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MGR/merle « Washburn D10SCE »
Published on 12/08/06 at 15:00Picked up my first guitar about 35 years ago. I play different styles, including southern rock, pop, country, and Christian.
Bought the guitar from Musician.com
Consistent. If allowed only one word to describe Washburn products, it would most likely be the word consistent. And my new D10SCE continues the tradition. Let me explain. Ive dealt with and played a number of different brands in the past, but very few of them have been consistently good. Most brands seem to be able to produce very good instruments, but unfortunately, they also are capable of producing deplorably bad examples as well. Ive seen good and bad even within the same shipment. Which, of course, meant that they were destined for a trip back to the dealer. It all comes down to consistency.
But inconsistency has never been the case with my Washburn guitars. Mr. Washburn must have excellent quality control measures in place, because Ive NEVER had to send a Washburn back to the retailer for a quality issue. Yes, consistent is the right word. Consistently great fit and finish, consistently great sound, consistently good action, and consistently great value for the dollar.
So what made me purchase the D10SCE? Of course, I had read Washburns much publicized gloating point of how their D10 was voted Best Guitar Under $500 by some guitar magazine. But I had also read a seemingly infinite list of owner and professional reviews on the D10 and they pretty much were in agreement with Washburns gloating point. So I ordered up the 12-string version of the D10. Result? After surviving the delivery assault of the UPS gorillas, an absolutely awesome guitar was left on my door step (which is still one of my all-time favorite purchases). Knowing that the 12-string version was such a great guitar, and having a strong desire to add an electric acoustic to my collection, I started looking closely at the Washburn D10SCE, as well as some similar models under other brand names.
But the thought of being shipped a lemon guitar - and having to send it back - kept creeping into my decision making process. Many of the other brand names are like spinning the wheel on Wheel-of-Fortune. Sometimes the contestant likes where it lands, and sometimes he doesnt. Well, consistency won out. I decided to purchase the D10SCE and not having to worry about where the wheel stopped. With Washburn, the wheel seems to always land where I want it to.
So now lets get onto what you really want to know: Was this purchase a mistake? Short answer: No. Washburn has once again held up their end of the bargain by maintaining consistent quality control of their product line. This guitar is as near flawless as they come. The fit and finish is superb. From the multi-layer binding on the body front, to the single layer binding everywhere else (including the neck), to the book matched spruce top, to the gorgeous Mahogany back, sides and neck, to the gorgeous craftsmanship throughout - I could not find anything to be critical about. And I hate that, because I love to dish out criticism (ask me about Epiphone or Peavey, sometime). But this Washburn wont let me go there. Now Im the first to admit that this is not a high end Washburn, so it does make it a bit easier for them to avoid mistakes. But Ive seen other brands with simpler guitars and higher price tags, and yet, were riddled with flaws and blemishes.
How about the sound when unplugged? The SC in D10SCE stands for Single Cutaway. Truthfully, I prefer the sound of a full bodied dreadnought guitar, and Im of the clan that believes single and double cutaways steal something away from the sound department. So Im sure that this single cutaway detracts to some degree when not plugged in. But the difference between it and a full body is very minimal, and in fact, is a good tradeoff when you consider what you get in return: great accessibility to the higher frets. Which is precisely why I chose this guitar. With my full bodied dreadnoughts, I find myself severely limited by the body when reaching closer and closer to the frets near the sound hole. A single cutaway pretty much alleviates that issue. And although a double cutaway also gives good access to high frets, it tends to steal even more away from the dreadnought sound without adding any additional accessibility. So the single cutaway is the obvious choice. Bottom line: when unplugged and with a good set of strings, this guitar has a wonderful full bodied sound that belies its single cutaway design.
