Washburn DC-80 Stephens Extended Cut-away

These dreadnought guitars were designed by Stephen Davies and built from the mid '80s until early 90's. The most notable feature is the extreme cut-away feature that allows access to all 24 frets of the neck. These came in two models, the DC-60 and DC-80. The 60 had a solid spruce top and laminated back and sides. The 80 a solid cedar top and solid rosewood back and sides. In the later years an E (electric) option was offered. It has a large oval soundhole, fully bound body, neck, headstock. I've been told that the tuners are Washburn-branded Grovers... they are gold plated with pearloid buttons.

Other than the unique 24 fret neck and cut-away, sound is what sets this guitar apart. Acoustic guitar tone preference is just that... personal preference, so you really can't say what is "best", but this guitar will run with the best. Very well articulated, even tone across all strings... awsome resonance and projection. I've played tons of top-end guitars, and the DC-80 doesn't take a back seat to any of them.

I bought this used... the previous owner was pretty rough on it. There had been a neck repair done (rather sloppy, but solid). Othewise, the fit and finish of it is decent. I'm not sure it is up to Martin or Taylor finishing standards. Has a rather slender neck... stays thin all the way up. Very playable for a lot of styles.

This is where I would have some concerns. The design seems pretty fragile.. just the way the neck is connected to the body... there isn't a whole lot of room to build in structural stength. Like I said, there had been a repair to the neck (where it attaches to the body) when I got it. It has been very stable since then. In fact, I let my son use it for a couple of years. When he returned it he confessed that it had been stored in an outdoor storage shed. For the past year, exposed to -0 to 100+ temperatures, and seemed none the worse for wear. I can put it in the closet and pull it out months later and it is still pretty much in tune.

It's fun pulling this out at a jam because nobody has ever seen anything like it, and when they hear it, it's WOW. These are rare... I have never seen one on ebay, and just try Googling them... there is nothing out there about them. If you're reading this you are probably one of the few people who know what they are. Very unique, one-of-a-kind guitars. It sounds awsome. If you do a lot of playing at the higher frets (which I don't) you can't beat the access on this... better than most electrics.