Island Koa" Weissenborn copy;info?

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 30 Nov 1999 11:03 am

These are hand made in England by Mike Howlett(?).Does anyone have contact information?I`ve seen a picture on Elderly`s website and it looks good.All solid woods etc. ...

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Olli Haavisto
Polar steeler
Finland

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 1 Dec 1999 5:51 am

I have played several of these guitars and I would rate them as pretty good. For just a few hundred dollars more, you can get a Bear Creek guitar from Bill Hardin. In my opinion, nothing comes close to the sound of the Bear Creek except a vintage Weissenborn and even those are not uniformly good.

If you're interested in comparing prices for the Island Koa, two US dealers I know of carry them:

- Gruhn Guitars, Nashville, Tennessee
- Music Emporium, Lexington, Massachusetts[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 12-01-99]

Richard Vogh · Post by **Richard Vogh** » 1 Dec 1999 6:53 am

Richard Mermer in Florida makes a Weissenborn-style guitar using koa wood.

Mermer Guitars

Mermer's "Maalaea Special" Weiessenborn-style guitar

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 1 Dec 1999 3:22 pm

Island, Bear Creek, Mermer, Scheerhorn - there are lots of nice Weissenborn-style instruments out there, with quite a range of price and sound quality. Whatever their quality, though, they're all basically Weissenborn copies. Nothing wrong with that, Weissenborns are great sounding instruments, but they're sure not the be-all-and-end-all of hollow-neck instruments they're made out to be. If you're interested in a hollow-neck, I'd strongly suggest you check out Joe Yanuziello's Hawaiian King, the only high-grade Hawaiian I know of that doesn't ape a Weissenborn or Kona. Its X-bracing and overall structure are much closer to a pre-war Martin, and like all Yanuziello instruments it's both a spectacular looking and sounding guitar - quite simply the best sounding lap guitar I've ever played. I've compared these instruments to both a Weissenborn and a Koa, and frankly can't imagine why anyone who played a Hawaiian King would even consider anything else. Pictures and sound samples are at www.interlog.com/~ysi/ [This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 12-01-99]

mikey · Post by **mikey** » 1 Dec 1999 5:44 pm

Taste and tone are highly personal perspectives...I have played a Yanuziello, and I own a Nice Style 1 Weiss...I bought a Bear Creek A/C Hollowneck...I can't imagine why anyone would put a personal opinion on an overall question of tone...What may be your ideal tone may be another's nightmare...One needs to play an instrument before commiting to it...but hey, what do I know,
Aloha,
Mike

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 1 Dec 1999 7:18 pm

True enough, but it seems to me there's been a certain overestimation of Weissenborns generally, and I find it surprising that so many builders have treated them like the Holy Grail (most of the repros are actual blueprint copies), rather than trying to expand the possibilities of the hollow-neck concept. Weissenborns have a great sound, but they also have their limitations, particularly in the bottom end. It's not a question of dictating preferences in tone, but of helping to find an audience for builders who are doing innovative and worthwhile work. Joe Yanuziello is certainly doing that with the Hawaiian King, and his guitars deserve to be heard. For someone simply to assume that seventy-year old Weissenborns represent the last word in Hawaiian guitars without having the chance to hear other possibilities doesn't make much sense.

mikey · Post by **mikey** » 1 Dec 1999 8:43 pm

I use a 68 Phospher Bronze wound low C on my Bear Creek, and haven't noticed any low end response problems...Give it a try, and I agree, try as many guitars as you can, and find the one that says take me...
Aloha,
Mike[This message was edited by mikey on 12-01-99]

Mike D · Post by **Mike D** » 3 Dec 1999 12:14 pm

great discussion guy's. I'm in the process of building a Mahogany body Weissenborn with a National tricone set up in it. It's all wood, no chrome coverplate or anything. I have also played a couple original Weiss's and found them a bit lacking in the low end and volume dept. I'm making mine an inch and a half deeper than "standard"

I'll let you all know how it sounds when it's done.

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 3 Dec 1999 2:07 pm

Mike - Sounds like an interesting instrument.
Hope you can post some photos when it's completed. The deeper body makes a big difference, which is one reason I prefer Konas to Weissenborns. I have a hollow-neck Knutsen, with mahogany body and cedar top. It's 3-1/2" deep at the lower bout, and has an extremely deep, rich bass and a very mellow tone through the whole register. Good luck with the building!

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 3 Dec 1999 5:27 pm

Thanks for your input guys!Could you Koa Guitar experts give me an opinion of the koa hawaian I have,a Martin 018K 1936?Compared to a modern remake or an original Weissenborn.Thanks in advance!

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Olli Haavisto
Polar steeler
Finland
[This message was edited by Olli Haavisto on 12-03-99]

mikey · Post by **mikey** » 3 Dec 1999 9:44 pm

I really don't understand Olli,
They aren't even comparable instruments... A Martin 018K is just a standard 0 size Martin, made of Koa, w/ straight saddle and raised nut....There really is no comparison to a hollow neck Hawaiian guitar...they are a different breed of guitar,
Mike

Mike D · Post by **Mike D** » 4 Dec 1999 10:42 am

Ian, I sure will. I have all the "pieces" done, the headstock, Ebony tailpeice, handguard, fingerboard (with mahogany "frets") along with all the inlay. I just spoke to Randy Allen who is supplying the body wood and I will start the body right after Christmas.

John Reuter, who teaches here in Phx. at the Roberto-Venn luthiery school has made a couple Weissenborn copies with the deeper body and they sound very nice.

Olli, I've played a couple regular guitars set up as hawaiians, some were fantastic, some not so. I'd think you're Martin is about as close as you'll get without going to a hollow neck. I think what Mikey is trying to say is that the hollew neck imparts the guitar with a much more complex and full sound than a regular guitar. And as Ian has pointed out, not all of them have "the sound" I'm hoping mine will ;o)

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 4 Dec 1999 11:44 am

Olli - solid neck instruments, particularly one as small as a Martin O-style, may not have the volume or depth of a hollow-neck instrument, but they certainly have their own appeal. I love the Martin Hawaiians - lovely, sweet-sounding instruments, perfect for Hawaiian or Darby and Tarlton-style country. Hang on to that one!