How about the sound when plugged in? The E in D10SCE stands for Electric. But to be more accurate it means that this guitar comes with a built in preamp. When reading the advertisement and reviews of this guitar at Musician.com, I noted that it was supposed to come with the WT82 preamp. But mine was delivered with the Equis Extra WT92 preamp, instead. Ive since found out that Washburn has only recently started to upgrade the D10SCE guitars with the WT92 - so I got lucky. Between the two, the WT92 does appear to be the better. From what Ive seen in pictures, it appears that the WT82 comes with 4 adjustments via 4 slides, which makes it fairly easy to set. The WT92 comes with 5 adjustments via 5 knobs. Im guessing they switched to knobs because they lacked the room to use a 5th slide. I like the knobs in that they help keep dust from migrating into the pots and causing grief down the road. The downside is that the small knobs are a little difficult to adjust without accidentally bumping into one of the other knobs. The WT92 preamp gives you control over Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, and Volume. Using these 5 knobs, you should be able to easily tailor the sound through an amp to get the sound youre looking for. I plugged mine into a X-Vamp modeler (using the acoustic simulation) and then piped the result into my amp. After just a few minutes of exercising the knobs, I quickly obtained a very full and warm acoustic sound. Bingo - just what I was looking for. And by the way, the presence knob is really usefully when trying to adjust up or down the amount of punch through that you get with the 3 treble strings.
Hows the action? The action is a bit high for me, but its about where I expect a Washburn to be. Every Washburn that Ive seen has benefited from a setup, and this guitar is no different. Shaving about 1 millimeter off the bridge piece should get it about where I like it. In fact, its more than a little difficult to find any guitar below $1000 that would not benefit from some setup effort. So I cant really fault Washburn for this. And truthfully, my brother (who is a much better guitarist than I) would probably prefer I left it alone.
By the way, the WT92 comes with a built in electronic tuner (as does another one of my other Washburn guitars). If you play much at all, you already know how useful a feature this is. This device has 2 buttons: the Power button and the Note button. Once you press in the Power button, the tuner will automatically detect which string you are attempting to tune by its proximity to one of the six notes of a tuned guitar. If you press the Note button, the tuner will then allow you to manually select which string you are to tune - and it will report the string number back to you via a small blue LCD screen. Each time you press the Note button, a different string number will be displayed on the LCD screen. It uses the obligatory 3 LED lights to get you on the path to guitar nirvana. Two red LED lights let you know if youre too sharp or too flat (Kris Kristofferson could benefit from something like this the next time he tries to sing). A single green LED light rewards you when you precisely find the note. All it all, it is somewhat idiot proof (so why did it take me so long to figure it out?). I found the unit to be very precise, so much so, that its kind of unforgiving: you REALLY have to have the note right on the button to get the green light reward.
At the lower side is a jack plate that has provisions for the standard high impedance 1/4 inch guitar jack, as well as a low impedance XLR balanced jack. It also has an access door for a transistor battery to power up the WT92. There are no quirky connections to press onto the battery; Simply drop the battery in, close the door, and jam away. In case youre wondering, the battery is only being drained when either the tuner has been turned on, or when a jack has been plugged into the guitar otherwise, the battery lies dormant.
This guitar typically comes with a Washburn hard shell case. My case was somewhat like the case my Gibson came with not quite as nice or as well made, but very decent. In my case, the UPS gorillas drop-kicked my shipment so that the case was slightly damaged. But what makes it so nice is that it did exactly what it was designed to do: protect the guitar (place inside it) from damage. And of course Ive learned from past experience that www.musician.com is quick to make free and quick exchanges of damaged shipments. Aside from the UPS battle scars, the case is fairly light weight and the guitar fits it like a glove. The storage compartment is rather minimal. The stitch work is pretty nice. And although the case is a worthy addition to the package, please have no delusions: This case would not survive an airplane trip.
Early on, I state that I had no criticisms. Did I really say that? Hmmm, let me correct this. I do have one complaint: the factory strings. Ive noticed that a lot of the guitars Ive been seeing lately are supplied with Vinci Strings. They even have a little tag hanging from one of the tuners letting you know that it was supplied with Vinci strings as if this is something to brag about. Putting Vinci strings on this guitar is like putting Pee Wee Hermans vocal chords inside Elvis Presleys throat. Vinci strings are what I call place holder strings. They are just there to remind you that this is where the strings go. They are not for playing, so dont even waste your time tuning them. If you do tune them, you may be fooled into believing that your D10 is not all that its cracked up to be. Dont be fooled; Go get some genuine guitar strings and slap em on. This Washburn will love you for it. So why do they put these rust bucket strings on the D10? I dont know, but I can honestly tell you that out of the last 15 or so new guitars that Ive set up - different brands and different models - nearly all of them came with Vinci strings. Maybe theres a law I dont know about.
