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Washburn J-10 Orleans model guitar

EBay Auction ends October 18, 2004

A collectors' Washburn? Well... maybe not quite, but these are a great intermediate-level jazz box, and they are hard to find (most people keep theirs). I decided to sell mine when I realized that I can't evacuate all my guitars when hurricanes head my way. This is a beautiful guitar with very fancy abalone fleur de leis fret markers.

The back, sides, neck, and pickguard are all nicely flamed, and the top is a very lively solid spruce top.

The acoustic tone has the wider tonal range that is popular with many modern luthiers. This lightweight guitar is the loudest acoustic archtop that I have played, and the top is very responsive, almost like a flat-top guitar. It is very enjoyable to play acoustically. 

The neck is stable, straight, and comfortable. The neck width at the nut is 1 22/32", widening to 2 5/32" at the 20th (top) fret, and 21/32 at the bridge. The action at the 12th fret measures 3/32" (low E) and 2/32" (high E). The frets have been leveled, though I still get fret buzz on the low E & A strings only above the 12th fret. A trip through a Plek machine (www.plek.com) would do this (or any) guitar wonders. 

The original cheap wiring has been replaced with pro-quality shielded cable, and an under-the-pickguard  thumb wheel tone pot has been added, as the Orleans were produced without the benefit of a tone control. (What were they thinking?) The guitar is in near mint condition, with the only flaws being a 1/4" ding on the neck (didn't show up on photo after multiple attempts), and extra tailpiece holes (see here). 

The guitar is stamped "Used" and "2" on the back of the headstock. I have had repairmen and luthiers go over the guitar looking for the cause of the designation as a second, and their only guess is that the original tailpiece may have been incorrectly mounted. No other flaws have been found. I suspect that the tailpiece theory is correct, as the original tailpiece broke about a year after I bought the guitar. If the Washburn "W" tailpiece is not to your liking, I have some alternate tailpieces that may interest you. 

I can be reached at Jazz@MarkGuest.net, or by phone during the day at 228-466-4334.

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