A Parlor Guitar with a Century of Story Behind It
Some guitars are just instruments. Others carry the weight of history every time you pick them up. The Washburn R310K Victorian falls into the second category — a parlor-body acoustic that looks and feels like it belongs in a turn-of-the-century drawing room, but plays with the reliability of a thoughtfully built modern guitar. If you've ever been drawn to old photographs of early 20th-century musicians cradling small-bodied guitars, this one was made for you.
Washburn has been building parlor guitars since the 1880s, and the R310K Victorian is a deliberate callback to that legacy. The antique brown matte finish, intricate herringbone purfling, Victorian-style fingerboard inlays, and abalone rosette aren't decorative afterthoughts — they're the whole point. This is a guitar that earns a second glance before you even play a note.
Beyond the aesthetics, the R310K is a genuinely playable, compact instrument with a focused midrange character that suits fingerstyle players and light strummers equally well. Players who find full-size dreadnoughts unwieldy, or who want something that travels easily without sacrificing tone, will find this a natural fit.
Spruce Top, Trembesi Body — an Uncommon Combination
The top is spruce — the industry-standard choice for balanced projection and tonal clarity — paired with trembesi back and sides. Trembesi (also known as Monkey Pod) is a dense tropical tonewood that contributes warm mids and a somewhat focused low end, complementing the spruce's natural brightness. Spruce X-bracing rounds out the acoustic architecture, supporting the top's projection and helping the guitar speak with authority despite the compact parlor body.
This isn't a common pairing, and that's part of what makes the R310K interesting. The tonal result leans warm and articulate — more intimate than punchy, which suits the parlor format well. Players who do a lot of fingerpicking or blues-adjacent playing will find the note separation particularly satisfying.
Neck, Fingerboard, and Playability
The mahogany neck runs a 24.75-inch scale length and carries a soft-V profile — a shape that sits between the pronounced V of vintage instruments and the modern C profile, landing in a place that accommodates a wide range of hand sizes without fatigue. The 12-fret neck join keeps things feeling traditional and opens up the lower bout for slightly more resonant body vibration.
The fingerboard is ebony, giving you a smooth, dense playing surface with crisp note definition. A bone nut and saddle handle string transfer efficiently, and the Washburn R-shape ebony bridge anchors the strings with clean intonation. Victorian-style acrylic inlays and ABS fingerboard binding keep the aesthetic consistent from headstock to body.
Vintage Details Done Right
What separates a guitar that looks vintage from one that actually earns the aesthetic is the consistency of its appointments. The R310K delivers on that front: a 6-ply ABS and herringbone purfling, abalone and herringbone rosette, MOP headstock inlay, trembesi headstock overlay, and antique brown matte finish across the body, neck, and headstock. The dual-action truss rod keeps the neck adjustable over time — a practical modern inclusion that the original 19th-century builders couldn't offer.
The matte finish keeps the look appropriately understated and period-correct, and it also means the guitar is less prone to showing fingerprints and wear marks — a practical bonus for a used instrument going back into active service.
Product Features:
- Body Shape: Parlor with 12-fret neck joint
- Top: Spruce with spruce X-bracing
- Back & Sides: Trembesi
- Neck: Mahogany, soft-V profile, 24.75" scale length, dovetail joint
- Fingerboard: Ebony, 18 frets, Victorian-style acrylic inlays, ABS binding
- Nut: Bone; Bridge: Washburn R-shape ebony
- Rosette: ABS + Abalone + Herringbone; Purfling: 6-ply ABS + Herringbone
- Finish: Antique Brown Matte throughout
- Dual-action truss rod
- Headstock: Trembesi overlay with MOP inlay
This is a used acoustic guitar from our inventory. Pictures are of the actual item you will receive.
All used gear is sold AS IS.
Brand: Washburn
Model: R310K Victorian Series
SKU: R310K-U
Condition: Used
Since 1872, C.A. House Music has been helping musicians across the Ohio Valley find the right gear -- with real advice from a team that actually plays. We're your authorized dealer of all the big names in guitars, keyboards, band instruments, drums, pro audio, and more. With four family-owned and operated locations in Ohio and West Virginia (plus a full online store), you don't have to go far for instruments, lessons, rentals, and repairs. No matter your musical needs, our team of musicians wants to help you Play Music for Life.
