Washburn F52SW

Made in China 2004 (final QC check 12/30/04). Washburn "folk" body style, roughly equivalent to a Martin "00". Solid spruce top, solid mahogany sides and back. Mahogany binding on body and maple binding on thin mahogany neck, headstock and at the end pin. Rosewood fingerboard (that appears stained dark), ebony bridge, compensated bone saddle and bone nut. Satin finish. Fretboard has 14 frets to the body. Came with wood/black tolex Washburn case, which is just a little too big in some dimensions to properly fit the guitar. No electronics.

Very good sound, throatier in the mids than a dreadnaught, but still well balanced tonally. Has that 60s folk guitar sound. Notes are well defined, clean and not muddy. Good bass tones, and has plenty of volume even when using light strings. Lots of dynamic range; it can be played loud or very softly. Moderate+ sustain. It sounds good strummed, but really excels with fingerpicking, more so than with my dreadnaught. It rings!

This is a very well put together guitar. I bought it used and so I don't know how it came from the dealer; however, factory QC card that accompanied it indicates action levels at the 1st and 12 frets for both E strings that would have made the action rather high. It was lower when I bought it and I lowered it more. The components all fit together well and there are no flaws in the finish that I can find (other than a small ding from the previous owner). All the joints fit with no gaps and are sanded and finished smoothly, including all the wood binding on the body, neck and headstock. It is not ornate, with a simple double rosette, pearl diamond fretboard markers and pearl logo on the headstock. The styling is understated but elegant in its simplicity. Standard grover tuners are tight enough to hold generally, but sometimes a bump in the wrong place can set the tuning off a bit. The fretwork seems excellent, with no high or low frets -- no buzzing. I like the thin neck, which fits my smaller hand well, and which is close to the same as on my Washburn dreadnaught. I have the action down to barely above 4/64th", and like I said -- no buzzing.

The woodworking expressed on this guitar is such that I felt it a shame that it came with black plastic bridge pins and end pin, so I replaced them all with ebony pins. The previous owner had put an old metal strap button on the heel, which I also replaced with ebony. I just can't say enough about the workmanship, the look and the feel of this guitar.

This guitar is light, the lightest one I own, and feels like it is somewhat delicate. I suspect it could take some nasty hits, but I am loath to abuse it. I don't play out in public regularly anymore, so it's not likely to face the abuse roadwork can cause. But for playing at home, small gatherings, and maybe a gig every now and then, I would depend on it without hesitation. As I mentioned above, the guitar doesn't fit into the case as securely as I would like, so I'd be concerned about it slopping around in there if it was handled roughly.

Never dealt with the company, but because I bought it used, I'm certain the "limited lifetime warranty" does not apply.

I played professionally from 1972 to 1992 (mostly bass) and started getting back into playing over the past few years. I own this guitar, a Hohner HF-75 (OM style), a Washburn WD46-S (dreadnaught), a 1995 Fender Strat and a 1967 Gibson EB-3. I've tweaked all of them myself as far as action, strings, neck relief and such, and have replaced the plastic saddles on all the acoustics with bone. They all sound pretty decent, but I think I like this one best of the acoustics. I like the playability and love the sound.

This guitar was not a regular production model for Washburn. It was released only in 2005 in limited quantities, and is part of the "Timbercraft" series. The closest regular model Washburn has offered in recent years is the F52SWCE, which is a solid wood mahogany folk guitar with a cutaway and electronics that currently lists for $1449. The story I heard from a dealer (and repeated other places on the 'net) is that the factory in China made 80 of these guitars by mistake instead of the cutaway version Washburn specified. Washburn accepted the shipment anyhow and dumped them at Musician's Friend, retailing for $499. It would've been a deal at that price, much less what I paid for it. I don't know how much of this story is true, but there don't seem to be very many of the plain F52SW guitars out there.

There really isn't anything I don't like about this guitar. I even love the smell of it when I open the case! I would be quite upset if it was lost, stolen or destroyed, because I don't think I'd be able to replace it. I classify it as a generational "keeper," along with my EB-3. I looked for a while to find an affordable solid wood 00/000/OM, and was fortunate to find this one. I don't know why they aren't more popular; everyone seems to prefer dreadnaughts or jumbos. The only thing I can think of that would make it perfect would be if it was made of rosewood. Maybe.