Weissenborn guitars are a type of acoustic steel-string guitar developed in the 1920s by Herman Weissenborn in Los Angeles, California. They are distinguished by their unique construction and sound, and were especially popular in the early days of Hawaiian music.
Weissenborn guitars have a hollow metal body, usually made of aluminum, with a wooden soundboard. The body is typically rectangular, with rounded corners, and features a large, oval sound hole. The neck is usually made of wood, and is attached to the body with a dovetail joint.
The strings are typically nylon or gut, and are tuned in a variety of ways, depending on the desired sound. The most common tuning is "slack key," in which the strings are tuned to a lower pitch than standard, and are played in a fingerstyle technique.
Weissenborn guitars produce a warm, mellow sound, with a strong mid-range and clear treble. They are often used for blues, folk, and Hawaiian music, and are also popular with jazz guitarists.
Some notable Weissenborn players include Gabby Pahinui, Willie K, Ry Cooder, and Jack Johnson.