Washburn J56SW

As you know, this is an all solid wood Washburn J56SW guitar with no plywood or veneers. Many guitars (top brand names too) will state solid spruce top (no wood grade listed), and Rosewood back and sides. Notice they did not say solid Rosewood back and sides, per it is veneer, or plywood, or man made materials. As far as the Washburn J56SW, I notice the color on this guitar's solid spruce top was darker then any other solid spruce top I have ever seen. And, the grain was a little wider and not perfectly straight. So, I wrote to the Washburn Company. They sent me a specifications chart revealing that the top is Grade-B spruce from Columbia. But, they could not offer any more information, per an imported guitar. I then wrote to many companies that cut and sell acoustic tone woods in USA and Canada. All the comapnies said basically the same thng. The solid spruce tone woods are rated: AAA-Grade, AA-Grade, A-Grade, B-Grade, and C-Grade (C is only used for painted guitars). The top rated spruce tone woods have a light color, and very tight/close grain pattern, and totally straight grain (no cuvriving swirling, etc.). The other grades have less and less of these top grade features, and also cost a lot less too. The wood experts made if very clear that B-stock is not an inferior sounding wood (ratings are about grain tightness and straightness), per the tone is just as good as other higher ratings. The B-stock is naturlly darker (not stained), and the grain is wider. The grain also may have some swirls, curves, and not so straight. However, all the wood selling companies said that many guitarist love the B-grade, per is it has more Base sound. They also said, any guitar's sound (any grade wood) also depends on the quality of workmanship of the guitar builder (Luther). Furterhmore, they all said that all grades of spruce are equally the same hardness. So, basically, the higher grades are more expensive with tight and straight light colored grain. If someone wants the AAA-grade, then they will pay fortune for this wood, and might not hear a noticable difference in sound. So t sum it al up. From what I learned from wood experts, this B-Grade spruce has more Base Boom (preferred by finger pickers), and is very beautiful look with the darker color (almost looks like a cedar), and just beatiful looking wood, and a great sounding guitar with more base. I hope ths helps anyone curious about this guitar. Look at the ratings, and they confirm what all the wood experts said about the sound. I own one and love it too.

Never needed to contact them

The features have already been mentioned - although I wonder what kind of spruce this is...it looks sort of like cedar...I found out that it might be what Washburn calls a "distressed" spruce - with the intent to look worn in or used. Besides that, the gloss finish is really nice, the rosewood is awesome - dark, almost purple in some of its hues. The full body and neck mahogany and maple binding is very nice. The neck is glossy as well - narrow - probably not great for fingerstyle. The Asian makers did it right for the most part. Mine came as a slightly blemished instrument - some of the finish seemed to be lifting off of the body on the sides of the body. Oh well...but besides these slight blemishes, I really like the total package of this guitar - solid spruce top, solid Indian rosewood - top notch craftsmanship and details apart from the finish. I used to own a Larrivee J09 and a Guild JF55. Both of these are North American guitars costing at least $2000-3000. They look nice and are classics, but this Washburn J56SW really holds its own to these other two behemoths. It especially resembles the Larrivee and it sounds LOUDER and BOOMIER than the Larrivee AND the Guild. Can you believe that? I'll mention more in the next section...

Besides the Larrivee and Guild, I've owned three Yamaha jumbo guitars - all five of these do not have as much bass and boomy power as this Washburn. This is a humbling admission since, to me, the American guitars should have triumphed. But this Chinese produced Washburn carries with it a piano-like clarity, thick middle and boomy underbelly that the other jumbo's of my past never possessed. I hold this thing and it vibrates as I strum and the thing comes alive. Long sustain, well balanced - but you can definitely tell this is a jumbo. I am so delighted with this guitar!

OK, this is also humbling to admit, but like one of the other reviewers mentioned - the action on this guitar is awesome - the neck is straight as a ruler, the strings are very low like on a Taylor, and yet I can still strum it hard and there's hardly any buzz. The tuners are really nice too - Grover 18:1 silver colored...the tuning is precise, the guitar holds its notes and doesn't go out of tune, there's none of that cranking noise when you wind the strings up or down. It just feels put together very well.

