Steve Stevens Signature Series (Page 5)

I contacted Steve Driscoll, the original artist contracted to paint the SS 100 Frankenstein series, his reply to me was:

“I was the artist that painted ALL the SS 100’s. I think I ended up painting about 50-60 of them in 1994ish. They were cool because the base was done in a glow-in-the-dark base and I airbrushed the graphics, so some of the base showed through. I did them until Washburn moved from Chicago.”

Steve Gill again,

“ He did paint a lot of guitars, unfortunately, Washburn didn’t get permission to use the graphic….there are fewer of these guitars than one would think.”

“I happen to have the last known SS 100 to leave the building, I haven’t yet received the guitar, but once it arrives, I will get some better photos.

I have two SS 100’s and the Koa topped SS 80.”

Steve Gill would unfortunately end up selling both his SS100’s and the Koa wood re-topped SS 80.

I was told that SS 100’s were painted over with black and that after Steve Stevens left the company, the remainder of the production stock guitars had any Steve Stevens reference removed from the headstocks and these were sold with the unofficial title of X-80’s.

Again I quote Steve Gill of Washburn Inside Sales, “The SS 80 became an X 80 once Steve Stevens had left the company. We built a bunch and we couldn’t sell them as SS 80 Steve Stevens guitars. All X 80’s had the headstock paint removed so his signature wasn’t on them.

My fear is that your guitar had a decal of the Monsters logo and a SS signature applied to “make” an SS80, although at the time it was an X 80. Don’t get me wrong, all X 80’s were SS 80’s..but we couldn’t sell them as SS 80’s. Most X 80’s had the spaghetti (I call it the script) Washburn logo on them.

There is no way of telling for sure.”

Steve did further reply to me,” It could have very well have been Dave. I didn’t mean to offend, but truth be told, there is no way of telling for sure.

If it was ordered early and received from us as an SS 80, then it is an SS 80.”

I respectfully disagree with Steve on the point about my guitar as it was a very, very early order, stamped March production and it is identical to Steve’s artists models in every respect, many regular production spec SS 80’s have later serial numbers and I am 99.9% sure that my guitar always was an SS 80 and an artists spec at that. I have researched this as comprehensively as is possible. The similarities to Steve’s guitars are too numerous to be an X 80, which I hadn’t even heard about until being in contact with Washburn this past year.

Don’t get me wrong Steve Gill has been invaluable as has Terry Atkins with all their inside information.., they have provided the breakthroughs that this tireless researcher, considered his Holy Grail!!!

My black SS 80 has not been refinished or had any finish removed, it is as exactly as it was originally built.

And incredibly rare, as is my quilt topped SS 80, there are no accidents in this life and I have been very fortunate with the two Washburn’s I have!!

I had no idea about this until recently.

After 16 years has passed, I’m sure all involved are willing to forgive and forget, this would be my hope.

I would be loath to give the history of these guitars without mentioning what I have heard, I believe the facts to be correct, as far as I am aware!

Recently after years of being almost mythical and unseen, suddenly the market was relatively flooded with SS 100’s, they were coming out of the wood work virtually!

Another hypocrisy, although this may be economy based in nature, is that for years I have heard from various individuals that they liked SS 80’s , but would really want a white unicorn like SS 100. Then when the original #1 came up for sale, it was deemed prohibitively expensive, no matter the rarity. Other later serial numbers, such as #14 say, would be going for under $2K and no nibbles, ect.

It’s just what the market, (whatever that is) that dictates what is worth what, with for example modern produced replicas of certain vintage guitars, command ludicrous prices which are almost unchallenged. Even the golden Pre-Pro Charvel’s, albeit most have the undesirable (to most) Kahler tremolo systems, yet they command less money than the Washburn’s.

I would propose the argument that the Washburn’s are among the rarest guitars of it’s kind produced.

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