Post by honeyboy on Jun 8, 2010 17:09:06 GMT
Had the good fortune to pickup an incredibly cheap Goldtone Weissenborn SM a few months ago.
My excuse was I needed a backup to my main Weissenborn (which is becoming increasingly fragile and doesn't enjoy travelling long distances much anymore).
I paid a derisory £220 for it (and included was a pretty good hardcase).
I'd read all the sniping reviews from (mainly US) players about how awful Goldtone's were, compared to the real thing etc etc and to be fair I wasn't expecting much.
When I got it home, I was uninspired - the strings on it were poor quality, the nut was too low to allow the use of a capo and the instrument despite being several years old had obviously not been played much. It exuded an air of unloved neglect. I planned to stick an acoustic pickup on it, and use it as a 'mule'.
I put on some Newtone Alohas, sorted out the obvious setup defects and subsequently forgot about it for a day or two..
Then my Weissenborn had to go in for some work on a small but worrying bridge crack developing between pins, and it would be unavailable for a week or two. And I needed an acoustic lap steel. Bugger.
Out came the Goldtone. I stuck it in Open C tuning, which is a favourite and I used it intensively nearly everyday for two weeks. During this time, something astonishing happened. The instrument really opened up, like a flower facing towards the sun. I was recording each day, and listening to the first day versus the 10th day, there was a clear and pronounced tonal change. You could also hear and feel it when you played it.
After having had the instrument for a few months, it is now one of my favourites - It has developed a Koa like 'barking' quality to certain frequencies, despite being made of mahogany, and it certainly suits being 'tuned down' to Open C.
It just goes to show how important it is for instruments to be played in. Judge for yourself.
Here's a John Fahey piece, 'Dance Of The Inhabitants of the Palace of King Philip XIV Of Spain' from his second album 'Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes'. Also known as the 'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch' of acoustic song titles, this was originally recorded on a National Tricone in 1963.
Hear it played on my bargain Goldtone Weissenborn. (I've put in some deliberate bum notes to prove it is me
) - Click here to listen
My excuse was I needed a backup to my main Weissenborn (which is becoming increasingly fragile and doesn't enjoy travelling long distances much anymore).
I paid a derisory £220 for it (and included was a pretty good hardcase).
I'd read all the sniping reviews from (mainly US) players about how awful Goldtone's were, compared to the real thing etc etc and to be fair I wasn't expecting much.
When I got it home, I was uninspired - the strings on it were poor quality, the nut was too low to allow the use of a capo and the instrument despite being several years old had obviously not been played much. It exuded an air of unloved neglect. I planned to stick an acoustic pickup on it, and use it as a 'mule'.
I put on some Newtone Alohas, sorted out the obvious setup defects and subsequently forgot about it for a day or two..
Then my Weissenborn had to go in for some work on a small but worrying bridge crack developing between pins, and it would be unavailable for a week or two. And I needed an acoustic lap steel. Bugger.
Out came the Goldtone. I stuck it in Open C tuning, which is a favourite and I used it intensively nearly everyday for two weeks. During this time, something astonishing happened. The instrument really opened up, like a flower facing towards the sun. I was recording each day, and listening to the first day versus the 10th day, there was a clear and pronounced tonal change. You could also hear and feel it when you played it.
After having had the instrument for a few months, it is now one of my favourites - It has developed a Koa like 'barking' quality to certain frequencies, despite being made of mahogany, and it certainly suits being 'tuned down' to Open C.
It just goes to show how important it is for instruments to be played in. Judge for yourself.
Here's a John Fahey piece, 'Dance Of The Inhabitants of the Palace of King Philip XIV Of Spain' from his second album 'Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes'. Also known as the 'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch' of acoustic song titles, this was originally recorded on a National Tricone in 1963.
Hear it played on my bargain Goldtone Weissenborn. (I've put in some deliberate bum notes to prove it is me
) - Click here to listen