Again, mine was a factory second and so the finish shows signs of wear. Other than that, it looks to be a nice, stable guitar. It doesn't feel as fragile as my old Larrivee, not as heavy as the Guild - it feels solid and the case is pretty good - a bit large for the gutiar - and so I'll need a cloth to secure it better in the case.

I forgot to mention two dislikes - the pickaguard - I don't care for the Washburn styling. In fact, I removed the pickguard and it looks so much better. I'm thinking of applying a Guild or Taylor style pickguard instead, but I don't want it to look like one of those - and so I may stick with a clear pickguard. I also don't care for the butterfly bridge. It seems a little small and gives the gutiar a somewhat feminine looks. Make the bridge edgier and make it look like a bat instead of a butterly! Otherwise, just give me a straight up traditional bridge or something flared out a bit like a Taylor bridge. I also would have like gold tuners and black ebony tuner buttons...but now I'm getting picky. Overall, this is a nice guitar. I plan to install a pickup and see myself strumming this thing for years to come. The volume and tone of this guitar alone is what drives it for me. The beautiful tone woods and wood binding tell you that this is not a cheap, factory assembly line guitar either. The Washburn company no longer produces these and just makes the dreadnoughts or the Cumberland jumbo series - but this Timbercraft Jumbo will prove to hold a special place in the line - it may become a collector's item as players realize how juicy this jumbo satisfies and outpowers the dreadnoughts. Oh yea, it's even smaller than a Gibson or Guild - it's not 17 inches down the lower bout - orbably something closer to 16 or 16.5. Anyway, I'm happy for the deal I got for this guitar and will enjoy this powerful and beautiful baby.

Beautifully made and flawlessly finished guitar. Jumbo in every department - particularly sound. Hard to imagine something this good sold for less than $800.00 on ebay. The Chinese are pretty amazing in their ability to turn out a guitar like this one. The spruce top is perfectly grained as is the Indian rosewood that completes the body. Mahogany binding looks good. The finish is simple and my only complaint is cheap plastic pegs being used with a bone nut and saddle. That got fixed in a hurry with bone pins.

Never heard anything like this guitar. The bass is huge but still in balance with the mids and highs. The sound in the higher registers is really bright and pretty. This is perfect for fingerstyle or flat-picking - blues, bluegrass, jazz - it all sounds incredible. I can only imagine how this axe will sound when it has had a year or two of play. The sustain is incredible for a new instrument.

Set-up is perfect for light Elixir Phosphor Bronze strings. Easy to play and no buzzing even though the action is about as low as you can go. Washburn's Chinese workers put some effort into setting this instrument up before it left China. The tuners are accurate and smooth.

The Washburn Jumbo will handle it all - I can play it loud enough to bring down a small plane or soft enough for candlelight. The finish seems durable and I would not hesitate to travel with the guitar in the case supplied by Washburn. That's the great thing about the asian products - I can replace it if I have to without going broke - and I would replace this one if it got damaged or stolen.

I think I said it all - and I have a number of guitars that range from expensive to very expensive - but this is the one I play by choice.

A beautiful 2006 Jumbo body with high gloss finish. All solid wood construction, rosewood back & sides with a spruce top. Rosewood neck & fingerboard, maple bindings, bone nut & saddle, rosewood bridge. Grover 18:1 tuners, came with a hard shell GC72 case. Very easy to play!

This guitar has a rich, full sound. The bass is boomy and solid! The upper registers are bright, yet crisp and clear. I like everything about this beauty!

Guitar was setup beautifully from the factory. The matching of the topwood is amazingly well done, and the grains are beautiful. The guitar had no flaws of any kind. The action is perfect, as I play Elixir light Phosphor Bronze.

I play it every day, and it is a solid guitar, very well built, and I have great expectation that it will hold true. Strap buttons are spun steel.

This is actually a replacement. I purchased it on the internet, and the finish had a flaw. I contacted tech support, and they were absolutely stellar! they had another guitar to me ASAP. Washburn Customer Service is excellent.

I've been playing over 20 years, and I own 8 other Washburns, and Epi Les Paul Classic, Behringer ACX1000 Ultracoutic amp, and a Marshall VS265 with a Toneworks AX1500G processor. I would have loved an option for a pickup in her, but it was such a good deal, I can add a B-Band aftermarket unit.