Richard Jacob Weissgerber was born in Markneukirchen, Germany in 1877. He came from a family of luthiers and went to train with violin maker Christian Wilhelm Seidel. He also apprenticed as a zither maker and worked with guitar maker Wilhelm Voigt before setting up his own workshop in 1905. He patented "Weissgerber" as a trade mark and made mostly guitars in the Viennese style at first. He developed new models with creative shapes and decorations and exquisite finishes that helped the Weissgerber brand stand out from the comptetion at the time. He travelled extensively to meet other guitar makers and players which ultimately led to a Spanish influence on his guitar designs although he never abandoned his unique construction methods. When he died in 1960, his eldest son Martin (1911-1991) took over the Weissgerber Guitar Workshop until it finally closed in 1990.

Source: Guitar Salon International - Richard Jacob