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musical instrument details
Weissenborn Hawaiian Slide Guitar Vintage 1915 one of the very first made
Estimated price for orientation: 3 995 $
Category: Lap and Pedal Steel Guitars
Class:
Description
Over 100 years ago... before there was a Weissenborn stamp... before there was a picture label... before he settled on using Koa to make his instruments... Hermann Weissenborn built a small number of hollowneck Hawaiian guitars from his violin making woods of maple and spruce. This extremely rare Weissenborn guitar was built by Hermann himself, with his own hands, as he explored the design of what would become his signature guitar. In 1915, Weissenborn had not yet established the "Styles" as we know them today, but this guitar is closest in ornamentation to what would become a Style 2 a few years later with a fancy rosette and curved fingerboard end. The completely unique fingerboard inlay pattern show his early experimentation - this guitar is truly one of a kind. Experts estimate about 15 similar instruments were made in 1915, with each one is slightly unique. This one features a spruce top, maple back and sides stained brown, and Koa fingerboard with full depth body. This guitar was discovered in Los Angeles, after sitting unplayed for many years, and required some professional repair work which I had done by an excellent luthier. We left the guitars as original as possible with only minor repairs. A short top crack at the edge of the lower bout was repaired. The loose bridge was glued back down, and you can see a wear spot in the finish behind the bridge from playing. The original finish is delicate and has worn a bit on the back especially. Two short (1 or 2 inch) sections of kerfing had come loose at the waist of the guitar, so those were repaired along with a few short areas of loose or missing maple purfling which were tastefully restored. The bracing is intact and original, along with the bridge plate. The guitar is solid, needs no more work, and stands up well to string tension without any top distortion. The full depth body contributes to the great sound. It's inspiring to own and play such a rare and special guitar that represents an important piece of the heritage of the steel string guitar. Includes both the original beat up canvas case and a new hard case.
Description
Over 100 years ago... before there was a Weissenborn stamp... before there was a picture label... before he settled on using Koa to make his instruments... Hermann Weissenborn built a small number of hollowneck Hawaiian guitars from his violin making woods of maple and spruce. This extremely rare Weissenborn guitar was built by Hermann himself, with his own hands, as he explored the design of what would become his signature guitar. In 1915, Weissenborn had not yet established the "Styles" as we know them today, but this guitar is closest in ornamentation to what would become a Style 2 a few years later with a fancy rosette and curved fingerboard end. The completely unique fingerboard inlay pattern show his early experimentation - this guitar is truly one of a kind. Experts estimate about 15 similar instruments were made in 1915, with each one is slightly unique. This one features a spruce top, maple back and sides stained brown, and Koa fingerboard with full depth body. This guitar was discovered in Los Angeles, after sitting unplayed for many years, and required some professional repair work which I had done by an excellent luthier. We left the guitars as original as possible with only minor repairs. A short top crack at the edge of the lower bout was repaired. The loose bridge was glued back down, and you can see a wear spot in the finish behind the bridge from playing. The original finish is delicate and has worn a bit on the back especially. Two short (1 or 2 inch) sections of kerfing had come loose at the waist of the guitar, so those were repaired along with a few short areas of loose or missing maple purfling which were tastefully restored. The bracing is intact and original, along with the bridge plate. The guitar is solid, needs no more work, and stands up well to string tension without any top distortion. The full depth body contributes to the great sound. It's inspiring to own and play such a rare and special guitar that represents an important piece of the heritage of the steel string guitar. Includes both the original beat up canvas case and a new hard case.