Imperial Royal Hawaiian Classic-T Weissenborn Style Lap Steel Guitar

This is my first Weissenborn guitar, but one of many guitars I've owned over the years. Build quality is very good. Clean lines, solid joinery topnotch finish and no visible glue press out. Case fits perfectly and is of decent quality. Absolutely beautiful looking guitar Honestly, the product images don't do it justice!Plays well and I'm getting a very woody, bluesy sound in open D. I have very little to compare it to though.Haven't tried the pickup yet but will be running it into a DAW once I can play something worth recording!Ordered on a Wednesday and received in one week CA to MI USA. It was packaged very well and arrived in perfect condition despite the box taking an obvious beating.

I've been playing guitar for almost 20 years now and just recently got into the world of slide guitars. About 6months ago I bought a cheap electric slide guitar and learned some tunes and then one day while browsing youtube I watched a video with a guy playing this mystical and magical sounding instrument called a weissenborn. I was instantly hooked. I even modded one of my acoustics with a raised nut and bought a slide bar so I could try and emulate that smooth slinky sound that these instruments can produce. After searching for a while for one to purchase a decided to take a chance on this one here from Imperial Guitars. They are built in Santa Barbara, CA and while there weren't a whole lot of reviews to go on, here or elsewhere I really wanted to get one but wasn't comfortable spending a ton of money for an instrument I've never played before. This model seemed like the perfect fit. The finish on the guitar is pretty good but not perfect though as there are a couple very small, minor imperfections but it is buffed to a nice quality gloss shine. The body of the guitar is gorgeous and the rope binding is fantastic as well. The headstock logo inlay is done really well too. The fretboard I believe is mahogany and looks to be unfinished and if you get it in the right light you can see the sanding scratches. The bridge does not have any finish on it either and looks a little strange in contrast to the high gloss body. I might try putting a few coats of tru oil on the fretboard and bridge and buff it to a satin finish in the future. The setup seems perfect, all the strings are nice and level at the nut and bridge and the tuners are nice looking and so far seem to hold well. As for the sound, it is a little quiet unplugged but that is to be expected as the body is only 3" thick. It still sounds lovely though. When plugged in though it sounds fantastic, I suggest playing through an amp with a nice clean channel and add some reverb. It also comes with a hardshell case that is a very nice dark brown color. I can tell the case is not the highest quality but it will suffice and it holds the guitar firmly. My only real complaint with this instrument and the main reason I'm giving this review 4 stars instead of 5 is that when I hit certain notes there is a buzzing sound coming from within the instrument. I removed the battery but that was not it so I'm hoping it's something else with the preamp box or a cable inside. I intend to diagnose it further when I restring it and am hoping it's not something structural like a loose brace. It's not a huge deal as I play it plugged in 90% of the time and can only really hear it when it's unplugged and it only happens on a few certain notes. Overall I'm really happy with it though, it looks and sounds great and didn't break the bank.

Very nice instrument, the case was a mess and I was going to fix it and then I decided to return it. This guitar has a wonderful sound. I will buy another from the Mfg.

Wonderful acoustic/electric lap guitar. Very well crafted and a beautiful sound. Would absolutely recommend to beginners and experienced players.

A Fantastic instrument. Plays well sounds good and crisp. Turns all the heads with its beauty. The pickup is awesome to say the least. I would buyone if I were the one reading this review.

Love the sound. Pickup sounds really good and plays very well. Only complaint is a seam in the body that spawned a crack in the center of the lower portion of the face from the bridge down. Other than that, awesome guitar. I recommend it.

Workmanship and finish not what I expected for price. Prompt refund passport audio great guys to deal with!

I liked it just what I expected