Compensate a Weissenborn?

[Kary Karahadian]

For those who have made or played one, should they have some compensation? No frets to stretch strings, but it seems like the slide would sharpen notes. Or does they player compensate with the subtle positioning of the slide? I've never played slide.

[Todd Stock]

Not unless it's one of the round necks with frets.

[Kary Karahadian]

Thanks Todd. I'm doing a style 2 copy. Were the koa fret boards unfinished or were they shellac'd with the rest of the instrument?

[Brian Evans]

Guitars played purely with a slide do not have any compensation. Distance is the same from nut to 12th fret marker to the bridge. The vast majority of compensation requirement comes from increased tension on the string from fretting, a tiny amount comes from reduced mass when playing only half the string length, but in practice there is no need to fuss. What slide players often do get caught up in is a need to compensate for equal temperament tuning of certain strings if tuning with a guitar tuner or to a piano. On dobro tuning in G for an example, the B strings are usually the third of the chord and in equal temperament are quite sharp and easy to hear the issue, so players often tune the B string flat to equal temperament. This makes the guitar sound better in tune with itself, but of course out of tune with some other instruments.

[Greg Steil]

Yes, the fingerboards were finished. I used to own a Style 4 and a Style 3. I also build copies and do finish the FB.

[Freeman Keller]

No compensation - the slide does not depress the strings enough to sharpen them and you compensate with the bar anyway. Many Weissenborns just had a piece of fret wire for the saddle, I used bone in mine. Adjust the action about 3/8 off the board (I didn't finish my boards but either way should be OK). My "frets" are strips of maple inlaid into the board - they are simply position makers.

[Kary Karahadian]

thank you for all the information!