Goldtone Weissenborn SM setup question

Jim Kozel · From: Ohio, USA

Hi folks -
Very first post here. Although I'm a luthier and guitar player, I'm very new to Weissenborn guitars, but have been doing a lot of online research. My lap steel experience has been limited to my Flinthill square neck Dobro with Beard upgrades and resonators and dobros that come through my shop.

I just took delivery on a Goldtone SM Weissenborn and there's a lot that doesn't seem right. I'm used to lapsteel string height being consistent along the length of the fingerboard. On this Goldtone, the string height at the bridge is 15mm (5/8"), 10mm (3/8") at the end of the fingerboard tapering to 6mm (5/32") at the nut. The string break angle at the bridge is so severe that it's cracked the bridge at the saddle slot on this new guitar tuned to slack key D.

I'd appreciate someone posting the "normal" string heights at the nut - end of fingerboard - bridge taken from a Weissenborn they know is built correctly.

I want to make sure I've got some standard of comparison to work from as I decide to either fix the darn thing or send it back.

Thanks a bunch -

Jim Kozel

Jeff Highland · From: New South Wales, Australia

I've built a few Weissenborns.
The originals just had a piece of fretwire for a saddle. Besides breaking out the front of the bridge that 15mm string height at the bridge will tend to distort the top.
I don't know what would be standard, but I'd probably take about 2-3mm off the saddle, and if that makes the string height too low under bar pressure in the middle, I'd lift the nut a little to compensate.

Glenn Wilde · From: California, USA

I don't have a Weissenborn but here is my 80 year old Oahu that's similar. It's doing the usual bellying but no cracking and plays fine.

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