So the final question is the most tell-tale. If I had it to do over again, would I still purchase the D10SCE. Yes, yes, and yes. So much so, in fact, that Im now wondering why I own any other brands. I have some other solid bodies and semi-hollow bodies made by other companies, and Im now to the point of wondering if I should have stayed with Washburn all along. Yes, the D10SCE is that good. Let me carry that a step further. Although more money quite often equates into more guitar, this is not always the case. One friend paid about 10 times as much for his electric acoustic. Mine Washburn is better no kidding. Now Im not saying that it is better than all multi-thousand dollar guitars, but I know of one case where it is. Sure, his guitar has nicer wood work, trim, and hardware but close your eyes and play the two guitars back to back, and youre likely to pick the Washburn. Now aint that enough to make a preacher cuss?
One last comment. I purchased this guitar through www.musician.com and Im certainly glad I made the wise decision to stick with these wonderful people. A purchase is not just about the instrument and the price. Its also about the service. And these people have more than earned my business. Time after time, purchase after purchase, they have made it clear that they are the best game in town. And although ordering from their internet site is convenient, I much prefer to call them at their toll free number (1-800-697-0774) to discuss the purchase before making the transaction. Unlike a lot of internet retailers, these guys are actual musicians who know the product lines and can help you make intelligent, informed decisions. These guys literally have instruments sitting around the office for them to personally experience. And to make it all, oh so right, they have a best price guarantee. So do like I do - go find your best price elsewhere, then make the call and listen to them as they beat the price and with no tax or shipping charges tacked on!
Hey, if youre looking at any of the Washburn D10 guitars as a possible purchase, then I truly hope this review is of some real value to you. All the best to you, merle.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
Bought the guitar from Musician.com
Consistent. If allowed only one word to describe Washburn products, it would most likely be the word consistent. And my new D10SCE continues the tradition. Let me explain. Ive dealt with and played a number of different brands in the past, but very few of them have been consistently good. Most brands seem to be able to produce very good instruments, but unfortunately, they also are capable of producing deplorably bad examples as well. Ive seen good and bad even within the same shipment. Which, of course, meant that they were destined for a trip back to the dealer. It all comes down to consistency.
But inconsistency has never been the case with my Washburn guitars. Mr. Washburn must have excellent quality control measures in place, because Ive NEVER had to send a Washburn back to the retailer for a quality issue. Yes, consistent is the right word. Consistently great fit and finish, consistently great sound, consistently good action, and consistently great value for the dollar.
So what made me purchase the D10SCE? Of course, I had read Washburns much publicized gloating point of how their D10 was voted Best Guitar Under $500 by some guitar magazine. But I had also read a seemingly infinite list of owner and professional reviews on the D10 and they pretty much were in agreement with Washburns gloating point. So I ordered up the 12-string version of the D10. Result? After surviving the delivery assault of the UPS gorillas, an absolutely awesome guitar was left on my door step (which is still one of my all-time favorite purchases). Knowing that the 12-string version was such a great guitar, and having a strong desire to add an electric acoustic to my collection, I started looking closely at the Washburn D10SCE, as well as some similar models under other brand names.
But the thought of being shipped a lemon guitar - and having to send it back - kept creeping into my decision making process. Many of the other brand names are like spinning the wheel on Wheel-of-Fortune. Sometimes the contestant likes where it lands, and sometimes he doesnt. Well, consistency won out. I decided to purchase the D10SCE and not having to worry about where the wheel stopped. With Washburn, the wheel seems to always land where I want it to.
