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Topic: Hermann Weissenborn, the man and his guitars |
Rob Anderlik
From:
Chicago, IL
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2015 11:59 am |
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| This is wonderful, Rob. Thanks for the link. |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 6 Feb 2015 2:04 pm
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I found this article really interesting. I love Weissenborns and Konas. I think they appeal to a certain musical aesthetic and I am about to embark on a set of Irish Fiddle tunes using mine.
The author touches on a very important issue for those new to Weissenborn guitars:
"Beginning in mid-1926, efforts were made to increase the volume of the guitar by altering the top’s wood mass. Heavier braces, a larger bridge plate, and a reduced bridge size were all part of this effort."
Its a bit too polite as you might expect. Early Weises had problems with the bridge and bracing and the subject was show some time ago in this wonderful rebuild:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=195185&highlight=weissenborn+repair
Many Chinese Weissenborns are built to the original specs and develop this problem. Buyer beware.
_________________
Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Rob Anderlik
From:
Chicago, IL
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Posted 6 Feb 2015 2:32 pm
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David:
I've had some of the same experiences as you, but with a twist. One of the best sounding vintage Weissenborn's I ever played was a style 1 at Gruhn's Guitars which looked like it was going to collapse! Now I don't claim to be an expert on guitar building or Weissenborn guitars but there is definitely a correlation between soundboard thickness/bracing and responsiveness and playability. Too light and the guitar may sound/play great but collapse over time. Too heavy and the guitar may be sturdy but not sound/play all that great. I know from my discussions with Tom Noe that he considers the guitars made from 1920-1925 to be among the best playing/sounding Weissenborn's ever built. My impression is that the heavier bracing that was begun in 1926 did not result in more responsive/better sounding guitars, but just the opposite. Perhaps other's can chime in on this?
Last edited by Rob Anderlik on 7 Feb 2015 6:37 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2015 3:12 pm
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How does one discern the approximate vintage of a Weissenborn?
I have one that appears to be a "Style 1" that's branded "Maui Maid." I have no clue as to when it was built, but certainly would be curious to know:
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Rob Anderlik
From:
Chicago, IL
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Posted 6 Feb 2015 3:18 pm
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| Hopefully Tony Francis or Tom Noe can chime on this! I did a quick search and found your previous post where Tom identified Maui, Maui Maid and Italian Madonna as 3 different private label names sold through Christophe's. |
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werner althaus
From:
lincoln, NE
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Posted 6 Feb 2015 8:13 pm
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Great article, Rob
One of the things I find fascinating about old Hawaiian guitars like the Weissenborn is how universally the are embraced by everyone once they hear one being played in a reasonably competent way, yet almost nobody seems to know about them. One really well kept secret outside of this and a few other communities. Seems to me that there are builders today (Tony Francis comes to my mind but I've yet to experience one in person) whose creations can rival the magic of an original one. Would you agree or disagree, being that you are in the position of owning both?
Anyway, here's a pic of my '25 style one after it was fixed up by our local shop a wonderful guitar IMO. Thanks to Tony Francis for getting me a correct nut and aluminum saddle.
and here's an oddball, a cedar topped OWOPHONE "Hawaiian Gitar" (love the spelling error), made in the German Reich (D.R.G.M. is the Reichs-patent) during the 20's or 30's ??? How did the maker (Otto Windisch) know about these type of guitars?
