Washburn 5256 Solo 1936
In the 1930’s guitars bearing the Washburn name were distributed by the Tonk Brothers. These were manufactured or assembled from parts by a few different builders, but the most notable was Regal, Chicago. In the early to mid 30’s these Tonk Bros. Washburns were some of the highest quality instruments ever built by Regal. Clearly these were built to compete with the best.
This style 5256 Solo is listed in Washburn’s catalog as a large auditorium size. Its similar in size and shape to a Martin 14 fret 000 body, but is slightly larger and deeper, with a 25 ½” scale neck. This model is X braced with mahogany back and sides. Of interest is the use of bar frets at this late date.
Courtesy of D. Buettner
|
