Washburn 5246 , ca. 1938

This is very much a player’s vintage Washburn, with an interesting and somewhat complicated restoration history.

The guitar is a Style 5246 dating from the pre-war Tonk Bros. period. At some point in its earlier life it underwent substantial work, including replacement of the original neck block. The neck itself has an unusually slim and extremely comfortable C-shaped profile. While at first this suggested a later replacement neck, the period-style Washburn headstock with its characteristic radial-line decoration raises the possibility that it is in fact an older Washburn/Regal neck which was heavily re-carved during an earlier conversion or restoration. I cannot establish this with certainty.

The headstock shows a number of plugged holes from an earlier tuner configuration. The Gotoh tuners currently fitted to the guitar are modern replacements installed by me and should not be interpreted as part of the earlier conversion.

The top has also been refinished under my ownership. When I acquired the guitar it had been covered with a poorly executed, non-original black-to-yellow sunburst overspray. Fortunately, this later finish could be removed without damaging the underlying instrument, revealing the attractive original-style top binding that had previously been obscured. I subsequently commissioned the present natural top refinish.

Despite – or perhaps partly because of – its long history of modification, this is an exceptionally comfortable and highly playable vintage instrument. The very slim neck profile makes it quite unlike the typically substantial necks found on surviving pre-war Washburn 5246s.