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Well the box is all closed up and the next step is binding, fingerboard and bridge.

Here's some pics of the box as is (4 piece Sapele top, 4 piece Sapele back, English Walnut sides, sapele pegbox with Braz R/W headplate). The bracing is an adaptation of my normal pattern and the top braces have a 13' radius, back braces 10' as per my normal builds. Sorry for the poor quality of the pics.

Front view:


Back view:



Side view:



Top bracing:



Back bracing:



In relation to the "perfect" post recently, this one is full of flaws but I'm having a real gas building it and can't wait until it is strung up and I get to play it.

Finding the right binding has been "interesting" in terms of finding the right wood and long enough wood. I remembered reading something Mario posted about using spruce and so I had a word with Shane Neifer. Man did he go the extra mile and made me some up some Lutz bindings with bwb side purfling, packaged them up immaculately and safely shipped them to me here. They are difficult to photograph properly but the silking is fantastic and under finish they will look amazing. For such a tiny order Shane has done an immense amount of work with fantastic service. Credit to Shane and the other magnificent sponsors of the OLF.

The full blow by blow details of the build can be viewed here on my website.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Dave, that looks really awesome. Might I suggest some sort of marquetry inlay banding for the binding.
Maybe something like this:


Wow, sorry about the size of the picture...its not that big on the website its linked to.JBreault39051.7056365741

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

Looking nice Dave, keep it up bro!

Thanks Dave,
I was wondering what bracing you would come up with.
Very interesting.
I can't wait to hear it!

Wade

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

Perhaps I should've read your whole post before replying.
With spruce binding are you worried about it getting dinged up?

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

Wow, what a sleek little instrument!!!

Beautiful, Dave!!! The style is very evocative of your other instruments.Sam Price39051.7240625

Dave, that is just such a cool instrument! I just love your stuff, always just that bit different from the crowd!

Don't forget when you come to put strings on it, they go on the side with the hole!

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Wow, Dave, that is really a neat looking instrument. Impeccible craftsmanship as usual. I really can't wait to see it finished.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Dave, that's one of the coolest things posted here.
What's the f/b going to be?

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I love it Dave, be sure to play us some cool tunes when your done.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Hey Dave... Lookin'good.
I'll be interested in hearing how she sounds once you're done. I built my first Weis using Yellow Cirus & it sounds FINE. I'm kooking for something harder for the next one & Koa costs a bit more than I want to pay right now. Sapele seems like a good choice.
Looks like you changed the bracing quite dramatically from the original plans. Was that to avoid the (rumoured) tendency of Weissenborne's to deform their tops?
I hope you'll keep us posted as you progress.
P.S. If this is your first Weis... You're gonna love doing the setup!
Cheers,   Dan

Joe,

That's an interesting website with some nice inlays - thanks. The problem though is length - the bindings need to be at least 41" long. I'm not overly worried about the spruce getting dinged more than a harder wood binding. This gives me the chance to test out both looks and durability. As they say, you don't know until you have tried it.

Wade,

From soundhole down it's like any other guitar so I didn't have much problem there. Above is a different story though with no neck block as such. I like the way the A frame works and as the apex is at the neck-block of my "normal" guitar I thought why not continue the A to become an X - giving the fingerboard support here. Then another X above and then you're into the sides giving the fingerboard support via the hollow neck. These braces are 8mm wide by 6mm high and I've kept the profile square. Then for good measure there are a couple of CF pieces going diagonally across the neck, hopefully to help resist the string pull and keep the neck flat. Mind you with the box closed the whole neck area feels really stiff and strong.

Serge, Hesh, Sam and Todd - thanks.

Colin,

You are confusing me, a hole has two sides or it wouldn't be there - which side should I put the strings on

Ron,

Thanks but I don't know about "impeccable". Put it next to a Kragenbrink and mine is definitely in the "Dess down Friday" category.

Steve,

The fingerboard is I guess mostly decorative and I toyed around with using mahogany or sapele, but I think it is going to be ebony - for contrasting looks to the spruce binding and for some stiffness for the whole neck area.

John,

I'll be posting a tune or two when it's done. This is going to be my main "playing development" for the next year or so.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Daniel,

We cross posted there.

The bracing pattern of traditional Weissenborns - both top and back - just looked over braced to me and I wanted to experiment and see how the bracing and top/back arching that I use would translate to an instrument like this. I strikes me that I would be looking as much for tone and responsiveness with a Weiss like any other instrument. The bit that has me thinking most is the part in front of the soundhole. I thought of using flying buttress CF braces from the sides near the waist to the sides at the start of the neck but am trying to do this one as much as possible (apart from binding) from odds and ends left over in the workshop.

I'd love to see some pics and hear soundclips of your Weis.

Yes - set up time should be fun. Having to calculate compensation and dialling in a playable action

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Hey David;
I'll try to post a pic if I can drag the thing out of the hands of its new owner!
I agree that the original bracing seemed unnecessarily massive. I copied the Weis plan pattern, but made all the braces higher & narrower.
I have a Lutz Spruce top from Shane for the next Weis & I'm planning a traditional Martin X with heavy(ish) ladder bracing above the soundhole. (That is the area where they tend to deform, if the rumours are true)
I'm hoping the Spruce top will increase the bass response... it's a bit thin on my first one.
I used 20/20/20 BWB purfling for the fret markers. It fits perfectly into a 7 1/4" Freud Diablo kerf & looks really nice in the Jatoba fretboard. (I bound the fretboard with Ebony, so the ends wouldn't show.)
WBW "frets" might look cool in an Ebony board.
Have Fun,   Dan

Hey Daniel nice to see you back around, I've been wondering where you were.

Dave, that Weiss is looking great. When it's all done will you do a little recording for us to hear it? I sure hope so.

Also when your all done, you'll have to enjoy a nice Weizen to go with your Weissen

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

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Hey Rod;
Thanks for noticing... I bin lookin' in pretty regular, but don't always have something (even a little bit) intelligent to add to the discussion.
This is still my fave place to go when I need a luthiery hit!
I fear I will never match Serge's prodigious posting total!

P.S.
David;
I sympathize with your efforts to find long bindings for the Weissenbornes.
A friend of mine, who is a lap steel afficionado, recently showed me a Weis-like instrument called a "Kona" guitar.
It has a stubby neck which shortens the top, back & sides pattern. I'm pretty sure this instrument could be built with standard size guitar materials.
The body is bigger & a bit deeper than a Weis & it seems to be a bit louder. It still has that distinctive Hawian steel sound
It sure seems a waste to buy those extra long pieces of wood & then carve most of it off the top & back.
I am planning to build a Kona & a Weissenborne together & see if one is obviously better sounding than the other.
Cheers!   Dan

Daniel,

Sounds like you made a great one!!

The wood waste was part of the reason I'm using 4 piece top and back. I suspect that if you were careful enough you could do something like a uke with the off cuts - same woods really.

By the way I've just discovered that you can't use the name "Weissenborn" if you sell them as this has been trade marked by Gold Tone (John Pearse). You have to call them something like "Weissenborn style". We'll I'm definitely going to trade mark "Defaoitenrugadh" now!

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010