The Steel Guitar Forum

It's reached the stage where it's cheaper to buy several guitars and keep them in different tunings than to fit retuner devices such as the Hipshot Trilogy, which, by the way, you could fit on one of these if you put more support under the table and fitted a roller bridge.

Kristen Bruno wrote:After reading this discussion I am interested. Seems like a lot of happy users. Does anyone have any complaints about the tuners? Thats usually a dealbreaker for me because even an inexpensive guitar can get costly if you have to start replacing hardware.

Thanks
Super Kristen

I think the tuners are okay.

After receiving mine and playing it awhile, I decided to upgrade it to an aluminum bridge saddle (the same as the original weissenborn) and am now getting echos of that huanting Weissenborn sustain.

Also, the Gold Tone Weissenborn Case is a perfect fit and can be had for around $99 on a number of sites.

I've uploaded some pictures of the saddle, guitar and case.

Happy Holidays everyone,

james

Sorry having trouble uploading the pictures....they aren't showing up.

James -- where'd you get the bridge saddle?

Sooooo.....

Any idea how to find another deal like this one? It doesn't appear the seller has any more - at least not on eBay.

In response to Al Terhune's question, I already had this aluminum saddle from a previous project, however, you can find stock (softish) aluminium in hardware stores and so forth...it'll take a little file work or else some routing on the bridge or both, but in my humble opinion its worth it.

Regards, John Bushouse's comment, I sent an email to Vicki asking the same question as a friend of mine would like to get one, and her response was that they have a few more and would be posting them on ebay after the holidays, so keep an eye out.

james

Didn't Weissenborn just use a chunk of fretwire?

Yes, he did use fretwire and sometimes later aluminum of a little more stature.

However, this Wish-n-Born bridge is compensated and designed such that it needs a bridge saddle, so an aluminum saddle roughly the same size will get the same effect.

James Williamson wrote:In response to Al Terhune's question, I already had this aluminum saddle from a previous project, however, you can find stock (softish) aluminium in hardware stores and so forth...it'll take a little file work or else some routing on the bridge or both, but in my humble opinion its worth it.

Thanks Jimmy.

On the Weissenborn I built I used welding rod on the bridge. To my mind it's better to use a round material since you don't have a propensity towards string breakage on the edges of the metal. I also made the nut out of metal, but that only makes a difference when playing open strings.

I'm thinking of building a Weissenborn with eight strings and a resonator, which I'm hoping will give the benefit of both worlds. We'll see.

Stainless steel bicycle spokes are another great source for Weissie saddles. Just cut the length needed, and grind each edge to a rounded tip.

Just thought I'd pass this along. A short time after installing my Aluminum saddle I started to notice a rattle had developed on my wish-n-born. I couldn't figure it out. So, to eliminate the saddle as a variable I installed a bone saddle that I had around. The rattle was still there.

So, I took it into my local luthier who promptly found the cause to be one of the 2 screw/nut pairs that are attached from the bridge through the body was coming loose and was also off (thus the rattle).

He tried to screw it back on, but the space available made it impossible until he opened up the bridge where the screw was buried and screwed from the top holding the nut in place....not necessary.

The bridge is fully glued on and these screws and nuts are just a precaution but are not needed, so off came the nut and the problem is solved...

Though someone else out there might experience the same, so wanted to pass it along.

james

BTW, the bone saddle also sounds great, just differant.

John Bushouse wrote:Sooooo.....

Any idea how to find another deal like this one? It doesn't appear the seller has any more - at least not on eBay.

I emailed the seller and ask if they had any more. Got a reply that they had a few, and would be relisting them after the holidays....

As of a few minutes ago, they are relisted under item # 180318665345. I just snagged one. Appears as though there are 22 more...

Danny

James Williamson wrote:...I took it into my local luthier who promptly found the cause to be one of the 2 screw/nut pairs that are attached from the bridge through the body was coming loose and was also off...

When I built my Weissenborn-styled guitar from scratch I was very concerned about the increased torque created by the high bridge, so I put two screws in there to give added support. I would caution about the long-term effects of removing screws. I've seen so many 12-string guitars with warped tables, and so many lutes with the bridge torn off by the tension of the strings....

With it's screwed-on bridge, the Wish-N-Born joins such storied builders as Chris J. Knutsen and Gibson (among others).

Well,

You guys are probably right about it being safer to leave them on, but for $99 with the rattle stopped, I'm going to live on the edge and I'm leaving one nut off and the one nut that isn't loose on...so I'm half nutty...which is pretty much true all the time.

I bit the bullet and bought one of these. You can't go much wrong at $99 plus shipping.
I think they must be just about sold out by now.
The last time I looked, there were just 2 left.

James Williamson wrote:Also, the Gold Tone Weissenborn Case is a perfect fit and can be had for around $99 on a number of sites.

James, thanks for the tip, I ordered the Gold Tone Weissenborn case from Elderly Instruments. It's a nicely constructed case and fits the instrument like a glove.

Well, I had to join the party and order one with some of the money I got for Christmas. I ordered it on January 7th and it arrived yesterday. It's exactly as people have said, a very good value for the money.

It's not going to make the higher end Weissenborn-style guitar makers nervous; in fact, I predict a greater interest in such guitars after playing these cheapies for a while. It's a great way to get started on the sound that Ben Harper or John Butler gets.

I replaced the strings right away; they were a much thinner gauge than I would use. I'm trying a set of D'Addario EJ42 strings (.016 to .056) and using open D tuning for now. It has a very full sound, especially on the bass strings.

The included gig bag is very thin and essentially worth using only as a handle for the guitar. The bag won't protect the guitar from any bumps, so carry it carefully.

James Williamson wrote:...After receiving mine and playing it awhile, I decided to upgrade it to an aluminum bridge saddle...I've uploaded some pictures...

Sorry having trouble uploading the pictures....they aren't showing up.

I'd love to see pics of anybody's modifications, particularly nut or saddle mods. I just got mine today, and the string heights are waaaaay off, so I'm going to have to make some changes before it's playable.

Hi Eric,

I've managed to upload a few pics...a couple showing the aluminum bridge saddle (before filing the treble size a little)...not shown, I also used a bone saddle and both sound great...just different...also a shot of the Goldtone case.

james

I must have missed something along the way, who has these for sale???????????Thanks, Chuck

You need to check on e-bay every once in a while.
They show up but don't last for very long.
Try this item number: 180318665345.

Chuck,

If you want to send an email to:

vicki [cashcallowayent AT earthlink.net]

asking her when she'll be listing more, you'd probably be doing several folks a favor around here.

james

p.s. Brad, I hope I haven't borken any rules