Gold Tone SM+ Weissenborn with solid mahogany top. - Discussion Forums

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ARCHIVED TOPIC: Gold Tone SM+ Weissenborn with solid mahogany top.

Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.resohangout.com/archive/55408

Three_Eyed_Willy - Posted - 06/27/2021: 12:49:06

Ever since I heard Cindy Cashdollar play her Weissenborn, I have wanted one. For various reasons, genuine Weissenborns are difficult to find and quite expensive. I considered getting a cheap Asian instrument, but I decided that I would wait until Wayne Rogers got his shipment of mahogany top Weissenborns in. I'm glad I did.

First of all, this is an Asian guitar. But, as most of us know, there are good, bad and ugly amongst the guitars from the Far East. This is one of the good ones.

The finish on this instrument is really beautiful. It's a gloss finish, showing off the grain of the solid mahogany top. The fretboard is made of a black wood that looks a lot like ebony, although this is not specified in the listings on the Gold Tone site. Whatever the wood is, there are no blemishes, and the color is even throughout. The "frets" are inlaid lines of a lighter wood, much like the pearl inlay lines on some of the upper end spider bridge instruments. There are MOP inlays up and down the fretboard, with a large diamond-shaped inlay to mark the 12th fret.

The binding of the top, neck and fretboard is traditional "rope style" wood inlay very similar to the binding I have seen on authentic Weissenborn instruments.

The tuning machines are gold-plated kluson style with gold-plated buttons. They work very smoothly, much better than the tuners that I have gotten on some of the Asian-made resos I have purchased.

The bridge looks like rosewood. It is provided with light gauge phosphor bronze strings. The D tuning or Low Bass G tuning are recommended for this instrument. It is not as heavily built as a Dobro or a Tricone, so damage to the neck and/or the construction of the guitar is possible if you use high tension tunings, such as Dobro G tuning (GBDGBD). Using high tension tunings will void the warranty.

It is a very pretty guitar.

So, how does it sound? Well, it doesn't sound like a Dobro. It doesn't sound like a Tricone. It sounds like, well, a Weissenborn.

It's not a super loud instrument, but it certainly has adequate volume for it to be played with an ensemble. There is a sound hole mounted pickup available for an extra $139.99. The scale is 24.75", which is easy enough to get used to.

The entire guitar is a sound box. The neck is hollow, so it serves as part of the resonating chamber of the instrument. The balance of the volume of the strings across the entire guitar is excellent. The bass is strong and melodious. The sound on the inner strings is fine, and the treble strings sound fine, as well.

I'm still getting used to playing in these modified tunings, so I'm not going to inflict a solo on you yet. But there is an excellent demon on the Gold Tone site.

It also comes with a nice hard-shell case.

It's definitely worth the price. I'll give it five stars.

RezBluez - Posted - 06/27/2021: 17:29:04

I have a Gold Tone Weissy SM and it’s a fine instrument sounds fantastic. As far as I know the whole instrument is made from solid mahogany, not just the top. But whatever it’s made of it’s sure worth the $350 that I payed for it, best investment I ever made on an instrument. Cheers!

Three_Eyed_Willy - Posted - 06/27/2021: 18:17:53

This one is the SM-1+. It has a solid mahogany top, with laminated mahogany back and sides. Of their current offerings, the other one is sapele. But their catalog changes from time to time. I'm very impressed with this one for the price.

Iceman6937 - Posted - 06/28/2021: 02:44:54

I have an older SM model like Eddy and mine is all solid mahogany. Gold Tone "Weissenborns" (I believe John Pearse owns the rights to that name) are a good value with a sweet tone. With their light (and somewhat odd) construction, the custom hard case is a must!

resotom - Posted - 06/28/2021: 08:50:53

I have both a Leno capo and an older Beard capo. I don't use the Beard much because of the way it was designed with the screw in the center. It is not easy to install it on the reso while you are playing on stage. The Leno also takes some getting used to but remember to check the rubber tube on the arm so it covers all the strings. It can sometimes mute the bass string or the top string if it is not adjusted properly.

Three_Eyed_Willy - Posted - 06/28/2021: 09:23:48

Thanks very much for the info on caps. I have a Beard capo that I haven't used much at all. I also have a Charlie capo, but there may not be quite enough clearance to use it. I'll check out the Leno capo.

quote:
Originally posted by resotom

I have both a Leno capo and an older Beard capo. I don't use the Beard much because of the way it was designed with the screw in the center. It is not easy to install it on the reso while you are playing on stage. The Leno also takes some getting used to but remember to check the rubber tube on the arm so it covers all the strings. It can sometimes mute the bass string or the top string if it is not adjusted properly.

Three_Eyed_Willy - Posted - 06/28/2021: 09:30:41

I ordered my instrument with two extra sets of strings. I'll probably do some experimenting with light gauge strings, though. I have a box full of phosphor bronze strings and plain strings that cover everything from .056 down to .011.

I don't know whether the Pearse trademark registration covers anything other than strings. That's the funny thing about trademarks. They don't cover everything that has the name on it. It's a complex field.

I should have mentioned in the review that the instrument came in a hard shell case. I don't believe in gig bags. The only thing I will use a gig bag for is an autoharp. And even then, if I can find a hard case that will fit it, I won't travel anywhere without the hard case. It's amazing, though, what kinds of cases can be converted for musical instruments. Some of the plastic gun cases made for multiple firearms work nicely on certain instruments. A fellow I know who plays the autoharp found that a double shotgun case will carry two autoharps with ease.

quote:
Originally posted by Iceman6937

I have an older SM model like Eddy and mine is all solid mahogany. Gold Tone "Weissenborns" (I believe John Pearse owns the rights to that name) are a good value with a sweet tone. With their light (and somewhat odd) construction, the custom hard case is a must!

therake - Posted - 06/28/2021: 09:59:23

I have a solid Blackwood GT weissenborn. Its a great little guitar. This one is for sale 5th String music store in Greenville,SC
I'll keep the other one I have that a friend made.

badger - Posted - 06/28/2021: 10:14:16

John Pearse offers a set of strings gauged for high-G (l-h GBDGBD) tuning on Weissies. They work fine on my recent Bear Creek (though I bailed and went back to D tuning).

Russ Young - Posted - 06/28/2021: 15:32:45

But be warned … Gold Tone says this about tunings:

“Your Weissenborn will not tolerate the excessive tension exerted by E tuning (EBEG#BE), Dobro G tuning (GBDGBD) or similar tunings. Using these or other non-recommended tunings will void the warranty.”

Bradskey - Posted - 07/01/2021: 11:55:06

I bought one of these early last year to put a pickup in. I have a Gold Tone Style 4+ that is simply a better and better sounding instrument, but the SM+ is not bad at all. I got many compliments playing it and it instantly attracted attention. I reviewed it here if interested:

bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewto...?t=352525