Washburn WD20SCE - impressions/review.

[Martin Prince]

I was recently given a Washburn WD20SCE by my girlfriend. She knew nothing whatsoever about guitars but colluded with a friend of mine that did. He has a Martin DCP4A and also a Washburn WD10SCE with Mahogany back and sides.

She doesn't quite love me enough to get me a Martin but there is more than enough love to afford the Washburn. Now, this is where serendipity comes into it; my friend was originally going to choose the same Washburn as his but my girlfriends Latvian nature doesn't like getting the same as someone else so she wanted a little extra which turned out to be the WD20SCE.

I'm left handed, though play guitar right handed, (the guitar was invented by a person like me apparently ) with over 20 years experience I've played professionally in front of 10,000+ audiences. During that time I was forever using other musicians guitars and consequently I've built up a good idea of the sound I like though in the last few years I have hardly played and just had some old beat up guitar I salvaged from a studio clear out.

Now to the all important sound... What can I say, in a word, wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I might just have been fortunate but those makers in China (or wherever) put this particular WD20SCE together very well. I was amazed at the sound coming from such a relatively inexpensive guitar. The tonal quality was just what I like, warm, deep bass notes but not too dull and a great 'zing' in the midrange and higher notes. It has a low to medium action and sounded similar to the Martin DCPA4 which is not unsurprising when it's noted that they are both solid Sitka tops and E. Indian Rosewood back and sides, though the DCPA4 has solid back and sides. Though surprisingly I find myself preferring the overall tone of the Washburn. The fact that it is very easy on the eye and exudes quality from the Rosewood capped headstock to the Fishman 301T is also pleasing. I always used to consider Washburn guitars as so-so but I am blown away at how good this sounds. This is the equivalent of what the Pioneer A400 was to amplifiers in the 90's. You'd think you were playing something that is 5 times the price.

Considering that here in the UK the Martin DCPA4 retails at nearly 7 times as much as the Washburn is amazing in sonic value terms. This may be the best value guitar right now, with my local guitar shop dropping the price by a 1/3 in the last year. If you are looking for an inexpensive guitar that will grow with you for many years then the WD20SCE has to be way up on the list. The sound from the Fishman pickup was also splendid.

Thinking my experience might be a one off I was looking for unfavourable reports but nearly everywhere I'm finding the opposite. So it appears that whatever Washburn are doing at the moment seems to be working.

Right, back to playing and getting past the sore finger tips all over again... besides I have been asked to write a song in 'payment' for such a thoughtful gesture.

[ship of fools]

They have been producing some very nice acoustics as of late I know there older line up was some smoking hot acoustics but I must say for such a low end dollar these new ones have been well worth the costs.
Going to Bluedog guitar shop next week to look at a nice new number. this one

ship

[architype]

I do not own a Washburn, but my brother bought an F10S folk size w/ electronics for his daughter for $300.00 and it sounds great and plays great.

My buddy has a solid wood Washburn dreadnaught Rosewood back and sides w/ a Sitka top, maple body and neck binding w/ cutaway and electronics. He paid $1000.00 for it new and the dealer said it was a discontinued model. I played it and it sure sounds like a more expensive guitar. He plays in a band and it is his stage guitar.

Washburn is an excellent value and their build quality is very high.

[tpprynn]

You've been lucky a few times over I think! The Ukrainian girlfriend I had only bought me an ice cream if I remember right. But I've just returned a WD10S to a famous international online store because it is shocking. I remember once playing the guitar that became the WD10S, the D10S, and thinking it was decent enough for the money and had potential if I'd bought it and set it up with better strings and played it in. The guitar I briefly had this week I'm pretty sure was 'B stock' as I've never seen one in a shop look as disgusting, with apologies to the tree that donated itself. The grain on the top was very strange - apart from the main direction there were wobbly streaks in it that were quite deep looking, in fact for a while I even thought they were cracks under the finish, and I'm not 100% sure they aren't. Both sides of the lower bout had about four inches of very dark wood suddenly becoming light for the rest of the top - so in a sense its top was very well bookmatched... The nut had lower slots for the bass strings than the treble and the low E's slot was very noticeably nearer the A than the rest were to one another. Despite a (slightly chipped or flaked) bone nut being used the saddle was plastic. Along with this left-handed guitar a spare right-handed saddle came in the bag with the truss rod key. I think online selling has just made it a bit more viable than it was to shift B stock and to loosen quality control at the factory knowing they can sell things to dealers who won't mention issues in the hope a novice will be blind to them. I wonder as two were in stock whether the other one might have been a beauty and a bargain. On paper it's still clearly a decent open mic-friendly, busker-friendly guitar that usually looks nice and is on paper well-designed, well-conceived.

I don't feel snobby about Washburn and I do still think I could enjoy this guitar, just not the particular specimen that turned up.