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Topic: 8 string, 27" scale, baritone Weissenborn |
Don McClellan
From:
California/Thailand
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Posted 22 Aug 2003 2:33 pm |
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| Yesterday I ran into my friend Bill Hardin who makes Bear Creek Guitars (Weissenborns) and he told me he's making an 8 string, 27" scale, baritone Wiessenborn. Some of you may be familiar with Bill's work. He is an excellent luthier and my guess is this acoustic steel will have a beautiful voice. I think he just started making it so it will be a while before I get to hear it and play it but I'm looking forward to that. I already want one. |
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Ron Randall
From:
Dallas, Texas, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2003 7:53 pm
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Don,
Yea I heard Bob Brozman play one on a CD with Cyril Pahinui. Huge sound.
I have seen it on Bear Creek's website.
I had planned to visit Bear Creek when I was on Maui last week. Seems they were on vacation, too.
Ron
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Stringmaster T8, Benoit 8, National Tricone, MSA U12
[This message was edited by Ron Randall on 22 August 2003 at 08:58 PM.] |
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Travis Bernhardt
From:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 22 Aug 2003 10:44 pm
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I'd LOVE to own a 7-string Baritone hollow-neck. Ack. I drool just thinking about it. Alas, I don't have $6500USD to spend on a Bear Creek.
I was wondering, though, what makes the baritone Bear Creek so much more expensive? It's literally three times the price of a regular Bear Creek hollow-neck. I guess it needs bigger pieces of wood for the top and back, but still...
-Travis
P.S. A little off topic, but, what is the proper term to use when talking about a "Weissenborn copy?" I went with "hollow-neck" here because it seems wrong to call something a Weissenborn when it's not. And it's not correct to call something a "Weissenborn COPY" when it's a gigantic baritone 7-string and not a copy of any Weissenborn ever made. Is this just a Kleenex, Xerox, Jello, Dobro, Jet-ski kind of thing, where we now just call them Weissenborns because of the shape, not the brand name? That seems weird to me, since then if it was an authentic Weissenborn I was talking about, I couldn't just say it was a "Weissenborn." I'd have to call it an "actual Weissenborn" (or something) to distinguish it from a regular "Weissenborn," which would in fact not be an actual ... uh, never mind. |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 23 Aug 2003 4:01 am
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Travis,- you could call it an 'original Weissenborn' couldn't you?
For me it's a little like talking about a 'dobro',- there's 'dobro' and there's 'original Dobro'. Remember 'dobro' was (and is) also a brand name that's been stuck with a special type of guitars. So most of us have no problem with talking about a 'Beard dobro', why should we have any trouble with a 'Russell weissenborn'? Apart from any legal complications? 
In writing I simply use capital 'W' when meaning the original Weissenborns and 'w' when talking about the copies.
I know,- cheap trick...... |
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Russ Young
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 23 Aug 2003 6:41 am
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| I tend to say "Weissenborn-style guitar" when describing anything but the real thing ... |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 23 Aug 2003 7:15 am
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"I tend to say "Weissenborn-style guitar" when describing anything but the real thing ..."
Which is probably the correct way of doing it.
I've noticed that on several CD covers and websites people just refer to "Weissenborn slide guitar" or similar even when it's not an original Weissenborn.
Since Gibson bought the rights to the name 'Dobro' it's not allowed to use the word 'dobro' about a resonator guitar unless referring to a Gibson...
Maybe I'll start referring to hollownecks as 'Knutsen-style guitars'  |
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Don McClellan
From:
California/Thailand
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Posted 23 Aug 2003 9:07 pm
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| I stand corrected, brothers. It won't happen again. But can any of you offer any ideas about what key to tune in and string guages for such a long scale (27 inches) for a 6th, Hawaiian style tuning? Thanks, Don |
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Dwight Mark
From:
Denver, Colorado, USA
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Posted 24 Aug 2003 7:29 am
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Neil Russell is currently spraying the finish on an 8-stringer Weissenborn style guitar. I originally wanted a baritone, but decided if I had 8 strings, I wouldn't be able to get the higher strings to pitch without sacrificing really thing strings. I might have told him to bump up the scale length an extra 1/4 or 1/2". I don't remember. Anyway, it should be here in a couple months...
Dwight |
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Russ Young
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 24 Aug 2003 8:32 am
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Don:
I don't have a clue about 8-string baritone tunings, but how to string baritones and Weissenborn- style guitars has been the subject of several threads on the Guitar Forum. Try searching under "baritone strings".
In the meantime, Steinar and I will be chanting in unison, "Be careful about buying John Pearse strings in sets!"[This message was edited by Russ Young on 24 August 2003 at 09:36 AM.] |
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Don McClellan
From:
California/Thailand
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Posted 24 Aug 2003 8:45 am
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| Thank you Russ, Don |
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Dana Duplan
From:
Ramona, CA
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Posted 24 Aug 2003 11:42 am
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What does Mr. Hardin recommend for string gages? I know that since those W-Types are so lightly built, that too much tension could be an issue--I understand that even the 6-stringers must be lightly strung--and adding a string or two would add more tension.
D |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 24 Aug 2003 12:26 pm
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| On my Superior weissenborn, eh, 'style' guitar I use Newtone's 'Aloha' strings which are gauged .015-.056. Works fine for both open D and lowbass G. |
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Cindy Cashdollar
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 24 Aug 2003 2:43 pm
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Replying to the topic of a baritone tuning....
I'm in the process of checking out National Resophonic's new Baritone Tricone model, and it also has an incredible sound, wonderful sustain. I have the square neck model, and tune it to open C:
C G E C G C
18 22 (p) 30 38 50 62
The National company generally uses the baritone B tuning, but the string gauges are pretty much the same.
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Dana Duplan
From:
Ramona, CA
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Posted 24 Aug 2003 4:33 pm
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Cindy, et al:
I played one of those Baritone Tricones when I was at the National Factory--it was a cool guitar--the first they'd built with a square neck. I believe it was their taupe colored Polychrome (steel body). I don't remember how it was tuned at the time--Is that the one you snagged Cindy?
Dana |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 25 Aug 2003 2:57 am
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| I can't comment on the baritone issue as I've never played one but I can say that Bill Hardin will design the guitar for whatever tunings and tone you want. My Bear Creek MK was specially braced and has a larger bridge to handle high-tension tunings. These days however, I tend to tune down. I use a standard set of Dobro strings to tune to Bb6th or A6th (ECAGEC tuned down). [This message was edited by Andy Volk on 25 August 2003 at 02:19 PM.] |
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