Meet the Craftsmen: Marty Lewis
“He’s a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction.” Kris Kristofferson penned those words in 1971, meaning to describe Johnny Cash as well as a bevy of other wild Nashville cats. Kristofferson wasn’t thinking of Weber luthier Marty Lewis when he wrote that famous line—heck, Lewis would have been about nine then—but the thought describes him pretty well. Lewis, you see, is the man Weber owner Tom Bedell turned to when he wanted to go...
May 30, 2018, Weber News
The Weber Larger Mandolin Family Body Shapes
By Michael Eck The first great wave of mandolin madness hit American shores early in the 20th century, with Ellis Island as the gateway, and European masters and amateurs serving as ambassadors. Years before Bill Monroe played his first lick, mandolin orchestras roamed the land, popping up in urban centers and small towns alike. Some petite ensembles played jaunty classical pieces or nostalgic airs of home—often Italy and Germany. Other large groups favored popular melodies of the day,...
May 21, 2018, Weber News
An In-depth Look at The Dovetail Neck Joint
There’s more than one way to join wood. Just ask Marty Lewis. Lewis, the luthier who puts the neck on your Weber mandolin, has a long history in woodworking (which we’ll cover here in depth, soon), and he knows what’s what when it comes to maple, mahogany and spruce. When Weber owner Tom Bedell stood next to Lewis while holding a classic mandolin from the 1920s, Bedell immediately knew he wanted to add a traditional dovetail to the catalog, and he knew he had the man to do it...
May 18, 2018, Weber News
MMR Article: Advancing the Traditional Weber Mandolins
Written by Victoria Wasylak Published: 09 April 2018 | Read Full Article In 2018, many musicians and retailers have complex feelings about guitar sales and their relevance in today’s market, while ukuleles continue to have an epic moment and are surging in popularity. So where do mandolins fit into the equation? As it turns out, the answer is “perfectly.” Weber Mandolins, now under the Two Old Hippies brand roof with Breedlove Guitars and Bedell Guitars, relocated from...
Apr 19, 2018, Weber News
Meet the Craftsmen: Dalton Bell
By Michael Eck Dalton Bell starts his day in the spray booth, but even when his body has left the clean, dust-free room at the rear of the shop on Bend’s American Loop, his head is still in there. Bell has an artistic sensibility that flows out and through everything he touches, whether it’s a painting he’s making at home, a new song he’s developing on guitar and keys, or your Weber mandolin. A native Oregonian, born in Bend and raised in La Pine, Bell has done his...
Apr 19, 2018, Weber News
An Indepth Look at Weber Finishes
By Michael Eck The finish on your Weber mandolin speaks to everyone in the room—or the festival tent or the club or the concert hall—even before they hear the first note. It telegraphs quality. It signifies the instrument as an object of beauty, craftsmanship and virtuosity. You could hang it on the wall and call it art, if you could just convince yourself to stop taking it down to play it! Since day one, Weber mandolins, mandolas, octaves and mandocellos have been eye candy,...
Apr 09, 2018, Events, Weber News