Bill Hardin founded Bear Creek Guitars in Hawaii in 1995 after working at O.M.I Dobro and the Santa Cruz Guitar Company. Bear Creek primarily builds Weissenborn style acoustic lap steel guitars using the original Weissenborn design.Hardin has collaborated with guitarist and ethnomusicologist Bob Brozman in designing an updated 7-string baritone version of the Style IV Weissenborn, called the BearTone. Bill Hardin was introduced to the Weissenborn by Don Young of National Reso-Phonic Guitars while they both worked for Dobro.  Bear Creek builds both hollow neck and Kona round neck copies of the Weissenborn  as well as Spanish steel-stings, ukuleles, and resonators.