This one from 2006 and is #17 of 100 they made (the edition ended in 2009). Ben Harper had Asher make him an instrument that had the vibe, layout, sustain and feel of his Weissenborn, but could play at louder volumes. This model is what he plays onstage most of the time.
"I'm as excited about having this guitar in the world as much as my music really. It is that amazing of an electric guitar" - Ben Harper
They chose to emulate the legendary 1959 Gibson Les Paul for construction and the basis of the electric sound, but it has far greater sustain and resonance as a lap steel. It is one of those "sustains pretty much forever" instruments. A number of chambers inside the body enhance the sustain and make it a bit lighter.
The extensive pickup, volume and tone controls provide the ability to achieve a very wide variety of tonal signatures. Add an overdrive (e.g., the Zendrive pedal) and you can nail the violin and voice-like sustained tone of Harper through his Dumble amp.
Note that although this instrument looks somewhat like the Asher Electro Hawaiian Jr., it is a totally different thing - a huge jump up in tone and construction. And for $1,250+ more than this one, you can have them build you one of these on special order, but it won't have all of the features of the Limited Edition one (e.g., no koa fretboard). Comes with a collectible provenance certificate signed by Ben Harper and Bill Asher.
Some light scuffs from playing and a tiny bar ding or two, but as you can see in the pictures, nothing major..
Specs:
-6 string
-25 inch scale
-Neck-through-body solid African Mahogany with tone chambers
-Top is highly flamed maple
-Pickups are Seymour Duncan Custom Shop '59 Humbuckers
-Fretboard - Koa
-Finish - Nitrocellulose lacquer
-Hardware - Tone Pro bridge, Kluson Deluxe tuners, micarta nut
-Case - Custom Cedar Creek fitted case.
Bill Asher demo of Ben Harper
https://youtu.be/g0_hnGLR-jY
(More demos, of course, on Ben Harper recordings and videos)
Article in Vintage Guitar:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0230/ ... 5068735978
I'd be happy to chat with anyone about this instrument - PM me for phone number.
