Thanks for that Rick. I also find it offensive when small minded builders call their guitars "Weissenborns" or worse still, abreviated versions like "weiss" or "weissey" etc.

Very, very few if any builders of new instruments have any clue about how vastly different the new "design in mind" guitars are vs the old ones.

Not meaning to offend anyone. But I just really think its important to respect the name and builder who designed and developed this guitar over 20 years of his life. Build a hawaiian guitar, thats just fine... but call it a "Stock" or whatever, not a Weissenborn.

The original Weissenborns had spruce tailblocks. You can usually cut them from the ends of your bracewood billets, no problem at all. Good luck.

Spruce tailblocks here. Out of interest I weighed one now and it's 3.5lbs strung; Tassie Blackwood with Ebony bridge and fretboard.

Also, I generally refer to the design as 'Weissenborn style' or 'original Weissenborn guitars' or variations on that. I try to stick clear of calling them simply a Weissenborn, but I have no problems saying to a buyer or player "the Weissenborns I build..." etc. which implies separation and something different from originals.

Had Hermann Weissenborn had an Anglicised name, I'm sure we'd have something better to call them to distinguish remakes from Weissenborn's. Unfortunately 'Weissenbornian' is a mouthful and a half. I also see no disrespect or other problems in referring to them as a 'Weiss' for this reason.