Washburn D-10CE

was looking for acoustic/electric that was both inexpensive, and at the same time high quality, preamp is real nice considering the inexpensiveness, could have used (as all guitars should) a built in tuner and a strap screw (another thing that should be put on all guitars that usually isn't) always a nice touch, but other than that very pleased.

sound is great, there is some vibration on the high E string, but that's with factory strings which i plan on changing soon, the resonance is sweet, whether fingerpicking or strumming.

beautiful smooth finish, flawless from the factory, excellent cutaway construction, only exception would be the strings which i wasn't 100% impressed with, other than that just fine.

haven't had it for long, but seems sturdy, excellent wood finish, i too didn't want some guitar that i'd be affraid to leave around my nieces and nephew or let other people pick up and play, good sturdy wood used for construction.

never previously dealt with the company, never even seen any of my peers with a wash, but very impressed with my purchase, however no warranty.

been playing for around a year, very satisfied with it, wish it had come with a strap screw up top, i would probably get the same guitar if it were stolen, love the cutaway build, compared to similar fender, tak, epiphone cutaways, wash had superior sound and build quality.

Made in China has 20 Frets. Has a pick up with bass, midd, treb, pres, volume control, batt. check, and access to the battery with out having to remove the cover. It has a great quilted sunburst front for a dreadnought and a good cut away. Grover tuners that hold excelent tune.

This guitar has a great rich tone. It holds the note played for a good while. The only problem I have found is that the low g when dropped to a d rattles a little, but that might just be the strings i have on.

The action is good.

Haven't had any problems with it yet.

This guitar has 20 frets w/ solid top. It comes with a built-in preamp, which is a very nice feature. The finish is satin. There is a nice cutaway. It is not a jumbo guitar, but is pretty decent size.

I started on electric, and this is my first acoustic guitar. The sound is great. I play mostly alternative/blues/rock, and this guitar has a very smooth tone. It's not as deep as I would like it to be, but there is no feedback or excess vibrations.

Very nice guitar. Excellent for beginners or for someone who's been playing for a little while. You will fall in love with Washburn.

This is a standard dreadnaught with a rounded cutaway made in Korea for Washburn. It has 20 frets, laminated spruce top, laminated mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck, and a rosewood fingerboard. The tuners are sealed, chrome, and stamped "Grover". There is an onboard pickup/equalization system called "Equis Silver". More about that later. You can bring up Washburn's website and get a good idea of what this guitar looks like. The finish is a rather thick clear laquer which gives the guitar shine, but I feel dampens the resonance considerably. The upshot is better protection from dings, more resistance to enviromental changes and probably some resistance to feedback. Personally, I like satin finishes (especially on the neck), but you have to make some tradeoffs. Neck is fairly thin for an acoustic, but sufficiently wide. I expect this to be a very good stage guitar.
I bought this because I have an electric semi-hollow body, but wanted something I could play unplugged. I'm ending up playing this quite a bit more than I thought I would. I decided against spending alot for my first acoustic, so I checked out a few guitars in this price range. My number one criteria was playability and consistency of sound. This guy was probably built in 1997 by the looks of the serial number. I'm sure it languished in the store for awhile since the salesman was pretty eager to see it go. I'm giving pretty high marks in the features area due to the cutaway and good electronics.

