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Weissenborn Players

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This group is dedicated to the Weissenborn players around the world.

179 Members, Created 2/15/2011 -

Administrators: Grizz (owner)

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From anthronaut on 5/13/2013 1:23:45 AM

Hi everybody,

after little less than three months waiting for my Weissenborn I finally went to Ermanno Pasqualatos workshop close to Venice, Italy to pick it up. She's very beautiful: Italian spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides, with a glossy and very delicate French Finish.

I spent several hours in Ermanno's workshop as he had me test all his guitars and explaind every detail of the building process.

Ermanno's main focus is the sound of the guitars, and as he says "good ingredients make a good dish", so he uses only what he thinks is acoustically sound: Animal bone nut, brass bridge, animal bone glue, and selected tone woods for all parts of the guitar. He has a very refined understanding for the details that go down to the microcristallic level of the wood

The French finish I ordered is very, very delicate, but it's ultrathin and allows the guitar to vibrate freely, rather than being locked up in a lacquer cage. All in all, the ingredients make the guitar harmonically very rich and the sustain neverending.

I also had the chance to see Ermanno finishing a parlour sized guitar with a guitar building friend that came along and was actually the first one to actually play it! A very powerful, direct sound out of that little thing, I was suprised.

The visit was rounded up with a beer on Ermannos front porch- I made some pictures and put it on a flickr-stream, feel free to visit it and leave some comments.

(The first guitar is mine :-)

13 Comments
	anthronaut says: 5/13/2013 1:24:22 AM PS: Click on the pictures in the gallery to get more information.
	Liz Williams says: 5/13/2013 7:17:38 AM Wolfgang, thanks for those pictures. I love the way the french polish on your new guitar glows. What a beautiful instrument. Congratulations on your new acquisition. Loved that little parlor guitar too. I noticed Ermanno had written "square neck parlor" on his little board - did you get a chance to play that one?
	anthronaut says: 5/13/2013 7:48:29 AM Hi Liz, thanks, I'm also very happy with it :-) No, I didn't have the chance, as Ermanno builds upon order, so he has only very few instruments in stock. But I'd be also very interested how these sound.
	Liz Williams says: 5/13/2013 7:59:45 AM me too - It's such a fascinating idea, a parlor squareneck. Your new Weissenborn just shimmers visually. I'd have a lot of trouble putting it down. Will you post some sound clips so we can hear what she sounds like?
	anthronaut says: 5/13/2013 8:04:58 AM Oops, how this that happen? I didn't mean to post the reply twice :-) Anyhow, the finish is beautiful, but extremely delicate. I already caught two minor scratches, but a touch with the fingernail a little too sharply is sufficient. But luckily you can refinish french finish easily if the instrument gets too worn out. The big advantage of the finish is the sound, you can feel how the thin coating is less limiting to the wood. I will record some clips as soon as I get to borrow a good audio interface and a pair of mics.
	anthronaut says: 5/13/2013 8:06:46 AM PS: Here you have him himself presenting the Parlor squareneck: youtube.com/watch?v=mKoCEDXmKWQ
	Liz Williams says: 5/13/2013 10:46:27 AM No idea how those double posts show up. I deleted it. What a sweet voice that squareneck parlor guitar has! Thanks for posting that clip. I like Ermanno's eye for wood and shape too: really lovely. I'm a former classical guitar player, so I know what french polish can do, both for sound and for blemishes. I think using it on a Weissenborn is a genius idea.
	Seabass says: 5/13/2013 1:10:50 PM Enjoy your new Instrument!
	bahilton says: 5/13/2013 2:22:57 PM Wow, that parlor does sound great. I went to Ermanno's website, that weissdobro has caught my eye!! But if I bought one, which group would I post in?? Identity crisis! Looking forward to hearing your Weiss, Wolfgang!
	anthronaut says: 5/13/2013 3:22:20 PM Haha, yes, that would be a real issue :-) I tried the Weissdobro and it has a very nice, full and warm sound, with a bluesy edge from the resonator. My personal preference is clearly with the pure Weissenborns, but here's another video with Ermanno himself playing the intriguing instrument: youtube.com/watch?v=dqFfccMqJu4
	Aron says: 5/14/2013 12:11:09 AM Ermanno is currently making my koa weissy, with all Indian rosewood bindings and decals. Yours looks amazing :-) checkout my "koa building diary" on my Facebook page "the weissenborn information exchange" :-)
	Liz Williams says: 5/14/2013 12:42:01 AM Your build looks beautiful, beamer boy, as does your facebook page.
x says: 5/14/2013 12:51:54 AM Just saw these posts- congratulations on your new instrument!
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