F-35 Standard
My personal favorite guitar design of all time, this slope-shouldered dreadnought has all the volume, honk, and bark that the best vintage examples are known for. Don’t let the short scale lull you into complacency: it can hold its own in a bluegrass combo or get real funky with some finger-style blues.
Headroom is seemingly limitless and the mahogany back and sides lend a particular woodiness that is unique to this body style. If you’re looking for a 16” dread to feed your tortured soul, the search is over.
ABOUT THIS MODEL
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TOP: Sitka Spruce
BACK & SIDES: Honduran Mahogany
BRACING: Tapered X, scalloped tone bars
NECK: Mahogany
FINGERBOARD & BRIDGE: Madagascar Rosewood
NUT & SADDLE: Bone
FINISH: Top Burst, Gloss Nitrocellulose
TUNERS: Waverly, Nickel with Ivoroid knobs
PICKGUARD: Firestripe
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Carve: Vintage easy V
Nut Width: 1 3/4"
String Spacing: 2.2”
Scale Length: 24.75"
Depth at 1ST .8620"
Depth at 9TH: .950"
Truss Rod: Adjustable
Inlays: MOP Dots
Headstock: Fairbanks logo
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TKL Deluxe Hardshell
F-35 1934 Jumbo
This iteration of the slope shouldered jumbo was one of the first on the market in the 1930s to compete with the larger body styles being introduced by Martin around the same time. The Fairbanks 1934 Jumbo differentiates itself from the standard F-35 with a tobacco/red mahogany full body burst; small, hand-applied top burst; 3-3/4” soundhole; and nearly consistent body depth from heel block to tail. The result is a slightly stronger bass response and all the grunt and honk you’d ever want.
ABOUT THIS MODEL
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TOP: Sitka Spruce
BACK & SIDES: Honduran Mahogany
BRACING: Tapered X, scalloped tone bars
NECK: Mahogany, sunburst
FINGERBOARD & BRIDGE: Madagascar Rosewood
BINDING: Ivoroid (body & fingerboard)
NUT & SADDLE: Bone
FINISH: Top Burst, Gloss Nitrocellulose
TUNERS: Waverly, Nickel with Ivoroid knobs
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Carve: Vintage easy V
Nut Width: 1.75”
String Spacing: 2.2”
Scale Length: 24.75"
Depth at 1ST .8620"
Depth at 9TH: .950"
Truss Rod: Adjustable
Inlays: MOP Dots
Headstock: Fairbanks logo
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TKL Hardshell
F-35 1943 Jumbo
Perhaps the quintessential slope shouldered design most recognized the world over, the Fairbanks 1943 jumbo shares its bracing design and resulting tonal qualities with its slope shouldered sisters, but sports the teardrop pickguard, 7 ply soundhole rosette, and slightly larger headstock of its wartime and post-war inspirations.
Shown in custom “Cherry Burst” finish. Sunburst in standard.
ABOUT THIS MODEL
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TOP: Sitka Spruce
BACK & SIDES: Honduran Mahogany
BRACING: Tapered X, scalloped tone bars
NECK: Mahogany
FINGERBOARD & BRIDGE: Madagascar Rosewood
NUT & SADDLE: Bone
FINISH: Top Burst, Gloss Nitrocellulose
TUNERS: Waverly, Nickel with Ivoroid knobs
PICKGUARD: Firestripe
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Carve: Vintage easy V
Nut Width: 1.75”
String Spacing: 2.2”
Scale Length: 24.75"
Depth at 1ST .8620"
Depth at 9TH: .950"
Truss Rod: Adjustable
Inlays: MOP Dots
Headstock: Fairbanks logo
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TKL Delux Hardshell
F-35 Advanced Slope
Devised as a more direct competitor to Nazareth’s long scale Dreadnought offerings of the 1930’s, the Advanced Jumbo coming out of Kalamazoo had a long (25-1/2”) scale and fancy MOP fingerboard inlay. The Fairbanks Advanced Slope continues and updates that tradition. Built with premium Indian Rosewood back and sides as standard, it sports unique oval and arrow MOP inlay on an ivoroid bound fingerboard, matching headstock inlay, and a 25-1/2” scale length designed to give any Mastertone banjo a run for its money!
