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Where do I begin describing this phenomenal work of art? The R314KK is a Washburn masterpiece with an aged feel to it that can easily sell for a grand in different circumstances. It was released in 2008 in honor of Washburn’s 125th anniversary.
I don’t know about you, but for me it was love at first sight. An absolute vintage beauty from top to bottom. When you take it in your hands you’ll feel like you’ve just met an old friend after a long hiatus. It’s a traditionalist’s wet dream.
The R314KK has a solid spruce top and a gorgeous aged finish at the back, highlighting the instrument for what it is; the Casanova of the guitar universe. In addition, the guitar’s sides and back are made of trembesi tone wood. Its parlor shape make it a compact and extremely playable, yet strikingly powerful gitbox.
The V-shaped mahogany neck furthermore emphasizes the guitar’s accessibility. The rosewood fingerboard is rigged with 19 frets, of which 12 are open, as well as fancy 1890’s style inlays. The impressive bone nut is 1.8 inches wide, and the overall scale of the instrument amounts to 24.75 inches.
It’s not all about the looks in this powerhouse. The hardware fully represents its qualities and sound capabilities. The guitar is topped off with a gorgeous matching head stock equipped with six distressed open ended tuners and a rosewood bridge system aiding in this beauty’s spot on intonation, coming through its D’Addario EXP-16 light set phospher bronze strings – an admirable string pairing choice which you will never think about replacing.
Don’t let the instrument’s vintage vibe fool you, as it’s mainly focused on the aesthetical side. It’s not by any means built to emulate tones from two centuries ago. The guitar’s volume potential is surprisingly high, despite its relatively small body size.
The V-shaped neck smoothly adheres to slow rhythm tunes, making this instrument a fantastic blues machine, yet not exclusively so. The hardware keeps this gitbox in tune at all times, and you’ll rarely find the need to readjust its strings and tuners. It’s not the most versatile modern instrument you can find on the market, but it does what it’s built for with immaculate precision and quality.
This acoustic jewel has the markings of a worn out classic in your hands while carrying all the benefits of modern technology. It is an instrument without counterparts, quietly sitting in a category of its own, waiting to be explored to its fullest. An obvious recommendation for vintage lovers who like keeping to the lower ends of the tonal spectrum.
More info about the Washburn Vintage Series R314KK , click here.
More acoustic guitars under $500, click here.
joe faircloth says
I just bought one of these models new and had to return it. It’s a very nice guitar, solid tonewoods, lovely sound and a great size but mine had very poorly built neck. I’ve been an amateur Luthier since the 70’s and made a few guitars over the years and the neck on this was BAD. Bent upwards at the body joint and concave at the first 5 frets at the head. The truss rod was loose so some tried to sort out the concave first 5 frets, but even with 11-55’s it wouldn’t pull up. Either way the upward angle from the body joint was there to stay. Even the edge line of the side of the neck weaved in and out – schoolboy mistakes ffs! Most first time builders use a straight edge and are overly careful to get it right.
A real shame as I loved the sound and feel, really very nice to play. I guess you win some etc. I think I may get another but not mail order.