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Saw this wee parlour guitar and couldn't resist.

Neck is almost triangular and 2" wide so very different from anything I've ever owned before. Only played it for 15 mins or so but it sounds really nice. Strings are new but feel heavier than I like so will probably swap them out tomorrow.

The gratuitous snaps (starting with one of the case for rct...)

Washburn-01.jpg

Washburn-02.jpg

Washburn-03.jpg

Washburn-04.jpg

Pip.

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Thanks for the nice words, folks!

I've just double-checked the width of the fretboard and it's not the 2" as per the description - it's actually just a ba' hair over 1 7/8" tapering out to 2 3/8" at the soundhole.

Yes, Bill; the casket! Hey; anything that cuts down on funeral expenses is fine with me. I took those snaps in a bit of a rush just after I got home with the thing but when I get a mo' I'll take a few  detail pics; there are loads of little touches which are really smart.

By the way I've just noticed I didn't say exactly what it is in the OP.........[blush].........senility is advancing. Obviously it's a Washburn - an R315kk which was part of the 125th anniversary releases in 2008. Essentially it is an homage to the sort of Parlour guitar that Washburn was crafting around 1890 - 1900 - hence the weird triangular neck profile. Top is Spruce; 'board and bridge are Ebony; neck is mahogany; back and sides are (apparently) Trembesi (which is sometimes called East Indian Walnut) with Mother of Pearl inlays to 'board and peghead and what appears to be genuine abalone rosette inlay and rope-inlay purfling to body and back.

Pip.

Edited by pippy
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12 minutes ago, Big Bill said:

Wow, talking about a "V" shaped neck! How does that feel, is it kind of chunky?

I really love the wood and the finish!! The inlays and binding are breath taking. Congrats Pip!!

V shaped profiles feel interesting because it does not necessarily feel chunky due to the relief at the sides but you can feel the depth (front to back thickness) of the neck 

I have a soft v Strat neck from Warmoth and like it because it has the depth to keep my thumb from cramping on barre chords after a long period of playing while allowing the fingers to wrap around the neck freely

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Wow the details are amazing - a lot of hand work involved I would think.

Washburns were made not far from where I lived before I retired, and I even applied for a job there once as a final set up guy - but they never called me ☹️

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Looking at the pics I'm not surprised you couldn't resist it. 

I've tried very few V-necks in my time but always found the profile quite comfortable.

Best wishes, congrats!

Edited by jdgm
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Going by the neck width I thought assumed was a nylon string at first. I have a softer V neck which is very comfy, so no qualms there.

I always assumed parlour models to be on the quiet side, but some smaller guitars can be surprisingly loud. How is yours? And more importantly, how is the tone?

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Thanks again, all, for the nice comments.

The neck? Similar to what Dub said above it's not chunky. Contrary to Dub's Warmoth Strat nor can it even remotely be described as a 'Soft V'! It's V profile is VERY pronounced with only a very narrow flattened-off band running up the spine of the neck and the flattened cheeks only start to curve (if it can be called that!) when we get to the area of the neck binding. I can't, in all honesty, say I find it comfortable (yet) but then again we are still becoming acquainted with one another. I'm pretty sure that in a few days after some more attempts at familiarity we will be good friends. I'm inundated with work at the mo' so haven't had much play-time but I had a brief five minutes with her before breakfast and I'm already finding the profile less weird in the hand.

Volume-wise it's surprisingly loud! I haven't been whacking it but I'm guessing that it will be plenty loud enough to hold its own. Because of the wider string-spacing this style of guitar is far more suited to finger-picking techniques than as an out-and-out 'strummer'. I have actually been quite surprised how much more cleanly it can be played than, for instance, my Dread. Fingers are less prone to tripping-up over themselves. I can assure rct that 'Can't Find My Way Home' is a walk in the park.

Tone is very sweet. No idea what brand of strings is fitted but they are phosphor-bronze and it sounds like plucking at the strings of a small piano. Very bright, tight, projection is good. A bit more mid-and-upper-range-centric than a bigger-bodied instrument, obviously, but the bass is plenty enough for my tastes - I don't particularly like 'Boomy'-sounding guitars. Intonation is very accurate but as it's a 12-fret neck I'm not anticipating doing much work in the tree-tops.

So all-in-all I'm absolutely delighted with her. It was my 60th birthday yesterday and I picked her out as my present from my wife. Both, needless to say, are keepers.

Pip.

Edited by pippy
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