Portfolio Slide & Resophonic Guitars

The Weissenborn-style guitar

The Weissenborn-style guitar is a favorite among acoustic slide guitarplayers. Its very characteristic sound and tone give it a special ‘singing voice’ in the hands of a gifted musician. This instrument was made for a slide wizard who was looking for a little extra warmth his nice collection of high-end engraved National tricone guitars couldn’t give him. The acoustic range of this instrument fits his main interest in Hawaiian and western swing music wonderfully well. This guitar is made of Alpine curly ash, choosen for its wide range of harmonic overtones. The entire instrument is trimmed with a small two-colored rope purfling and edged with an ivoroid binding. The curly ash has been stained in a warm brown reddish color, and the top has been finished in an antique looking transparant lacquer. For those not familiar with this instrument, please note that the entire neck is hollow and that the instrument is set-up for slide-playing. Traditional playing is not possible in this set-up. However the instrument can be made with a regular neck, joining the body at the 7th fret.

Resophonic guitar

A traditional resophonic guitar, set up for bluegrass slide playing with a solid square neck profile and a spider bridge resonator. The overall curly maple body has been stained in a warm two-tone sunburst. The slotted peghead has been choosen for its traditional look. The open tuners are mounted upwards to give better access to the player when tuning. I use an interior bass reflection wall inside the instrument instead of the traditionally used soundwell or dowelbraces. The principle is also found in hi-fi speakers, to pronounce the low frequencies. And it works very well for the resophonic guitar too.