Warrior Dran Michael, OHSC & paperwork, Beautiful specs and condition

I have a Warrior Dran Michael here with its original faux alligator skin Warrior hard shell case. It also comes with a leather strap with its strap buttons that are specifically made for this guitar. This is a lightweight specimen, weighing just 6 lb 11 oz. From my research of the serial number, I believe this model is from the early 2000s.

Conditionally, you are in for a treat here. This guitar has been immaculately kept and maintained over the years.

The body top shows no playwear that I can discern on the body. Not even a light sheen of guitar pick strumming. There are very faint traces of use on the adjustment screws of the bridge.

The body sides/edges show just one superficial little surface scratch. There are very faint signs of rubbing on the oil finish, but overall it still looks pretty clean. I did not find any dings, bumps, indentations, or any buildup of any playwear.

The body back looks remarkably clean as well. There is no buckle rash or worming. I didn't find any individual dings or marks, nor is there a buildup of any soft superficial swirling or any smudging or glossing. It looks remarkably clean.

The neck looks and feels excellent. I did not find any playwear there. Any superficial signs of use will be absolutely minimal to nonexistent. The original frets are tall and full, showing no fretwear. The inlays look great. There is no fret sprout, and the setup plays fantastic.

I have not looked under the hood to see what the pickups are. They sound fantastic, and I believe they are stock. In that time period, they had some of their own proprietary wound pickups. They frequently also used Seymour Duncan and Bartolini. It's likely one of the three. Note that it has a five way switch, which gives you split coil tonality in positions 2 and 4.

So this guitar easily rates a 9.6/10 and grades as excellent. It's a truly well kept specimen. It's everything I want to see in a high end, older boutique handcrafted guitar. It also plays fantastic.

I would say this specimen in particular is quite nice. But frankly, every single Warrior Dran Michael I have ever had has been fantastic. They have all been a bit different and unique due to the tonewoods.

From what I can gather, this is a zebrawood top over an alder body. The neck is three piece mahogany and purpleheart with an ebony headstock veneer. The fretboard wood is intriguing. It is definitely not rosewood. I think it could be pau ferro, or possibly pink ivory, or something altogether different. That's the thing with Warrior: you get the finest exotic tonewoods in the world.

This guitar in total is comprised of five different woods. Tonally, it is very resonant, loud, and powerful. The tone is pretty much everything. It is warm and open and three dimensional, but also has great clarity and articulation. Guitars that are made of multiple woods, provided the woods all gel with each other, tend to have more complexity in their harmonic content. That's what this guitar has in spades. It's just really tonally rich.

It's lightweight, but it's not a small guitar. That means this is a very light, resonant specimen of wood that was used here. It was easier to get older, heirloom, air dried timber 25 years ago than it is today. And Warrior was known even back then for really buying the most expensive premium woods to build their guitars out of. And you hear it in the tone. I would also say you feel it in the playability because this guitar plays great and it's stable. The truss rod works smoothly both ways.

I have a Warrior Dran Michael here with its original faux alligator skin Warrior hard shell case. It also comes with a leather strap with its strap buttons that are specifically made for this guitar. This is a lightweight specimen, weighing just 6 lb 11 oz. From my research of the serial number, I believe this model is from the early 2000s.

Conditionally, you are in for a treat here. This guitar has been immaculately kept and maintained over the years.

The body top shows no playwear that I can discern on the body. Not even a light sheen of guitar pick strumming. There are very faint traces of use on the adjustment screws of the bridge.

The body sides/edges show just one superficial little surface scratch. There are very faint signs of rubbing on the oil finish, but overall it still looks pretty clean. I did not find any dings, bumps, indentations, or any buildup of any playwear.

The body back looks remarkably clean as well. There is no buckle rash or worming. I didn't find any individual dings or marks, nor is there a buildup of any soft superficial swirling or any smudging or glossing. It looks remarkably clean.

The neck looks and feels excellent. I did not find any playwear there. Any superficial signs of use will be absolutely minimal to nonexistent. The original frets are tall and full, showing no fretwear. The inlays look great. There is no fret sprout, and the setup plays fantastic.

I have not looked under the hood to see what the pickups are. They sound fantastic, and I believe they are stock. In that time period, they had some of their own proprietary wound pickups. They frequently also used Seymour Duncan and Bartolini. It's likely one of the three. Note that it has a five way switch, which gives you split coil tonality in positions 2 and 4.

So this guitar easily rates a 9.6/10 and grades as excellent. It's a truly well kept specimen. It's everything I want to see in a high end, older boutique handcrafted guitar. It also plays fantastic.

I would say this specimen in particular is quite nice. But frankly, every single Warrior Dran Michael I have ever had has been fantastic. They have all been a bit different and unique due to the tonewoods.

From what I can gather, this is a zebrawood top over an alder body. The neck is three piece mahogany and purpleheart with an ebony headstock veneer. The fretboard wood is intriguing. It is definitely not rosewood. I think it could be pau ferro, or possibly pink ivory, or something altogether different. That's the thing with Warrior: you get the finest exotic tonewoods in the world.

This guitar in total is comprised of five different woods. Tonally, it is very resonant, loud, and powerful. The tone is pretty much everything. It is warm and open and three dimensional, but also has great clarity and articulation. Guitars that are made of multiple woods, provided the woods all gel with each other, tend to have more complexity in their harmonic content. That's what this guitar has in spades. It's just really tonally rich.

It's lightweight, but it's not a small guitar. That means this is a very light, resonant specimen of wood that was used here. It was easier to get older, heirloom, air dried timber 25 years ago than it is today. And Warrior was known even back then for really buying the most expensive premium woods to build their guitars out of. And you hear it in the tone. I would also say you feel it in the playability because this guitar plays great and it's stable. The truss rod works smoothly both ways.

The Dran Michael is the flagship creation of warrior guitars. It's reminiscent of a PRS Custom shape. But with more contouring and carving. It's very much a sculpted guitar where everything from the neck heel to the forearm rest are carved for comfort. This also creates a very interesting appearance to the guitar. It's ergonomically one of the best designs I've ever seen. And feels very comfortable to play standing or sitting.

Warrior guitars are something you're probably familiar with if you're looking at this in the first place. They're very finely crafted Boutique instruments. Each one is unique and one off. And I would say each one has a lot of hours put into, more than what traditionally goes into a guitar. Additionally the woods used on them are really impressive. Including old growth long duration air dried timber. And interesting exotic woods.

They retail brand new for over on the average for about 5-10k. So it's a very lofty price point. I can't say it's not worth it if you can afford it. This makes them a niche guitar and pretty difficult to find a good price on on the used market. So if you see me selling one here it's because I'm able to offer one at a good price. I've had a handful of them over the years and each time I'm impressed. So they're kind of special to me. The attention to detail, the craftsmanship the beautiful woody tone all of it catches my ear and stands out to me.

Note that this listing may come down at any time as I am a multi-platform seller and do sell locally and on my own Site as well in an effort to keep sales fluid. State sales tax will be charged on Reverb sales when applicable, so factor that into your purchase.

I will immaculately pack it as well. I use quality shipping boxes, ample tape on all sides. And sufficient bubble wrap filler and bracing inside the box. And always marked/denoted as fragile. I generally detune guitars 1/2 half step prior to shipment as well if needed.

Thank you for reading and considering!