Square Neck Weissenborn? Next Big thing?

Matthew Nigro · Post by **Matthew Nigro** » 20 Jun 2016 8:05 pm

With all the growth in the Lap Steel market, who thinks the weissenborn lap steel will be the next big instrument in the guitar world in the next 10 years?

Nate Hofer · Post by **Nate Hofer** » 21 Jun 2016 4:22 am

I'm hoping for more 8-string acoustic options. Just sayin'!

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 21 Jun 2016 4:27 am

In a few conversations I've had with luthiers, interest in the Weissenborn seems to have dropped off slightly from its peak a few years ago. Nobody in the guitar world seems to have great future vision or we'd all be sitting on a cache of '59 Les Pauls and '52 Teles.

My guess is the Fender electric steels will be the ones that rise in value as more people get hipped to the ability to buy a still working great, really cool vintage ax for way, way less than Spanish guitars of the same era. But I could be wrong.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 21 Jun 2016 7:58 am

Andy,
You mean to say that these might be worth something?

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 21 Jun 2016 8:05 am

Fullerton gold, Erv!

Stefan Robertson · Post by **Stefan Robertson** » 22 Jun 2016 7:19 am

Hate to put a damper but until the next hendrix comes out with Lap Steel Guitar and is a pop star who everyone looks to.

Not a chance will it become the next biggest thing. Guitar has been the next biggest thing since the Beatles and since then everything else has been playing catchup.

Matthew Nigro · Post by **Matthew Nigro** » 22 Jun 2016 10:43 am

I agree Stefan, I think it is an excellent instrument, but there needs to be a leader, someone that can bring the instrument to a mainstream level.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 22 Jun 2016 11:57 am

The most mainstream contemporary weissie guy is Ben Harper, but the instrument is just one of several in his arsenal and I don't expect it in modern times to rise above the category of "niche instrument" anytime soon.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 23 Jun 2016 6:22 am

This list of Weissenborn players on Wikipedia seems to agree; it's a niche instrument for the most part.

(If you know of more players, you can add to that list pretty easily.)