Fairbanks F-20

This Dale Fairbanks F-20 is an exquisitely built guitar with looks and feel that harken an early 1930’s L-1 and a tone that most any early 1930s L-1 could only dream of. It’s truly a masterpiece and is as beautiful to behold as it is enjoyable play.

Built with a red spruce top, mahogany back and sides, Madagascar rosewood fretboard and bridge, firestripe celluloid pickguard, aged white bindings, bone nut and saddle, and Waverly tuning machines, every detail of this guitar has been massaged to perfection. Dale Fairbanks’ workmanship is the stuff of legend, and the guitar’s Cremona Sunburst might just be the most attractive sunburst we’ve ever seen on a modern build.

Dale’s guitars are not copies of vintage Gibsons. While the body design and appointments show obvious vintage inspiration, this guitar features a hybrid scalloped and tapered X bracing that is uniquely a Fairbanks. The build is light and responsive like an early 1930s guitar, but offers the clarity and openness of a modern luthier-built guitar. The combination of vintage and modern in its tone is quite stunning. It enjoys an attack that’s light to medium and is equally at home played fingerstyle or flatpicked.

The guitar’s neck will appeal to both C-neck and V-neck fans as it’s a bit of both. While there’s a V shaped hull line, the sides of the neck are nicely rounded and support the left hand very comfortably. It’s a full feeling neck with a 1-3/4” nut width and .928” 1st fret depth but then tapers only slightly to .980” at the 9th, so melodic playing up the neck is more comfortable and easier than on a bigger vintage neck.

With deluxe hardshell case.