Taking cues from celebrated lap-slide guitarists such as Bob Brozman, Ed Gerhard, Ben Harper, and David Lindley, an increasing number of guitarists are embracing the distinctive tone and ethereal sustain of the acoustic Weissenborn-style lap-steel guitar, adding its unique voice to their musical projects.
The story of lap-style guitars began in Hawaii in the 1880s. Musicians there adapted standard guitars for lap playing by raising the string action and using a metal bar to slide along the strings and create melodies. The Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 played a pivotal role in popularizing Hawaiian-style guitar playing across mainland America, sparking a widespread fascination with island music that lasted for three decades.
While Hermann Weissenborn was not the first to craft guitars specifically for lap playing, this Los Angeles-based luthier significantly refined the concept in the 1920s. His innovative design, featuring a hollow neck seamlessly integrated with an extended body, resulted in instruments known for their exceptional responsiveness, prolonged sustain, and a shimmering, almost otherworldly tone. Vintage Weissenborn Guitars are highly sought after today, often fetching impressive prices in the market due to their unique sonic qualities and historical significance.
Original Weissenborn guitars were constructed with lightweight Hawaiian koa wood for the entire body. They featured unscalloped, X-braced tops, wooden fret markers flush with the fingerboard, hide glue construction, and shellac finishes. These instruments were available in four styles, each with increasing levels of ornamentation, ranging from the understated Style 1 to the elaborate Style 4. The Style 4’s distinctive “rope” binding, made from alternating light and dark diagonal wood strips, became an iconic design element synonymous with the Weissenborn guitar.
The enduring appeal of Weissenborn’s design, coupled with the high value of original instruments, has inspired numerous contemporary luthiers to either replicate or build upon his foundational concept. Let’s explore the landscape of Weissenborn-style guitars available today, from off-the-rack options to custom-built masterpieces.
Off-the-Rack Weissenborn-Style Guitars: Affordable Entry Points
For those curious about exploring the world of acoustic lap steel guitars without a significant investment, or for players unsure of their long-term commitment to the instrument, several companies offer budget-friendly Weissenborn-style guitars.
George Boards, for example, imports two models manufactured in China: an all-laminate version priced at $399.99 and a solid mahogany model for $599.99. These guitars feature a 24.75-inch scale length, consistent with original Weissenborn dimensions (which varied between 24.75 and 25 inches), closed-back tuners, and optional electronics for amplified performance.
Gold Tone presents a selection of three affordable models: the LM, a laminate mahogany Weissenborn ($699); the SM, a solid mahogany Weissenborn ($899); and the Style 4, a solid Australian blackwood Weissenborn ($1,519) that closely resembles Weissenborn’s original Style 4 specifications. Gold Tone models can also be equipped with a soundhole pickup featuring an extended bar magnet, designed to capture the wider string spacing characteristic of Weissenborn-style guitars.
Superior guitars, crafted by luthiers in Paracho, Mexico, and imported by Berkeley Musical Instrument Exchange, represent another accessible option. Superior offers a spruce top model with palo escrito rosewood back and sides ($1,100) and a mahogany model with a Canadian cedar top ($1,025). Both models offer rope binding and an abalone rosette as optional upgrades, allowing for visual customization.
Custom-Made Weissenborn Guitars: Elevating the Craft
Given that the original Weissenborn’s body shape, hollow neck construction, and overall aesthetic are integral to its signature sound, contemporary custom lap-slide guitar builders typically focus on refining these core elements rather than offering extensive variations, as is common with standard guitars.
Hawaiian koa remains the most sought-after tonewood for both tops and bodies in custom Weissenborn guitars, available in a range of figure grades and price points. Mahogany and rosewood are also popular choices, with other wood options often available upon request.
Custom Weissenborn-style guitars generally feature a 25-inch scale length, a bone nut, and a choice of aluminum or bone saddle. Players can select between dot inlays or the distinctive Weissenborn Style-4 geometric position markers. Finish options typically include satin lacquer, gloss nitrocellulose, or, in homage to the originals, shellac.