ABOUT THIS MODEL
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TOP: Sitka Spruce
BACK & SIDES: Indian Rosewood
BRACING: Tapered X, scalloped tone bars
NECK: Mahogany
FINGERBOARD & BRIDGE: Madagascar Rosewood
NUT & SADDLE: Bone
FINISH: Top Burst, Gloss Nitrocellulose
TUNERS: Waverly, Nickel with Ivoroid knobs
PICKGUARD: Firestripe
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Carve: Vintage easy V
Nut Width: 1.75”
String Spacing: 2.2”
Scale Length: 24.75"
Depth at 1ST .8620"
Depth at 9TH: .950"
Truss Rod: Adjustable
Inlays: MOP ovals & arrows
Headstock: Fairbanks logo, oval & arrow
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TKL Hardshell
F-35 Southern Slope
ABOUT THIS MODEL
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TOP: Sitka Spruce
BACK & SIDES: Honduran Mahogany
BRACING: Tapered X, scalloped tone bars
NECK: Mahogany
FINGERBOARD & BRIDGE: Madagascar Rosewood
NUT & SADDLE: Bone
FINISH: Top Burst, Gloss Nitrocellulose
TUNERS: Waverly, Nickel with Ivoroid knobs
PICKGUARD: Firestipre
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Carve: Vintage easy V
Nut Width: 1.75”
String Spacing: 2.2”
Scale Length: 24.75"
Depth at 1ST .8620"
Depth at 9TH: .950"
Truss Rod: Adjustable
Inlays: triple parallelogram MOP
Headstock: Fairbanks logo
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TKL Deluxe Hardshell
Fancier version of the F-35 Standard. Reminiscent of the southern jumbo. Structurally identical to the F-35 and F-45, this model includes fancy top and back purling, bound fingerboard, triple parallelogram inlays and a stylized Fairbanks crown on the headstock.
F-35 Roy Smeck
Another early artist endorser, Roy Smeck was known as the Wizard of the Strings in the first half of the 20th century due to his skill on guitar, lap steel, banjo, and ukulele. Original Roy Smeck models had 12 fret, square profile necks, and deep bodies: made to sit flat on the legs and played with a steel, Hawaiian style. By now, most of the originals have had their necks shaved down for Spanish-style playing, and the Fairbanks Roy Smeck follows this trend with a conventional neck and nut width while maintaining the deep body and 12 fret configuration.
The centrally-placed bridge and cavernous body yield a powerhouse of an instrument.
ABOUT THIS MODEL
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TOP: Sitka Spruce
BACK & SIDES: Honduran Mahogany
BRACING: Tapered X, scalloped tone bars
NECK: Mahogany
FINGERBOARD & BRIDGE: Madagascar Rosewood
NUT & SADDLE: Bone
FINISH: Top Burst, gloss nitrocellulose
TUNERS: Waverly, Nickel with Ivoroid knobs
PICKGUARD: Firestripe
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Carve: Vintage easy V
Nut Width: 1.75”
String Spacing: 2.2”
Scale Length: 24.75"
Depth at 1ST .8620"
Depth at 9TH: .950"
Truss Rod: Adjustable
Inlays: MOP Dots
Headstock: Fairbanks logo
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TKL Deluxe Hardshell
F-35 Super Smeck
Built on the 12 fret Roy Smeck platform, the Fairbanks Super Smeck is a reproduction of a one-off custom order built in Kalamazoo in 1935. Incorporating some major elements of the Super 400 Archtop of the time, the standard Roy Smeck guitar is upgraded with a full neck and body sunburst, curly maple back and sides, a curly maple 3 piece neck with a large, Super 400 style headstock, 7-ply top and side binding, upgraded soundhole rosette with soundhole binding, unique split-rectangle fingerboard inlay and matching headstock inlay, and a fully bound, ‘tiger’s eye’ celluloid pickguard. It’s decadent, outrageous, and dripping with class.
ABOUT THIS MODEL
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TOP: Sitka Spruce
BACK & SIDES: Figured Maple
BRACING: Tapered X, scalloped tone bars
NECK: Figured Maple, 3-ply
FINGERBOARD & BRIDGE: Madagascar Rosewood
BINDING: Ivoroid (body & fingerboard)
NUT & SADDLE: Bone
FINISH: Top Burst, Gloss Nitrocellulose
TUNERS: Gold Grover Imperial
PICKGUARD: Bound Tigers Eye
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Carve: Vintage easy V
Neck Joint: 12-fret
Nut Width: 1.75”
String Spacing: 2.20”
Scale Length: 24.75"
Depth at 1ST .8620"
Depth at 9TH: .950"
Truss Rod: Adjustable
Inlays: MOP Split diamond
Headstock: Fairbanks logo, split diamond
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TKL Deluxe Hardshell
