsic utility and aesthetic value than a cheaply-made version. You can definitely make a cheaper instrument sound pretty good (look at the great music David Lindley got out of the microphonic pickups on cheap Asian guitars). Yet if you play a Bear Creek, Asher, Burgin, Francis etc etc. guitar side by side, the comparison will be glaring. Like everything in life, you get what you pay for and you make the best of what you have if you can't afford the top tier.
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 21 Dec 2015 9:39 am
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Another thing to know: the string spacing on these may be considerably wider than what you may be used to.
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Steve Branscom
From:
Pacific NW
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Posted 21 Dec 2015 1:03 pm
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Did anyone mention Rance White and Lazy River guitars. His are quite a good value for the dollar. He'll even help you build your own. I know he has sponsored classes to help the owner build his own.
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Steve |
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Brian Evans
From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 22 Dec 2015 3:52 am
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Looked into Twisted Wood, being curious about a Canadian company making guitars. They are indeed based in Edmonton, they have a dealer in Sherbrook Quebec who could presumably order anything you want, they manufacture their instruments in China. Prices start quite low, around $400 cdn. They have a vast array of models and options, so it's unclear if they stock all of those variations or build to order.
They strike me as kind of in the same mode as Gold Tone. I own a Gold Tone resonator guitar, a Paul Beard Signature model. The quality of instruments that can be had from China is second to none in terms of a factory made instrument. It's almost odd to call them factories, the builders are hand-making instruments in almost the identical way that instruments are always hand-made, be it by a luthier working on his own in a tiny shop, a Paul Beard hand-building a dozen instruments a month with a handful of people, or a Gibson or Martin decades ago before they got all CNC'd up.
Brian |
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Rob Anderlik
From:
Chicago, IL
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Posted 22 Dec 2015 9:49 am
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| Quote: |
I'll be honest. Some of the Chinese cheap ones actually sound pretty much the same as the more expensive weissenborn guitars.
Your playing technique, tone bar and tuning are what really produce the biggest effect. |
Stefan, I'm not sure which builders you are referring to but for whatever reason my experiences have been very different than yours. All of what follows is my opinion, but I've played maybe 15-20 vintage Weissenborns as well as maybe 7-8 contemporary guitars from different builders as well as a number of the entry level imports. I'll go with you that one's playing technique produces the biggest effect, but all things being equal, there are definite differences between the cheap entry level import guitars and professional quality guitars. The main difference being sustain/resonance/responsiveness.
I'm a player, not a builder, so I can't explain the reasons for this, but a lot of the magic of a great Weissenborn guitar is the unique way in which they resonate, with amazing sustain and their responsiveness. And I've yet to play an entry level guitar that plays/responds/sustains like a professional quality contemporary or vintage Weissenborn.
I'm not knocking the entry level imports, but I (respectfully) disagree with you that they sound/play/respond pretty much the same as top quality, more expensive guitars. |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 22 Dec 2015 10:32 am
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| David Matzenik wrote: |
| Be careful buying cheap Weissenborn guitars. Make sure they are braced properly. Top bowing bridge bulge is a problem that even the originals had in some examples. |
As someone who builds string instruments I can add some information about this. If you build an acoustic instrument with the strings secured at the bridge, without a tailpiece, then the top is set into vibration by a rocking movement of the table as the bridge vibrates around its base. The bridge becomes a fulcrum, and the higher the bridge the more pressure on the table. For instance, if you double the height of the bridge you're doubling the angular force of the strings. This can tear the bridge off or severely warp the top over time. It's all a matter of leverage. The strings are pulling on a lever ...which we call the bridge. On a guitar with a tailpiece, and this includes resonator guitars, it's not a problem, because the the pressure of the strings then in downwards into the body, not trying to twist the bridge off.
The answer is, if you build a Weissenborn-shaped guitar, or just put a higher bridge on a regular acoustic guitar, you need MUCH MORE bracing under the bridge. |
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