O.K. Here's kind of the good news, bad news thing. I compared this guitar to a similarly priced Fender w/cutaway and the Washburn blew it away. Better sound and much better playability. Also tried a Martin w/cutaway (nowhere near the same price), and a "baby" Taylor (3/4 size w/o cutaway). The Martin sounded good, but not that good, and was more difficult to play than the Washburn. The Taylor was a great guitar for the money, but I wanted a full size guitar. Take note smaller players.
After putting on some Martin Studio Performance strings I discovered the unplugged sound is good, but not great. The individual strings are very balanced with no tone overpowering another. Good for recording but I would prefer a louder, more bassy sound. The guitar is just not as loud as the size would suggest. I attribute this to the laminate top and the heavy finish. I'm hoping things loosen up with playing and it'll start moving more air. I'm primarily a picker and strummer and have to attack the strings pretty hard to get good volume.
The Equis Silver preamp system was a bonus. I bought the guitar to play unplugged so I wasn't real interested in the pickup system. The amplified sound is quite good, however. Playing through a small Fender solid state amp meant for electric guitars. Sound variences range from dark jazzy (not as dark as a true jazzbox)to natural acoustic, to bright and jangley. Equis system has knob for volume, and sliders for bass, mids, and treble. There is also a contour slider that works, the closest I can describe, as a mini "wah" filter. Slide it one way and it's like moving a wah pedal down to accentuate highs. Slide the other way and it filters to accentuate mid bass tones. This seems to work as a way to eliminate "ringing" and feedback from unwanted room acoustics as much as a way to color your tone. Pickup is very quiet when not being played. No opinion on the life of the 9 volt battery that powers the system as I don't use it that much. Battery replacement is easy from a panel that swivels away from the body. Battery does not appear to be engaged until lead is plugged into output jack. There is also a "Z Type" jack for plugging directly into a mixing console. Haven't used it. Unplugged sound rates as a five, about average. Amplified sound rates a seven. Note: I believe this guitar was primarily designed to play amplified on stage.

What can I say? This baby plays like a dream. More like an electric. This was the primary reason I chose it. Absolutely no buzzing. Frets clean all the way up the board. No dead spots. Perfect intonation. Very easy to play barre chords. Action is fairly low, but as I said, no buzzing. Frets are all smooth and properly finished. Grover tuners are smooth and positive.
The fit is all top notch. I can't find any flaws. Neck joints look good although laquer has filled in the area so it's kind of hard to tell. Very solid though. The top is bookmatched in a natural colored spruce. Pattern on the bookmatching is good, however one side is slightly darker than the other. This comes out primarily in lower light situations. Bright, direct light makes the halves look identical. Back and sides have a rather reddish tint to the mahogany making it look more like cherry. Binding on the sides is black as is the binding up the middle of the back.
Found one big flaw with the finish aside from a few pencil dot sized dings. On the bottom left corner of the guitar's top the laquer is uneven at the very edge. This area is about two inches long and a half inch wide. The finish looks slightly raised and the wood underneath appears slightly distressed. Either this unit was meant to be sold as a factory second, or it was possibly dropped in the showroom. The flaw is not immediately apparent as I didn't notice it until I had it home for a few hours. I got a good deal on the guitar and had fallen in love with it by then so I didn't return it. Makes me wonder though. I'm rating the guitar without the flaw since I believe it very non- typical of Washburn. This was also the only D10CE model in the store as they said they weren't going to carry them in the future.

Playability and reliability will be this guitar's stong suit. I didn't want a fragile, expensive guitar that I'd be afraid to take out of the house or let someone else pick up. You could play outside and not be afraid of a little rain. I think this guy could handle sustantial abuse, not that I plan on dishing out any. Stays in tune, doesn't break strings. I haven't played much with a strap. The retailer installed a metal button on the heel of the neck. I will likely have them replace the bottom button with a matching metal one. Pack an extra battery if you plan on gigging amplified.

Haven't contacted Washburn directly. They have a big website and some sort of owner's club you can join, also lots of clothing for sale. Guitar World was pretty nice, friendly, and low pressure. They matched a mail order price, and when I mentioned the small dings, they threw in a hard case for nearly half price, a free stand, free strings and picks, and free installation of a top strap button. I think they were glad to see this little orphan get a good home. Washburn also has a limited lifetime warranty which is honored through any dealer. I've been told it's quite generous. Rather no opinion of Washburn support, good marks to Guitar World.

I've only been playing about six months, started on electric. This is a good guitar to start out with as it plays extremely well, looks nice, and has a good sound. I definitly think this is a good value for the money, and should stand up to years of playing. If it were lost or stolen I'd probably opt for a guitar with a solid top and satin finished body and neck. Also, I'd try some with back and sides of rosewood, maple, walnut, or koa. This was the best deal on a new guitar I could find with these features and at this price range. All I really wish for is a thicker, louder tone. I would not rule out a higher end Washburn in the future.