To all the commenters who express amazement at the tone and sustain of this Weissenborn ---- have you never listened to David Lindley playing one of these? Where have you all been? You've never heard "Cat Food Sandwiches", "Little Green Bottle", or "The Jimmy Hoffa Memorial Building Blues"? Nor his versions of Mercury Blues (aka TunaFish Blues), BonTon Roulet, or various Warren Zevon songs? I actually met Lindley and got to talk to him at length at one of his gigs around 2000 -2001 or so. He has quite a collection of Weissenborn lap steel guitars*, but he doesn't take them on the road anymore as they're too fragile and valuable to risk; when I met him he was using Mexican-made Weissenborn copies that were imported by Berkley Music and cost around $600 or so. He said that in stock form they sounded merely okay but by experimenting with the string heights at the nut and bridge saddle he could dial them in and make them really sing. He let me hold one, and it was like holding a feather made of wood, they seemingly weigh almost nothing. *indeed he has quite a collection of instruments from around the world, some 600 or so IIRC, and he plays them *all*. At a typical gig, he'll have two or three Weissenborns in various tunings, a couple of Turkish Saz or maybe an Oud or a Bouzouki, and occasionally a "normal" "Spanish-style" acoustic or electric guitar (ie, with round neck and frets). I remember him playing "Do You Want My Job?" on an electric 12-string at that show.... I nearly peed myself with laughter at "Cat Food Sandwiches" and "This Barstools Reserved For My Heart", however, it was the encore, "Cottonmill Blues", thrashed out on a Saz at nearly light-speed, that really brought the house down.
The side trick was absolutely worth twice the price of admission. That guitar went from kindling to playable. The sustain on that was a huge surprise to me.
One added bonus to making these videos must be that the customer can see the process, keep it for future luthiers, standing on your shoulders, so to speak, while, in the case of a dispute over the final bill, provides testimony for how much time and work was involved.
Well done! It’s nice to see an old sweetheart like this put back in playing condition. I’m a big fan of Weissenborns and have built five Weissenborn-inspired instruments, one of which I kept to play myself. It’s a great design.
I am always impressed with you patience in repair. Some would jump right into their tried and true methods without giving much new thought to it. Thanks again!
I love a good back removal and seeing what's inside. This one was extra fun because of the hollow neck, and what a repair job on the back! Kudos, brilliant as ever
Not a player, maker or anything really but completely fascinated by your skill, patience and explanations. Loved the comment at the end of the repair "looks ok" looks bloody perfect to me.
Is this genius? I don't know guitars or lutherie, tho I have trimmed a house, built a cabinet, finished a boat, or two, but this sure looks like genius to me. Absolutely stunning and with the pace of the video surely boom he hits us. The best part is you can hear the pride on his voice. If there is a guitar heaven Ted Woodford would surely be the VIP guest of honor, where he will lovingly gaze upon his children again
I love it when a new professional meets an older professional. Would love to know what Mr. Weissenborn thinks of your work. He and I are totally impressed. I love Weissenborn guitars and your work. Great video . Made my day. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent job! I restored an old Knutsen hollow-neck Hawaiian once, I wish the back had come off as cleanly as that Weissenborn, took me hours! Love the tape & superglue cleats...
the raised seam from the old top repair may be from if the instrument dried out and developed a crack which was then filled, then after a while in a properly humidified space the wood expanded again and pushed the old glue out.
Thank You so much for showing this and all of the tips and episodes that you show . I always learn something that helps me further down the line . You've become a resource of knowledge for me and alot of others ,,,, thank you !!!
I have one of these, and I don't think the added box and bridge in the neck are original - mine was badly broken but still assembled and did not have that box in it. It's also Koa and brand stamped. The sides on mine were both broken and had perpendicular breaks on the surface of the neck block as if someone just tried to rip the sides off - I'm guessing a HARD blow to the end block did all the breaking... Sides were mostly separated from the back and top, and the sides are broken across the grain at the high point of both bouts. I decided that if I ever get to it, it'll need entirely new sides - not sure I have 100% of the parts... haven't looked at it in a long time, but seeing this video inspires me. Also, it's been more than 30 years since I acquired it, but I recall that crackled dry finish - it was just falling off when I got it - I believe the guitar was exposed to water or heat or both before I got it... Now seeing this video, I know better what it's supposed to look like inside! Time to sharpen my Marples! Thanks!
Great idea with the masking tape glued bars for keeping the sides splayed out! You can just see a little grain and curl on the repaired side. Shame that finish obscures it.
Another really interesting video. The guitar is quite a rare bird with amazing tone and sustain. The inside construction looks pretty crude and random but they obviously knew what they were doing.
Very impressive job. Listened back to the sound of the finished item with the cans on. That thing sounds amazing, would have loved to hear a glisando with the slide. Thank you sir.
I really enjoy watching your work...thank you! :) Indeed...the sustain on that guitar was amazing. Not crazy about the looks of the guitar, but the sound and sustain won me over. :)
Nicely done once again Ted. The sustain is amazing, would have like to hear it played as I'm wondering how overpowering the bass string might be. In any case, thank you what you do.
Great work!!! I have a 6 string lute purchased from an estate sale in texas, which now resides in Toronto, it needs a couple tuning gears replaces, a full set of pegs, binding repaired, and any information found from interior inspection would be wonderful. The rosette is broken and I attempted to repair the broken headstock with gorilla glue to a pathetic result. I don't have a lot of money to throw at this but maybe you are interested in a "pro-bono" since it is a unique and interesting build. I will cover all shipping and cost that I can... Interested????
What materials is this made from? I watched a couple times and you said the bridge was maple, but I missed it if you described the other parts. Thank you!
