Please put your pickup/wiring discussions in the Electronics section; and put discussions about repair issues, including fixing errors in new instruments, in the Repairs section.
Since I got some of the advice on this build from this form I thought it would be good to post some progress reports here.
My main challenges with this build are making and installing rope bindings and the changes to my build order of things i had to make because the neck and body are the same part.. Still a fun build and i think i will do more.
Below are some photos of building up the bindings.. I have Byrnes Model Machines table saw and drum sander which were great for this process (and lots of other stuff)
Nice work. When I built my Weissies I just bound them in maple and used a commercial rope material for the rosette - I think that is more or less style 2. Good job on making your own
The other funky part of the build was coming up with a jig that would hold the head and sides in alignment
One thought on strings - there was a discussion some time back at OLF about strings for a Weissenborn and of course it depends on tuning but one of the things I remember (and I do on mine) is to run pretty heavy first and second strings. I tune to D, standard open G or (rarely) high bass G and usually mediums will work pretty good if you bump the first couple up. I think I have a 16 on it now. The idea is that that since its tuned down a couple of semitones you need to get the tension back up and with a light gauge string there you risk hitting the top when you angle your steel to play first string leads. If you look at old Weissies a lot of them have the binding beat to heck where the top curves into the fretboard.
Greetings All,
Long time reader, first time posting. I’m starting a couple of Weissenborns, and have gleaned a bit of info from these and other posts, thanks. I’d like to put pickups in them and wondering what you all might recommend or thoughts on the subject.
Hi Michael. I haven't installed a pickup in mine but the one I see most often is the Sunrise sound hole pup - that seems to be what Ben Harper and David Lindley and folks like that use. I did play one with a standard UST and thought it sounded fne but that would mean that you would be using a standard saddle (again, thats what I did but traditionally the saddle is simply a piece of fretwire). My standard acoustic pickup is a K&K bridgeplate transducers - I don't think you could go wrong with that.
I did buy a Seymour Duncan woodie sound hole pup that I was going to put in it but the hole was too small (it doesn't have the mounding screws and little ears like a normal sound hole pup) - it might make sense to get your pickup and make sure it will fit the hole when you cut it.
I’ll check out the Sunrise. I’ve had good luck with the R&R myself, and either way I’m going to use a bone saddle. I still have a bit of time, just finished up processing all th wood, and getting ready to finally dive in to building.