So now lets get onto what you really want to know: Was this purchase a mistake? Short answer: No. Washburn has once again held up their end of the bargain by maintaining consistent quality control of their product line. This guitar is as near flawless as they come. The fit and finish is superb. From the multi-layer binding on the body front, to the single layer binding everywhere else (including the neck), to the book matched spruce top, to the gorgeous Mahogany back, sides and neck, to the gorgeous craftsmanship throughout - I could not find anything to be critical about. And I hate that, because I love to dish out criticism (ask me about Epiphone or Peavey, sometime). But this Washburn wont let me go there. Now Im the first to admit that this is not a high end Washburn, so it does make it a bit easier for them to avoid mistakes. But Ive seen other brands with simpler guitars and higher price tags, and yet, were riddled with flaws and blemishes.
How about the sound when unplugged? The SC in D10SCE stands for Single Cutaway. Truthfully, I prefer the sound of a full bodied dreadnought guitar, and Im of the clan that believes single and double cutaways steal something away from the sound department. So Im sure that this single cutaway detracts to some degree when not plugged in. But the difference between it and a full body is very minimal, and in fact, is a good tradeoff when you consider what you get in return: great accessibility to the higher frets. Which is precisely why I chose this guitar. With my full bodied dreadnoughts, I find myself severely limited by the body when reaching closer and closer to the frets near the sound hole. A single cutaway pretty much alleviates that issue. And although a double cutaway also gives good access to high frets, it tends to steal even more away from the dreadnought sound without adding any additional accessibility. So the single cutaway is the obvious choice. Bottom line: when unplugged and with a good set of strings, this guitar has a wonderful full bodied sound that belies its single cutaway design.
How about the sound when plugged in? The E in D10SCE stands for Electric. But to be more accurate it means that this guitar comes with a built in preamp. When reading the advertisement and reviews of this guitar at Musician.com, I noted that it was supposed to come with the WT82 preamp. But mine was delivered with the Equis Extra WT92 preamp, instead. Ive since found out that Washburn has only recently started to upgrade the D10SCE guitars with the WT92 - so I got lucky. Between the two, the WT92 does appear to be the better. From what Ive seen in pictures, it appears that the WT82 comes with 4 adjustments via 4 slides, which makes it fairly easy to set. The WT92 comes with 5 adjustments via 5 knobs. Im guessing they switched to knobs because they lacked the room to use a 5th slide. I like the knobs in that they help keep dust from migrating into the pots and causing grief down the road. The downside is that the small knobs are a little difficult to adjust without accidentally bumping into one of the other knobs. The WT92 preamp gives you control over Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, and Volume. Using these 5 knobs, you should be able to easily tailor the sound through an amp to get the sound youre looking for. I plugged mine into a X-Vamp modeler (using the acoustic simulation) and then piped the result into my amp. After just a few minutes of exercising the knobs, I quickly obtained a very full and warm acoustic sound. Bingo - just what I was looking for. And by the way, the presence knob is really usefully when trying to adjust up or down the amount of punch through that you get with the 3 treble strings.
Hows the action? The action is a bit high for me, but its about where I expect a Washburn to be. Every Washburn that Ive seen has benefited from a setup, and this guitar is no different. Shaving about 1 millimeter off the bridge piece should get it about where I like it. In fact, its more than a little difficult to find any guitar below $1000 that would not benefit from some setup effort. So I cant really fault Washburn for this. And truthfully, my brother (who is a much better guitarist than I) would probably prefer I left it alone.
By the way, the WT92 comes with a built in electronic tuner (as does another one of my other Washburn guitars). If you play much at all, you already know how useful a feature this is. This device has 2 buttons: the Power button and the Note button. Once you press in the Power button, the tuner will automatically detect which string you are attempting to tune by its proximity to one of the six notes of a tuned guitar. If you press the Note button, the tuner will then allow you to manually select which string you are to tune - and it will report the string number back to you via a small blue LCD screen. Each time you press the Note button, a different string number will be displayed on the LCD screen. It uses the obligatory 3 LED lights to get you on the path to guitar nirvana. Two red LED lights let you know if youre too sharp or too flat (Kris Kristofferson could benefit from something like this the next time he tries to sing). A single green LED light rewards you when you precisely find the note. All it all, it is somewhat idiot proof (so why did it take me so long to figure it out?). I found the unit to be very precise, so much so, that its kind of unforgiving: you REALLY have to have the note right on the button to get the green light reward.
