Product: Washburn WD21 Koa
Price Paid: USD 185
Submitted
03/15/2009
at
05:15am
by
Scott Blanchard
Features
:
9
2005 Dreadnought acoustic guitar with laminated Koa, Back-Sides and Top. Neck seems to be made out of Nato or Mahogany. The instrument's laminated Koa adds a natural beauty that is complimented with a mother-of-pearl rosette, cream binding and grover tuners. The neck has a great contour that makes playing quite easy. I gave this instrument a 9 for the shear sake of it's features in relation to the purchase price of $185.00
Sound
:
8
The sound and volume of the WD21 Koa does not compare to $2000 mahogany or rosewood guitars. Sustain is great with emphasis in the midrange & treble with bass comparable to maple. The sound isn't necessarily full- but compressed which works well when a full, boomy sound can overwhelm other instruments or vocals. I bought this new, as a second guitar to my Martin, and am quite pleased with it's ability to afford a balanced, sweet and compressed sound for folk, fingerstyle and slide guitar. The balanced sound records better than my Martin through a condenser microphone.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
8
The instrument was setup extremely well. I've had it now for three years, and have not had to adjust it once. The quality of the $200-$400 price range has improved over the last 5-7 years.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
The guitar stays in tune extremely well, and the instrument is holding up quite well after three years of ownership.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Have not had to deal with customer support.
Overall Rating
:
8
I've been playing for 12 years, and own a custom Martin mahogany. If all my guitars were stolen, I would be compelled to buy a solid-body Koa Martin or Gibson. My favorite feature of the guitar is it's unique sound, easy of playability and price.
