Is that an original style 1 I see on your homepage? it's a beauty. Weissenborn expert Tom Noe is one of our members; if you have any questions, please ask. And if you'd like to tell us how you got bitten by the Weissenborn bug, that would be especially fun to know.
10 Comments |
 | yeti says:
6/29/2013 7:52:17 PM
Thanks for the warm welcome, Liz
Yes , that's an original style 1, just got it last week. I have been interested in these instruments for a long time. The first time I saw one was when I saw David Lindley on TV back in '82. About 15 years ago a good friend of mine bought a german made "Hawaiian gitar" (not a typo, that's what it says on the headstock), made by german luthier Otto Windisch sometime before 1945 ( it says D.R.G.M. on the headstock, that's the german Reichs patent, the Reich ceased to exist in '45).and I've been looking for one ever since. Today's handmade ones are out of my pricerange so when I got the chance to buy this one "as is" for a very reasonable price I jumped at it. I've been playing a regular D-18 copy with an extension nut for years but this guitar sounds very different, "shimmering" with a rich bass is he best way to describe it. I also dabble in Dobro, I bought a used TTT (Tut Taylor Tennessean) a few years ago.
I would really like to be able to date the Weiss. It has the Stadlmaier distributor stamp and the wider, earlier brisge with the pins arranged in a V. Other than that I don't know that much about it. The guitar is being repaired right now, a few braces needed reglueing and maybe the bridge and nut need attention as well. I was also wondering how to properly string up the guitar with the tuners being arranged so close to each other. I have the same problem with my cokebottle Danelectro, very hard to get the strings to align in a good way across the nut.
If anybody can help me with these questions I'd be very thankkful. I'll add some more pics as well
Thanks
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| yeti says:
6/29/2013 8:02:38 PM
I added a few more pics of the Weiss to my profie. Any help dating it would be appreciated. Thanks
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 | Liz Williams says:
6/29/2013 8:09:01 PM
A German-made, Reich-stamped Hawaiian gitar? I didn't realize the Hawaiian music craze was so far-flung. Wow. As for dating your guitar, someone who can lay their hands on Tom Noe's book can help. Or maybe Tom himself will stop by. I'm sure he'll appreciate more pictures. I know I would. Thanks for this!
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| yeti says:
6/29/2013 8:16:41 PM
yeah, it's pretty wild. My friends' "Hawaiian gitar" has a Cedar top (Koa wasn't available in germany, I guess) and the brand-name is "Owo-phone". I've never seen another one, only one web-reference where someone asked the value of such a guitar and was told it was worth roughly $50.00. Ridiculous, considering what a fine instrument it is. I have to get him to send me some pics of that thing.
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| Liz Williams says:
6/29/2013 8:23:07 PM
I would love to see pictures of that guitar. And an audio clip. I'm fascinated by this.
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 | Tom_Noe says:
7/1/2013 7:06:38 AM
Hi Yeti. Welcome to the group. Your Style 1, which looks like a nice guitar by the way, was made in the Stadlmair era (8/1/24-7/31/27). To pinpoint its build date more precisely, notice the slight bit of wear to the burned-in brand and that "warped" V pattern. Those are the telltales of a Weissenborn built in 1925..
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| Liz Williams says:
7/1/2013 8:09:13 AM
Tom, I love your expertise. Thank you for dating yeti's guitar. What do you think of these German-built, Reich-stamped guitars? Any connection to Herman W.?
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| yeti says:
7/1/2013 9:49:19 AM
Thanks, Tom. I guessed 1925 based on what I've read on the internet. Thanks for confirming and explaining it. I should get the guitar back from repair sometime this week and will post more info, pics, sounds, etc. Hopefully my friend in germany will send me some pics of that Owo-phone. I do remember that it looks more like a Kona than a Weiss (deeper body). Stay tuned.
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| Tom_Noe says:
7/1/2013 11:46:45 AM
Thank you for your kind remarks, Liz. I have never heard of Otto Windisch before today, but it doesn't surprise me. Tony Ku's book features several Hawaiian guitars made by "Unknown," so there was a lot of interest in them. The Third Reich lasted from 1933 to 1945, so there is some overlap with HW's lifetime. Whether there was any connection is lost in the ages.
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| yeti says:
7/1/2013 8:34:16 PM
Otto Windisch marketed his guitars under the Otwin label, Owo-phones are pretty unusual from what I've heard.
The D.R.G.M. stamp was actually used before 1933, starting in 1871 when the german Reich was established. The guitar might be from the 20's, who knows. Still waiting for pics from my friend.
In the meantime I received my Weissenborn back from the repair shop. they re-glued some braces and parts of the bridge as well as straightned out the nut. They also turned the metal saddle upside down since the top was gouged badly. Works like a charm. I strung her up with a set of Newtone Aloha strings and must say that the guitar sounds incredible. Now I have to get comfy with the fingerpics. I'm used to a thumbpick but have only played my guitars with bare fingers up until now, including my dobro. Any sugestions? I like the idea of the propik fingertones but their website says that they are not for lap and dobro.
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