A defining aesthetic choice for these instruments is the iconic rope binding. While some players appreciate this traditional detail, others prefer alternative binding styles. Consequently, most custom builders offer options ranging from classic rosewood to eye-catching abalone.
Like builders of traditional guitars, Weissenborn luthiers are often open to incorporating unique inlay designs to personalize an instrument. Lazy River Guitars, for instance, offers custom initial inlays at $30 per letter, with base prices starting at $1,500.
Luthiers such as Bill Hardin of Bear Creek Guitars, Bill Asher of Asher Guitars, and Tony Francis of Tony Francis Instruments (whose instruments start in the $2,200–$2,800 range) are among the passionate custom builders dedicated to understanding and replicating the nuances of vintage Weissenborns. Their deep dive into the construction and tonal secrets of original instruments allows them to create highly accurate reproductions. Asher’s hollow-neck designs are rooted in meticulous study of a 1928 Style-1 Weissenborn owned by Ben Harper, while Hardin had the advantage of examining Bob Brozman’s extensive collection of vintage Weissenborns. Francis has also invested countless hours meticulously measuring vintage instruments to achieve flawless replicas.
Beyond faithful reproductions, some luthiers are innovating within the Weissenborn tradition. Breedlove Guitar Co. and luthier Jayson Bowerman, known for his work with fingerstyle guitarist Ed Gerhard, offer models that can be ordered with partial standard guitar frets. This innovative feature allows players to incorporate fretted bass notes alongside traditional slide techniques. Breedlove markets this model as the Acoustic Lap Steel (starting at $2669.00 for mahogany), and Bowerman, now working independently as Bowerman Guitars, builds a similar instrument called the Weissenborn (starting at $3440).
New Zealand luthier Paddy Burgin of Burgin Guitars takes a different approach, offering Weissenborn-style guitars (starting at $2,440) crafted from Tasmanian blackwood, walnut, or sapele. His designs feature a deeper body and unique internal bracing intended to enhance volume and tonal consistency across the instrument’s range.
Other builders draw inspiration from sources beyond the Weissenborn lineage. Joseph Yanuziello’s guitars (starting at $6,200) are influenced by both Martin flattops and Weissenborn’s Hawaiian guitars, while Michael Dunn’s hollownecks (starting at $3800) represent a fine-art reimagining of the original design. Cole Clark’s Violap ($3,020) blends the Weissenborn body shape and hollow neck with f-holes and a choice of piezo and magnetic pickups, venturing into electric lap-steel territory.
A Resurgent Instrument: The Weissenborn Today
Eighty years after their initial popularity surge, Weissenborn-style guitars are experiencing a significant revival, offering guitarists a diverse spectrum of choices across various price points. As with standard guitars, investing in higher-end Weissenborns generally brings players closer to the sought-after slide guitar “Nirvana” inherent in the hollow-neck design.
There has never been a more opportune moment to slide a bar across the strings and personally uncover the enchanting allure of lap-style guitar playing, and specifically, the unique voice of the Weissenborn guitar. Explore the listed contemporary makers and begin your journey into this captivating instrument.
(Sidebar: Contemporary Makers of Weissenborn-Style Guitars)
- Asher Guitars: asherguitars.com
- Bear Creek Guitars: bcguitar.com
- Bowerman Guitars: bowermanguitars.com
- Breedlove Guitars: breedlovemusic.com
- Burgin Guitars: burginguitars.co.nz
- Michael Dunn: michaeldunnguitars.com
- Cole Clark: coleclark-america.com
- Tony Francis Instruments: tonyfrancisinstruments.com
- George Boards: steelguitarcamp.com
- Gold Tone: goldtone.com
- Lazy River Guitars: lazyriverguitars
- Superior: berkeleymusic.com
- Yanuziello Stringed Instruments: yanuziello.com
