Washburn Festival EA18

I bought the guitar new at Sam Ash in Forest Hills NY. I paid approximately $469+tax. I was looking for a new guitar for under $500. I looked at a few guitars in that price range and I fell in love with the tobacco sunburst wood and sweet full tone.

It's a beautiful instrument for one. The wood was matched near perfectly. Nice white binding around the body and soundhole. Great tone when playing without an amp. A nice balance of sounds and from highs to lows. The B Band pickup translates the sounds nicely when its plugged into an amp. Lots of control for sound quality.

There wasn't much not to like. I guess my only peave was the lack of a pick guard. The body and placement of the soundhole doesnt really make it ideal for a pickguard. I just have to becareful not to lay into the finish when I play.

Ahswood body, and rosewood fingerboard. The construction feels solid. Its got an arched top which is a nice touch. Most acoustic electrics I've seen that are comparable are flat tops. I think it makes it mroe distinctive. Beautiful pearly inlays in the fingerboard.

Overall, its a great guitar. I was looking to replace my applause ae285 and this was defiantely an upgrade. I would highly reccomend this guitar. I've played a couple of small gigs with it and the sound comes over beautifully on a PA and the stand alone sound is awesome.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com