2006-10-29 15:18:05 · 7 answers · asked by mike a 2 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music
Ben Harper's signature instrument is the Weissenborn, a hollow-neck acoustic Hawaiian lap slide guitar produced in the 1920s by Herman W. Weissenborn. Weissenborn, a German émigré from a family of violin makers, settled in Los Angeles and brought an accomplished level of instrument craftsmanship to his guitar making. He constructed his lap slide guitar fretless from Hawaiian koa wood, and the sides of the instrument continued all the way up to the head, creating a hollow neck. The rare Weissenborn possessed a wide range of tones, from sweetly melodic to boldly resonant, and provided an accomplished player with a wide range of expressive possibilities.
As Ben explains, "I used to play bottleneck on Dobros and Nationals, but when I started playing lap slide, the Weissenborn was the logical next step. It is the greatest sounding acoustic instrument ever made. I play it for that reason. It has the depth of a cello and the edge of a Strat. You have to be as accurate as the cellist for the intonation. You can't play a little too high or too low or else you're out of tune. The hollow neck Weissenborn can't be fretted, and the strings are high off the neck. Since it doesn't have the metal resonator, it doesn't have that metallic tone. Its belly, back and side are entirely made of Koa wood, which is a wood only of the Hawaiian Islands. It is now an endangered wood, so you cannot cut the Koa tree. I'm drawn to its resonating sound. It is very expressive. I stick with the Weissenborn, it says something new to me everyday. Every time I pick it up it sings something new. The Weissenborn is the sound that is in me. Nothing else can channel the spirit of my music."
Acoustic Guitars:
• Weissenborn Teardrop (circa 1930s) and two Style 4 (1925 and 1927) lap-style guitars
• A 2004 and a custom 2005 National Reso-Phonic Model D Western squareneck
• 2005 Martin HD-28VE
• Vintage Gibson J-50
• 2005 Cole Clark dreadnought
Electric Guitars:
• Asher Ben Harper lap-steel
• 1956 Gibson Les Paul Special
• Fender Custom Shop Telecaster
2006-10-29 15:23:06 · answer #1 · answered by Glen 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ben Harper Guitar
2016-10-13 22:13:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Guitar. Check out site below. I hope this helps.
2006-10-29 15:21:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mostly he plays guitar-- all types of guitar. I've also seen him play some drums.
2006-10-29 15:19:23 · answer #4 · answered by RR 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
acoustic slide guitar
2006-10-29 15:25:28 · answer #5 · answered by shrm 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
guitar
2006-10-29 15:19:54 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A guitar - though a harp would be more befitting his name !
:-))
2006-10-29 15:22:02 · answer #7 · answered by IndyaBelle 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