Washburn C-64CE

Came off the line March 04 (passed all its QC tests according to the slip). Perfect condition. Not a single blemish. Looks damn pretty. Read first review for specs ;-)

Sounds quiet but sweet unplugged (you don't buy a cutaway for acoustic volume) but I have my Asturias for unplugged performance. Plugged in it sounds AMAZING, especially for the money. None of that piezo quack. I also A/B'd it with more expensive Yamahas, Fenders and Alhambras and this sounded as good or better. The B Band system is fantastic.

It feels and behaves like a classical costing 3 times the price. Stays in tune well. Feels tough. There simply isn't a downside to this guitar for the money!

Seems solid enough. The jack is well set and doesn't crackle. I may check back in a year if I can be bothered or if I do have a problem.

Warranty 2 years in Europe. Otherwise Limited lifetime. Apparently Washburn are good in this area.

I am totally satisfied with this guitar and have been playing it non-stop since I bought it. I actually exchanged a Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro for most of its cash value (they usually go for about 340 Euros over here). The Spirit was an impulse buy and a nice guitar but I couldn't play the damn thing sitting down with that tiny body! I'm basically a classical musician anyway so this is perfect for busking/travel/practice and so on (something I would never attempt with my Asturias !!!).

This is a new guitar made in 2004, made in the Pacific Rim I presume. The guitar has a cut away with 19 frets (the 19th being a partial but still playable), & it has a solid spruce top. It has B-Band electronics on board, including volume/treble/mid/bass controls. This is all located in a nice location on top of the guitar. The knobs are small & do not get in your way when playing (I've had trouble with other models in this area before), but is easily adjusted when needed. I like the way Washburn has set this up. One flaw, however, is that Washburn did not stamp the indicator knobs with a small white dot, or what slash for quick identification on exactly where the knob is turned. I can probably do this myself, but it would be nice to have this done at the factory, it's very tough to read exactly where you have your knobs set. It also has a low battery indicator for the active electronics, a very nice feature. The sides & back are made of mahogony, it has a decorative band running down the back to match the sound hole decoration. The guitar is a natural finish, & it has a rosewood bridge. I got a nice hardshell case with the guitar, it fits very nicely. I'm rating the guitar a 9 in this area, due to the lack of indicators on the knobs, & the poor placement of the jack to plug in the amplifier cord. The cord is located on the strap button, but it is bad if you sit & play the way a classical guitar is supposed to be played. You have to use a right angle cord to keep it out of your way. I'm also not completely sold on the machine heads, I'll replace them with Grovers as soon as I can. The guitar stays in tune well, but I'm very picky in this area.

I play a wide mixture of music, ranging from classical to praise music to pop music arranged for classical guitar. The C64CE delivers for me in this area. The solid spruce top gives an intense projection, & I'm sure this will only get better with time. The tone & sound quality fit my playing style on target. I'm currently playing through a 50 watt Marshall with 2 12" Celestion speakers, & I get a very good quality sound. I do not use any effects, I simply use reverb from the amplifier as a sole effect. I've not experienced any feedback problems yet. The volume projects loudly & fully to give the guitar a "larger than it looks" sound. The sound is balanced fairly well, but this may be the only achilles heel in this area, it seems as though the treble strings project a slight amount louder than do the bass strings. I use DAddario Pro Arte normal tension strings to produce a fabulous sound that is very rich & very full.

The set up from the factory was, like most factory set ups, a little lame. But, don't get me wrong, it was perfectly playable right from the box. However, I'll have an authorized Washburn dealer set it up for me, it's a bit high, but plenty of room to shim & adjust. The neck is standard classical width & the strings are well balanced in location. I have not found any flaws on the guitar yet, & I hope to keep it that way! The finish is very nice, it's a pretty instument to look at. I'm giving it a 9 here because of the slightly high set up.

This guitar seems to be built very sound & durable. It also seems to be very dependable in regards that it will take a licking & keep on ticking. I would say the hardware will last well, with the exception of the machine heads. I plan to take on live performances with this guitar in the near future, I will have a Yamaha acoustic classical as a back up, but I don't believe I will need it, strictly a precautionary measure.

This guitar has a lifetime warranty. I've dealt with Washburn & its dealers before, I've never had a bad experience with them. As a matter of fact, this was one of the main selling points for me on this guitar. I've owned several Washburn instruments & enjoyed each of them.

I've been playing the guitar for about 20-25 years now, I used to play professionally & semi-professionally, but I gave up public performing with groups due to the hasseles involved (you know what I'm talking about!). However, I've decided to get back in to playing a solo venture, & a duet venture with my 10 year old son whom plays bass. I will be doing an act similar to Esteban, but instead of Latin tinged I'll be more classical/romantic oriented. I currently own a 1979 Gibson Les Paul custom with chrome hardware (very rare find), a Washburn EA 20 Festival Series electric acoustic (very nice guitar), & a Yamaha FG 231 II acoustic classical guitar (a good workhorse guitar). I'm really very satisified with my purchase of the Washburn C64CE, especially the price I paid ($219 INCLUDING hard shell case). This guitar is not a blemish, factory B model, etc., it's a first quality guitar. I looked for a long time before purchasing, & I played lots of guitars before settling on this one. I played Yamaha, Takimine, Ibanez, Dean, Taylor, just to name a few. I settled on the Washburn C64CE because of price, value, & the company's reputation. I firmly believe Washburn makes the finest guitars in the world at the under $500 price range, you simply can't beat them. I really can't tell the difference in the sound & playability between the C64CE & the $2,000 Taylor I played on. We're talking an electric nylon, therefore experience has shown me that the amplifier used, the performers nails, & style of attack have a much more dominant role when dealing with an electric nylon. Now, don't get me wrong, an ACOUSTIC nylon is a totally different stroy, but we're discussing an electric nylon here. I'm very pleased with my purchase, I feel I got a wonderful deal on this guitar.