At the lower side is a jack plate that has provisions for the standard high impedance 1/4 inch guitar jack, as well as a low impedance XLR balanced jack. It also has an access door for a transistor battery to power up the WT92. There are no quirky connections to press onto the battery; Simply drop the battery in, close the door, and jam away. In case youre wondering, the battery is only being drained when either the tuner has been turned on, or when a jack has been plugged into the guitar otherwise, the battery lies dormant.
This guitar typically comes with a Washburn hard shell case. My case was somewhat like the case my Gibson came with not quite as nice or as well made, but very decent. In my case, the UPS gorillas drop-kicked my shipment so that the case was slightly damaged. But what makes it so nice is that it did exactly what it was designed to do: protect the guitar (place inside it) from damage. And of course Ive learned from past experience that www.musician.com is quick to make free and quick exchanges of damaged shipments. Aside from the UPS battle scars, the case is fairly light weight and the guitar fits it like a glove. The storage compartment is rather minimal. The stitch work is pretty nice. And although the case is a worthy addition to the package, please have no delusions: This case would not survive an airplane trip.
Early on, I state that I had no criticisms. Did I really say that? Hmmm, let me correct this. I do have one complaint: the factory strings. Ive noticed that a lot of the guitars Ive been seeing lately are supplied with Vinci Strings. They even have a little tag hanging from one of the tuners letting you know that it was supplied with Vinci strings as if this is something to brag about. Putting Vinci strings on this guitar is like putting Pee Wee Hermans vocal chords inside Elvis Presleys throat. Vinci strings are what I call place holder strings. They are just there to remind you that this is where the strings go. They are not for playing, so dont even waste your time tuning them. If you do tune them, you may be fooled into believing that your D10 is not all that its cracked up to be. Dont be fooled; Go get some genuine guitar strings and slap em on. This Washburn will love you for it. So why do they put these rust bucket strings on the D10? I dont know, but I can honestly tell you that out of the last 15 or so new guitars that Ive set up - different brands and different models - nearly all of them came with Vinci strings. Maybe theres a law I dont know about.
So the final question is the most tell-tale. If I had it to do over again, would I still purchase the D10SCE. Yes, yes, and yes. So much so, in fact, that Im now wondering why I own any other brands. I have some other solid bodies and semi-hollow bodies made by other companies, and Im now to the point of wondering if I should have stayed with Washburn all along. Yes, the D10SCE is that good. Let me carry that a step further. Although more money quite often equates into more guitar, this is not always the case. One friend paid about 10 times as much for his electric acoustic. Mine Washburn is better no kidding. Now Im not saying that it is better than all multi-thousand dollar guitars, but I know of one case where it is. Sure, his guitar has nicer wood work, trim, and hardware but close your eyes and play the two guitars back to back, and youre likely to pick the Washburn. Now aint that enough to make a preacher cuss?
One last comment. I purchased this guitar through www.musician.com and Im certainly glad I made the wise decision to stick with these wonderful people. A purchase is not just about the instrument and the price. Its also about the service. And these people have more than earned my business. Time after time, purchase after purchase, they have made it clear that they are the best game in town. And although ordering from their internet site is convenient, I much prefer to call them at their toll free number (1-800-697-0774) to discuss the purchase before making the transaction. Unlike a lot of internet retailers, these guys are actual musicians who know the product lines and can help you make intelligent, informed decisions. These guys literally have instruments sitting around the office for them to personally experience. And to make it all, oh so right, they have a best price guarantee. So do like I do - go find your best price elsewhere, then make the call and listen to them as they beat the price and with no tax or shipping charges tacked on!
Hey, if youre looking at any of the Washburn D10 guitars as a possible purchase, then I truly hope this review is of some real value to you. All the best to you, merle.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com