Tony Francis Instruments: August 2013

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Thomas Oliver - Beneath The Weissenborn

What started as a single instrumental and then became a collection for an EP, transitioned into a full and conscious record that tells a story. Beneath the Weissenborn cuts its own path musically with an honesty and quality that has made Thomas' unique voice so beloved and identified with the world over.

Thomas is one of those most special and beautiful people you meet in life who gives rather than takes, and continually inspires through his own humility, artistic integrity and positivity for life. It has been the greatest honor as a maker to collaborate with him on various projects, and to see him record a solid selection of guitars that I made (Styles 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively) and restored (Weissenborn Teardrop, Ca.1930).

One of my favorite things about the album its how it takes you places within your own head and heart. The new video 'Born' so beautifully articulates the magic, innocence and complete enamor of how I felt about the Weissenborn when I first heard it, and why it continues to inspire my life on a daily basis. Thank you for all you have done for me, Thomas!

'Beneath The Weissenborn' is out today!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Weissenborn ukulele repair - Pt. 4

Part 4 - Setup and completion.

Making the fine reproduction nut. The material is period correct phenolic.

The wonky twelfth fret was removed, straightened and re-inlaid. All the frets were then minimally dressed in the original profile to remove burs, buzzes and ensure smooth playability.

Custom made Ivoroid soundhole 'inset'.

The original Waverly Patent Pending tuning peg. A near impossible to find tuner, and one of the set was missing! I would like to extend my greatest thanks to Frank Ford at Gryphon for his generosity and help in finding the perfect vintage replacement.

Original patent.

Completed ukulele.

Weissenborn ukulele repair - Pt. 3

Part 3 - Repair continued.

Most of the repairs in Pt. 2 are standard and straight out of repair 101. The back brace however, was more of an issue;

Here you can see the old repair job in attempt to stabilize the brace, hide glue was simply applied in a no doubt well meaning but ultimately useless repair.

Brace removed.

Brace crack re-glued.

Before the brace is re-glued in place, the old glue squeeze out had to be removed from where the brace would actually sit to insure a good joint. The old squeeze out surrounding the brace was left in place since there is no way to cleanly remove that without either abrasion or chemical treatment. Those always leave a slight trace either by texture, look or smell, and I try to keep their use limited to removing modern synthetic glues. I wanted to preserve the original interior look, and its story.

Its difficult to appreciate from the above pictures but the strong curve in that back brace takes a lot of pressure to force the back into its pronounced arch. The ukulele was in mostly original condition and I did not want to remove its back for this procedure with all the associated risks to tone. However, no matter how hard I tried I could not get that brace to tuck into its original position without popping out of its small incision in the linings.

On our weekly catch up Steve Evans of Beltona fame suggested small blocks be glued to the linings to provide the support for the brace to be glued. Once the glue was dry, they could then be removed and the back could remain in place. And so - it is these small spruce blocks (one on either side) that took this from a typical repair to a truly great one. Many thanks Steve!

Completed brace re-installation with blocks removed.

Part 4.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Weissenborn ukulele - Pt. 2

Part 2 - The repair begins

Before we can glue anything back inside the ukulele, the instrument must first be made structurally solid. And so we start with all the loose seams around the perimeter of the instrument.

The lamp provides the gentle heat which warms the instrument ready for the hide glue.

Now everything is solid, we can move onto the loose braces.

This one was loose and only held in place by the brace ends which are tucked into the linings. Since hide glue is cohesive and sticks to itself, I simply re-glued it in place. The ease of repair-ability is one of the major reasons I use hide glue exclusively in my new instruments as well as restoration work.

Same with the loose bridge.

The second top brace was completely missing, so I had to make a new one in the old style. The spruce I use in restoration came from an old piano, so it it naturally aged and a good color match to the original spruce. It is then further distressed for a perfect match.

Part 3!

Weissenborn ukulele repair - Pt. 1

My clients send me the coolest instruments to work on, and no matter how small - its always an honor to work on them, and the approach and philosophy remains the same. This instrument is a Weissenborn Style 1 Soprano from the mid 1930s. It was found at a yardsale in California for fifty cents, and was a gift to its current owner who is learning the ukulele!

While perhaps not the prettiest instrument Weissenborn ever made as far as color goes, it more than makes up for it in cool - being one of the few instruments made so late in Weissenborn's career and featuring spectacularly refined bridge work.

The brand features what I believe to be a straightened out 'eagles beak' and a nick to the shield left of the 'H' - Ca.1935.

Although the instrument came to my shop in unplayable condition - the restoration process was straight forward with the same approach I use for guitars. The only real difference being the difficulty of working inside an instrument so small! Repair list as below;