1937 Washburn 5246

$7,999.00

  • Year: 1937
  • Manufacturer: Washburn
  • Model: 5246
  • Case: Hard
  • Color:
  • Condition: Excellent
  • Description: Serial # 3243. This rare Washburn model 5246 is one of a small number of Rosewood Dreadnoughts built by Chicago’s Lyon & Healy in the days of Tonk Bros. Distributorship. Dreadnought-sized guitars were a new thing in the mid 1930’s, with Gibson and Martin each offering a few models in this body size. The Washburn pictured here is dimensionally similar to a Gibson Jumbo, with its deep and non-tapering body and small soundhole. The back and sides are Rosewood, however, and the neck’s scale measures 25.4”. The guitar features a double-X braced top, big V-shaped neck, and jumbo frets. Neck reset and aged reproduction bridge by our shop, 1940’s tuners; otherwise completely original and unrepaired. A big sounding guitar to go with its big size, the 5246 has a very strong and pronounced fundamental and a whole lot of headroom. It’s a powerful flatpicker, and pretty dry all around. Mid and treble range response is strong, especially considering the guitar’s size, and bass runs have a succinct and well punctuated affect. You’ll want to be a fan of big necked guitars to play this one – the nut measures 1-13/16” and the thickness of the neck behind the first fret is a bit more than an inch! This instrument is featured in Issue 22 of The Fretboard Journal, alongside two of its adjacently serial numbered kin. We’ll include a copy of the Journal with the guitar. With hardshell case