Washburn SS80
Now we come to the main guitar of the series, the SS 80.
Unfortunately any production data, ie; serial numbers, how many produced, orders, ect. do not currently exist according to the highest sources within Washburn.
The SS 80 was the main model of the USA Custom Shop production, the specifications varied during the early production and there are some small variations in specifications.
Mainly the truss rod adjustment mechanism, the pinwheel adjustment was a feature of the early production. This was also used by the EB MM EVH guitars and is still used to this day by the EVH Wolfgang’s. It is much easier to adjust with this method as opposed to the hex wrench method which became the final production spec.
All the SS 80’s came in black with gold hardware.
This neck plate denotes a USA build Custom Shop model, these being in gold for the SS80 and for the SS 100 Frankenstein’s.
The original Washburn promotional material lists the tuners as Schaller Gold sealed 12:1 units.
I have mainly seen mini Grover’s in gold or black anodized in the case of the SS 100 Frankenstein, Steve’s personal example, the Barbarella SS 80 and the Famous Monsters SS80
A Floyd Rose R2 gold locking nut was fitted, Dunlop 6110 fret wire. The neck had 22 frets, constructed from single piece of quarter sawn rock maple, with a walnut skunk strip.
There were variations, my personal maple quilt topped SS80 has a museum grade birds eye maple capped neck.
The neck dimensions were at the nut 1 5/8” and the width at the 22nd fret was 2 ¼”. Pearl dot inlays.
The headstock face is finished in black, the body color and the significant difference denoting the USA models is the Washburn logo, which has solid lettering, in the font of the “Famous Monsters” horror, sci-fi movie magazine, licensed from Forrest Ackerman, the creator of the famous magazine. This usually is in gold lettering, with the print. “Steve Stevens Signature Model” underneath and the Steve Stevens signature to the right, more towards the end of the headstock, similar to where the custom body decal would be on a Fender Stratocaster.
Again the promotional literature shows an example with white Washburn ‘script’ logo and USA to the right of this.
This variant, though has the Script logo, has been refinished it looks like as the only natural finished SS 80 to escape the factory to my recollection, was one of SS’s personal guitars
The guitars that Steve Stevens had sent to him, the ‘Artists’ spec, have all unfinished headstocks, with identical logo decals.
Steve has been pictured with an unfinished bodied SS 80, a black SS 80 , his personal SS 100 which I will describe in the SS 100 section.
I was told obviously that this guitar did not belong to Steve Stevens personally as it was delivered to me new, but I have never, ever seen another one like the example I possess, other than the guitars delivered to Steve himself.
Also my guitar has no rear tremolo cover fitted and there are no holes drilled for such.
I have seen both variations in production SS 80’s, although the majority have the tremolo covers fitted.
The truss rod is a dual action reverse thread model. All the SS 80’s and 100’s were fitted with Strap Lock compatible buttons. Gold in the case of the SS 80 and black anodized in the case of the SS 100 Frankenstein versions.
All the Steve Stevens models featured poplar bodies, though I learned that when Steve Stevens was trying out the prototypes of these guitars, he played versions made of various woods.
To quote Steve Gill of Washburn, who relates the story told to him by Terry Atkins:
“Terry Atkins has divulged some info to me regarding these guitars. He built the first 3 prototypes for Steve and painted them white..knowing which one had which wood.
Steve, out of the three, picked the poplar bodied guitar..which ironically was what the Kramer guitar of Eddie Van Halen was also constructed from. . The necks of the SS 80’s are very much like the Music Man Ernie Ball EVH model to me, as I have had many in the past as well.
Some even had the pinwheel truss rod adjustment. There are no SS 80 bodies here at Washburn..the KOA topped guitar was a one off in Terry’s personal collection. We just finished it here recently..as a favor for giving Terry’s son guitar lessons.” This guitar is currently for sale and is ‘upgraded’ with Bare Knuckles Steve Stevens “Rebel Yell” pickups.
Note the unfinished headstock and type and placement of Famous Monsters Washburn logo and SS signature, identical to my first black SS80.
Below is a closeup of the unfinished body guitar notice the unfinished headstock and the type of Famous Monsters logo, it’s position and the SS signature placement as well, identical to my early, early, black SS80.
This unfinished bodied SS 80 is featured in the only footage of Steve playing live with an SS80 (below).
The 1993 NAMM show had a jam band of sorts and Steve is shown playing this particular guitar on the You Tube video, “Voodoo Chile,Slight Return.”
Steve is shown in the Vince Neil Band video, “Can’t Have Your Cake” with his black SS 80, which he smashes at the end.
I am not sure at what point during Steve’s design process and post delivery of his Washburns’s that the relationship started to break down, between him and Washburn. But he didn’t use it on the VNB album, from what he has said and once the touring with Vince’s band started, supporting Van Halen, Steve had switched to the EB MM EVH guitars, given to him by Ed and he was using the EVH Peavey 5150 II stacks live.
All the painted headstock models have a clear coating on the backside of the headstock which ends below the holes for the screws that mount the locking nut.
All the painted headstock models have a clear coating on the backside of the headstock which ends below the holes for the screws that mount the locking nut.
There is an exception to this standard.
The SS 80 that I first ordered was not like this, it came with an unfinished headstock, the Famous Monsters Washburn logo is outlined in black, the logo is dimensionally smaller and hollow on the inside.
The Steve Stevens Signature Model lettering is below and the Steve Stevens Signature is again to the right but much closer to the Washburn logo than the ‘production’ versions.
Also the overall positioning of the decals is closer to the nut than the production spec version.
The Steve Stevens Signature Model lettering is below and the Steve Stevens Signature is again to the right but much closer to the Washburn logo than the ‘production’ versions.
Also the overall positioning of the decals is closer to the nut than the production spec version.
The pickups were Seymour Duncan JB Trembucker spaced models, with many having gold plated pole pieces, although some have silver plating, including my special order maple quilt top, which has the chrome plate pole pieces, with otherwise completely gold hardware, so there are all sorts of variations out there.
The majority of the SS 80’s were fitted with the German manufactured Schaller top or flush mounted licensed Floyd Rose tremolos.