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Sebastian Müller
From:
Berlin / Germany
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Posted 7 Feb 2015 12:51 am
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| What an great article, thank you so much for posting. I didn't knew that Weissenborn was 50 years old when he build his first guitar, great story ! |
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Rob Anderlik
From:
Chicago, IL
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Posted 7 Feb 2015 6:55 am
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| Quote: |
| One of the things I find fascinating about old Hawaiian guitars like the Weissenborn is how universally the are embraced by everyone once they hear one being played in a reasonably competent way, yet almost nobody seems to know about them. One really well kept secret outside of this and a few other communities. Seems to me that there are builders today (Tony Francis comes to my mind but I've yet to experience one in person) whose creations can rival the magic of an original one. Would you agree or disagree, being that you are in the position of owning both? |
Werner - the short answer to your question is YES - there are several builders making Weissenborn guitars which - IMO - rival the vintage guitars made by Hermann Weissenborn. Three of the top builders which come to mind are Tony Francis, Bill Hardin (Bear Creek guitars) and Bill Asher (Asher guitars). Each builder has their own approach and while I'm sure there are differences between their guitars, they are all making world class instruments
The long answer is that it is a little tricky to do a side-by-side comparison of a 90 year old guitar and a guitar which was built just a few years ago. It's kind of like comparing two bottles of fine wine at different stage of the aging process. For example, my vintage style 1 is a really mellow sounding guitar but it's a little tricky to get it in tune and pull the best sound out of it. By comparison my Tony Francis guitar is a little less mellow but it tunes up beautifully and plays/responds better than my vintage guitar. They're both great guitars, just different. I love them both! |
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werner althaus
From:
lincoln, NE
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Posted 7 Feb 2015 10:32 pm
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Rob, regarding the side-by-side comparison I only have videos to go by but it seems to me that the new Tony Francis guitars look and sound everything as sweet but also more dynamic than the originals. I can't comment on the other makers but Tony seems to have cracked the code and his creations are roadready professional instruments while the originals are very fragile. I use standard open D with Newtone Aloha strings and sometimes I lower the high D string one half step. The two adjacent strings will need to be retuned when I do this, it's a very sensitive contraption that I would not subject to the rigors of a professional music career. For my light gigging routine on the other hand it's perfect and it was much, much, much cheaper than a new one, the way it should be.  |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2015 6:03 am
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| enjoyed this article. some luthiers find the niche they need..... |
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Jim Myers
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2015 8:54 am
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I loved the book and the interview gave me more insight into their lives. It was Chris Knutsen that made the first hollow neck Hawaiian guitar so I would like to see Weissenborn used for Weissenborn guitars and ones made now should be hollow neck guitars. Not all resonators are Dobro's.
_________________
D8 Hollow neck acoustic.
Raised nut on a Gene Autry Melody Ranch.
ShoBud D10 The Professional.
56 D8 Stringmaster. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 9 Feb 2015 6:02 am
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Fascinating interview, Rob.
I've had the opportunity to play a few vintage Weissenborns in stores and they weren't all similar. The best one (later purchased by Ed Gerhard) has a gossaamer-light tone that sustained incredibly. I'm not a collector. I've had to wheel and deal for the small group of instruments I've got at any one time. I currently own a Koa Bear Creek and an Asher Maple Weissenborn and I've played several other high end models by other makers.
Like Tony Francis, Bill Hardin and Bill Asher had access to fine original Weissenborns that they studied and measured meticulously. Yet to my ear, they don't really sound like any of the originals I've played. And frankly, I like them better. As Rob said, in these modern versions, there's gorgeous tone, sustain, impeccable craftsmanship and the sense that these are solidly built, master grade instruments. The originals had a certain poetry but a lot of this comes from being very lightly built and 70+ years old.
My Bear Creek is a highbred. It's an all-koa MK model with style 4 inlays and a nicer top than usual plus it's also the first Weissenborn bill built with rosewood binding. At the time, I saved money by not getting a gloss finish.
The Depp Body Asher is unique. To date, I believe it's the only one like it. It's made from a book matched cello set of Canadian flame maple with spruce top. Here's a look ...
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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George Noe
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 14 Feb 2015 7:23 pm
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| "Maui Maid" was a label that Christophe's used briefly in 1922. From 1916 to 1921, the Cristophe's label was "Italian Madonna." When the second wave of Hawaiian music popularity hit in 1922, Christophe's Dept. Store wanted a more Hawaiian motif and they dropped Italian Madonna. Maui Maid was shortened to just "Maui" in 1922, a round yellow label. |
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George Noe
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 5 Apr 2015 8:25 am
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| I think it is worth clearing up the myth about Hermann Weissenborn's name. According to birth certificates I have seen (and have in my possession) Hermann's full name was Karl Hermann Heinrich Weissenborn. He always used either Hermann Weissenborn or just H. Weissenborn. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 5 Apr 2015 12:53 pm
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| George Noe wrote: |
| "Maui Maid" was a label that Christophe's used briefly in 1922. From 1916 to 1921, the Cristophe's label was "Italian Madonna." When the second wave of Hawaiian music popularity hit in 1922, Christophe's Dept. Store wanted a more Hawaiian motif and they dropped Italian Madonna. Maui Maid was shortened to just "Maui" in 1922, a round yellow label. |
Thanks so much for clearing up that mystery for me, Mr. Noe. If my Maui Maid is indeed from 1922, it's definitely the oldest instrument in my collection. According to the widely available list of National serial numbers, my trusty Style 1 Tricone No. 1750 dates from 1929.
One more question: What is/was "Christophe's" and is it or a successor still doing business? |
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