Weissenborn questions

[surveyor]

Hi, I'm almost done building a Weissenborn and I don't have access to or own one, so I was trying to get an idea of :
1. The best string height at the nut and bridge
2. The best string gauge for a Weissenborn

My pic shows the fingerboard and bridge laying on the top, not attached yet

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by surveyor

Hi, I'm almost done building a Weissenborn and I don't have access to or own one, so I was trying to get an idea of :
1. The best string height at the nut and bridge
2. The best string gauge for a Weissenborn

My pic shows the fingerboard and bridge laying on the top, not attached yet

Are you building from plans?

1. From my non-representative sample the nuts seem to be about 7/16." Lower than a Dobro. One is a standard Weissenborn, the other a Baritone.

2. What is your scale and what tunings do you plan to use. The standard size Weissenborn is a 25" scale, most in Open d, occasionally low bass Open G. Michel Dunn, the builder, recommends using a light set .012 - .053, moving the .016 to the first string and putting a .017 on as the second. His build is extremely light, though.

FYI purdy lookin' guitar...

[surveyor]

Thanks for the reply. I'm building from plans by "ALS" (Australian Luthiers Supplies).
They use the plane of the top of the instrument for reference and show the nut height at 9.8 mm (+/- 3/8") above the plane of the bottom of the fingerboard (fingerboard shown at 3.2mm), which by subtracting = 6.6 mm and scaling off the drawing looks to be 1/4" from the top of the fretboard. The bridge is shown as 12 mm high, which comes out to a little more than 7/16", but real close to what you said. The scale will be 25" and I'll probably use open "G" tuning, since I'm kind of familiar with that one. By the way, the guitar is all local wood being Maple for top and back and Pecan for sides with Red Cedar (fretboard) and Holly (frets). I'll keep what you said about the string gauges in mind. Again, thanks for the info, as having more than one source concur is always good.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by surveyor

Thanks for the reply. I'm building from plans by "ALS" (Australian Luthiers Supplies).
They use the plane of the top of the instrument for reference and show the nut height at 9.8 mm (+/- 3/8") above the plane of the bottom of the fingerboard (fingerboard shown at 3.2mm), which by subtracting = 6.6 mm and scaling off the drawing looks to be 1/4" from the top of the fretboard. The bridge is shown as 12 mm high, which comes out to a little more than 7/16", but real close to what you said. The scale will be 25" and I'll probably use open "G" tuning, since I'm kind of familiar with that one. By the way, the guitar is all local wood being Maple for top and back and Pecan for sides with Red Cedar (fretboard) and Holly (frets). I'll keep what you said about the string gauges in mind. Again, thanks for the info, as having more than one source concur is always good.

I got the calipers out and remeasured the actual string height above the fretboard rather than the nut. I got 4/10" from the fretboard to the bottom of the 6th string, which is going to have the deepest slot. (As I understand it, you want to cut the slots so that the tops of the strings are level) So your 1/4" sounds about right. Don't go any lower or you might have trouble fitting a capo like a Beard or Charlie's, if you want to use one.

Low-bass Open G (DGDGBD) or High-bass (GBDGBD)? Everyone I've ever talked about this with has been empathetic about NOT using High-bass Open G with a Weissenborn, as they are not braced to withstand it like a solid neck Dobro is.

[surveyor]

So, if your saying 0.40" (13/32") is about right at the nut for the string height above the fretboard, then the 1/4" (0.25") might be too low to use one of the capos you mentioned. That's something else I'm totally unfamiliar with. The low G tuning is what I use on a flat top I keep in "G" anyway, so I'll stay with that.
So thanks again, that may save me some undue misery down the line.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by surveyor

So, if your saying 0.40" (13/32") is about right at the nut for the string height above the fretboard, then the 1/4" (0.25") might be too low to use one of the capos you mentioned. That's something else I'm totally unfamiliar with. The low G tuning is what I use on a flat top I keep in "G" anyway, so I'll stay with that.
So thanks again, that may save me some undue misery down the line.

May not be an issue if you don't think that you will ever want to use a capo to change keys. I seldom use one on the standard Weissenborn, but I do use it on the Baritone, which has a 30" scale and is tuned Open A 151351. (The 5th fret is Open D 151351, as that corresponds with a standard scale instrument. Your open G is 515135, while High-Bass Open G is 135135. The numbers correspond with the degrees of the scale.)

The rubber tube that goes beneath the strings on my Charlie's Capo comes in at 3/10," for what it's worth. I'd assume that the Beard version, probably more readily available in your neck of the woods, is about the same.

[1after909]

In regards to tuning..you may want to be open ( no pun intended) to open “E” as it is somewhat more user friendly in theory if your transitioning back and forth between regular guitar. Also it was a fave tuning for Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, George Harrison and Derek Trucks..All stellar players and not a bad endorsement!

[surveyor]

I doubt that I'll use any tunings that involve raising the pitch of strings like open E. "Slack" key only with a Weisenborn is what I'm told.

[guitarman68]

My original Weissenborn from the late 20s has 0.20 string height at the nut and 0.40 at the saddle.
My square neck dobro has 0.30 at the nut.

I string my Weissenborn with John Pearse Weissenborn PB "New D Tuning" strings, Set #3160. Gauges are 0.015, 0.018, 0.027, 0.038, 0.048, 0.060. Tunings I use are:
open D - DADf#ad
open C - CGCegc
C9 - CGCegd.
I never ever would tune higher with these gauges.

Back in the day when I owned two Weissenborns I strung one with regular guitar strings, light gauge in open E.

[Guitars44me]

Originally Posted by surveyor

I doubt that I'll use any tunings that involve raising the pitch of strings like open E. "Slack" key only with a Weisenborn is what I'm told.

Open D works just as well, and you can always capo II for open E.

Don’t blow up your axe!

Hope it sings with glee

Paul

[s11141827]

If you were tuning higher I'd need to get lighter gauge strings. A set of 7-38 Gauge strings could tune to Open G Terz Tuning (G2, D3, G3, B3, D4, G4) which is basically like taking your Guitar, tuning it to Open E, & putting a capo on the 3rd Fret.

[mstuartev]

I have a baritone - which I tune to open C (CGCGCD. WHICH IS A REALLY COOL Steve Dawson C variant… https://youtu.be/g4A2hdD58Mo?si=j4_Vxi1yBMJJxlJB)
Or down to open B. The standard scale I rotate open D/D minor or open G. The Weiss seems to speak better in the lower keys, to my ears, vs. say C6. YMMV.

I tried a couple capos but just preferred the ring of the whole string length.