Circa 1901 Washburn Style 3

Natural, Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, sent through our shop for a neck set and all open cracks repaired. There are many cracks on the back. Let’s count them. Ok, done, there are 9 cracks on the back, now repaired. Let’s count the top cracks. Ok, zero top cracks. There are about 4 side cracks all repaired over the last 124 years. You can see the old cleats. Yes there were some great repair people 100 years ago. Stradivarius was pretty good but he would be 382 by now.

The Washburn guitars started in Chicago in 1883. The name owned by Lyon and Healy also of Chicago. Willie’s first job was at Lyon and Healy in 1974. The name was sold to Willie’s other employer Rudy Schlacher. Rudy opened the Sound Post Music in Evanston. There is no direct lineage between the two Washburns. The original did not survive the great depression.

Pre-war Washburns came in four sizes. This is a size 3, the 2nd biggest with 9 levels of inlay. This is 14 1/2” wide, 25 1/4” scale and the body is 4” deep. The fingerboard is bound ebony with three fancy inlays on frets 7, 9 and 12. It has a big V neck with a 1 7/8” nut width. There are three layers of back binding and four layers on the Red Spruce top with a fancy herringbone rosette. The back and sides are solid Brazilian Rosewood with great figure. The top is solid Adirondack (Red) Spruce. The neck is a gorgeous one piece Honduran Mahogany. It has a slotted headstock with a Brazilian overlay. The tuners appear to be the originals and are functional with slot head screws. The bridge is a flat top pyramid reproduction but the original is in the case. The tone? Wow! You will be amazed. There is a huge volume and a crunch you will not forget. It’s strung with .11 gauge bronze strings. This guitar will break your heart. You’ll see the sticker inside. It has a 6 digit serial number. The Washburn stamp on the spine and “1997 Model” and “New Model”. Don’t be fooled those stamps were used for two decades. We are not certain on this guitars age. Our best guess is around 1897-1905. Does it matter? Are you looking for a birth year guitar? The case is a soft shell that is functional but not sexy. Since this is Brazilian Rosewood it’s tough to ship overseas. But old Brazilian guitar are of great interest.