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Barny Strode
Aloha
United Kingdom
7 Posts |
 Posted - 08/17/2004 : 09:00:00 AM
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Hi there,
I'm currently starting out building a Weissenborn/Knutsen style guitar. Every source I look at for information seems to point to a book by George T Noe and Daniel L Most called something like "From Harp Guitars to the New Hawaiian Family. History and Developement of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar" (real catchy title) as being the bible for researching this kind of instrument. I've been on their website and was going to order a copy for about $45.00, but living in the UK I wanted to pay by credit card. The site pointed me to Stewmac and another site(Elderly Instruments I think)but neither site listed the book.
I then went onto Amazon.co.uk and was shocked to see that they only had one secondhand copy at a price of £212.00 (about $390.00) - too rich for me. Now I'm no Sherlock Holmes, but I began to think that maybe the book is out of print and has become quite rare. Am I right ? If I'm wrong, does anyone know where I can get a copy at list price ? Otherwise, are there any other sources of information that I might find useful ?
FYI, I bought the Stewmac Weissenborn plans and I've got some nicely figured Koa for the back and sides and some decent spruce for the top. I plan to use Iroko for the bridge, fingerboard and headstock. Does this sound OK ?
I look forward to your comments.
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Regards
Barny
Very East Hawaii (aka England) |
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Kahalenahele
Lokahi
USA
102 Posts |
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Barny Strode
Aloha
United Kingdom
7 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2004 : 03:34:28 AM
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Thanks very much for the information; I've emailed Elderly & they've got it in stock and they've let me know shipping charges to the UK so I'll be ordering today. I don't know how I managed to miss it when I looked at their site earlier. Just plain stupid I guess.
I'll skip your generous offer to buy your copy at $389.00 (tempting though it was)because I really want a new copy, not secondhand.
The Knutsen Archives site looks very good too.
Thanks again. |
Regards
Barny
Very East Hawaii (aka England) |
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Kahalenahele
Lokahi
USA
102 Posts |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2004 : 11:45:10 AM
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| That adds new meaning to the expression "brace yourself"! |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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Kahalenahele
Lokahi
USA
102 Posts |
Posted - 08/19/2004 : 01:09:47 AM
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| By the way, Barny, keep us updated on the progress of your guitar, decisions you make regarding design, etc. I would be very interested in hearing it. |
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Barny Strode
Aloha
United Kingdom
7 Posts |
Posted - 08/19/2004 : 04:01:44 AM
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I built a Dobro about 6 months ago, mainly from bought-in components, and when I finished I wished I'd documented the build process.
This time I'm building from scratch and I've listed all the materials I'll need and where I've got (or am planning to get) them from and what the cost is. I'm also documenting each step of the build and how long it took me, so at the end of the project I'll have a complete manual on how to build a Weissenborn. Because I'm not a pro luthier or woodworker the manual will be in plain, understandable English, showing all the pitfalls and mistakes, and be a bargain at $388.00 {:)}
Oh, and hopefully, I'll also have a damn fine instrument.............
I'll keep you posted. |
Regards
Barny
Very East Hawaii (aka England) |
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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 08/19/2004 : 4:49:24 PM
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Barney,
Aloha from the northern-most Hawaiian isle, Alaska.
I began the quest to build a Wiessenborn earlier this spring. Found some good resources via this forum, but had not come across the Knutsen book until today. I, too, opted to buy a new version, although the used one offered to you must be in exceptional condition to be worth $389. I'd gladly pay the price, but just spent my last $81,000 for some bridge in Brooklyn that is supposed to have some historical value.....
If you want rope binding, you might convince the owner of Bear Creek Guitars on maui to let you buy some. When I visited his shop in 2002 he was in the process of making his own. Neat process that I cannot easily describe, but much to work-intensive for us neophytes.
I got my Koa on an earlier trip to Hilo in 1997. Think I will use it for the whole guitar. Peghead will be some walnut from my old home farm in New Jersey. Bridge may be the same, or a scrap of some other dense hardwood i can scrounge at the local wood supply shop. Fingerboard will be a piece of unusually figured local white birch. Looks like fiddleback maple. Binding will be simple,as i don't really care for the rope binding anyway. Maybe more of the figured birch.
This will be my first ever guitar project. I have made dog sleds, rifle stocks, log cabins, and carved a few hundred pounds of soapstone, but never anything like this. I must admit to being somewhat hesitant in even getting started. Since May, when my tools arived from Stewmac, all I have done is make a workboard, lay out the cuts on my koa, sawn out the peghead, and sawn up a few braces. I am sort of chicken to begin for fear i will ruin a good piece of wood! But, I'll tell you, after looking at the picture of the bracing on the website (http://www.harpguitars.net/knutsen_images/braceshw20front.jpg) I feel a lot more confident. Knutsen's guitars are supposed to sound pretty darned good, and if my eyes don't decieve me, i could achieve that level of bracework with my chain saw! Am I wrong or is the grain sort of cattywhompus (my spelling) on that guitar soundboard? It looks to not even be bookmatched, just glued on sort of sideways to the length of the body.
One more thing; put me down for one of YOUR books on Weissenborn construction. Only kicker is, I want one in plain American english, no aluminium, no funny accents, references to the queen, extra "e"s on the ends of wordes, etc.. Oh, and that is 388 dollars, not pounds, right?
If you are a rugby afficionado, how about that Jonny?
Karl
Frozen North |
Karl
Frozen North |
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Barny Strode
Aloha
United Kingdom
7 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2004 : 10:50:17 AM
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Hiya Karl,
Thanks for the messag. When I got all the bits together to build th dobro I kind of put off starting it for about 6 months. I don't know if I was scared of messing up good bits of wood or scared of th ridicul I'd get from my loving family if my dream guitar turned out to b a wallhanger ! In th end I just got stuck in and enjoyed every minut.
Th local white birch you're using sounds good. I'd lik to se a pictur of it when it's finished.
Speaking of the Knutsen bracing and "book-matching" I was thinking about just stretching som strings over an old tea chest and seeing what that sounds lik. I'd read reports that th construction of th old Weissenborns and Knutsens was a bit suspect, but I didn't expect anything so basic. But they sound great....we'll hav to b careful not to over engineer our versions.
Anyway, thanks again, this typing in a foreign languag is tiring isn't it ?
All the best from His Majesty (Jonny)and me |
Regards
Barny
Very East Hawaii (aka England) |
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