Harmonycat

From the Instrumentpro website: Aria AD-80 Description: Aria Dreadnought / Aria Auditorium SERIES The pursuit of perfection - This is our theme that we have been pursuing continuously ever since we had started to manufacture guitars about 50 years ago. Aria Dreadnought / Aria Auditorium series lent brilliance to the early and middle days in the history of Aria acoustic guitar. These series has been reborn now to provide the pleasure of music of the high standard for ever and ever. Rich sound and the high grade playability. Accomplished spec is satisfied with from beginner to accomplished player. And Solid top, which is common to all models, will increase the brightness of sound as you use it more and more. The highest grade of Aria Dreadnought series. The gorgeous Avalon binding and the sound hole ring produce high level sound and balanced high quality. Aria AD-80 Specifications: Top : Solid Englemann Spruce Back & Sides : Solid Rosewood Neck : Mahogany Fingerboard : Rosewood Bridge : Rosewood Hardware : Gold Finish : N The price is $1789.00 on their web page http://www.instrumentpro.com/P-ARIAD80.html?PHPSESSID=4d053376857ddf71e51d560f8ce306d8 I own one of those AD-80s, but the OP is asking about an AW-800 which is a totally different series.

so I imagine that the demand and the price is higher for the FG-75 mainly because it is older. I'll tell you what, it sounded so good in the shop that I thought it had to be a solid top. Yamaha is just one of those few that got laminating right. p.s. thanks for all of the info guys. Grab it for $60.00 and play it everwhere......My $90.00 Beater is going to the Cottage next weekend with new strings for another great Campfire Summer! Cheers!

Ibanezdtryr, Maximum and TC all seem like decent guys. If they like their guitars and feel they were worth what they paid then they are not dupes and do not deserve to be derided and made to feel like second-class members of the forum. No matter how many times some folks assert that it is only Denny Zager and his business ethics that are being ridiculed I would bet that the legitimate Zager owners (I am not talking about the shills -screw them) feel insulted by some of the comments and general ridicule. And the notion that they shouldn't identify with their guitars is so disingenuous as to be laughable. This site is filled to overflowing with folks with their guitars. Yes, they are decent guys and should not made to feel like second class citizens. They see their guitars as instruments that are decent and funtional. They are reasonably well set up and play well. None of these guys are posting here with beliefs that these guitars are the "Holy Grail". They are logical Formites who continue to contribute to the overall knowledge of the Forum. The Poll is what the Poll is.......a vote and an opinion regarding the Guitars and not them. It looks like the defensive Zealots have left here. I am glad these guys are staying. They need to understand that if I said that all Washburns were great guitars and ran a poll, quite afew people would say that they are overbuilt and unresponsive. The poll would come out strongly against Washburns especially if I said "We are only polling the Samick Indonesia factory product.".

These are at best $200.00 to $300.00 guitars with a set up. Overpriced and Overhyped Indonesian guitars. Decent players at those prices and a blatant ripoff for $300 more. Thus..Pretty bad for $595.00 or more. Not in the class of any of the Grand Rewards products made in China. They are not Masterbilts, Guild Gads, Washburn Timbercrafts, Recording Kings Blueridges, Aria AD series, or Johnson Carolinas. Not in the class of the Godin family products at the lower priced level. They are no match for a S&P SP6, a Norman B-18 etc. Not even in the same sentence as Larrivees and such. How do I know.....I HAVE played the Sigma and the Zager Sigma side by side and the ZAD products are basically Indonesian Washburn quality. Played lots of those "SI" guitars and sold four of them. Two Sigmas and two Washburns made there. They are not nearly as good as my Washburn WD32SW made in the same factory that is all solid wood...Solid Spruce over Solid Sapele that were sold with gig bags for $359.00- $389.00 US. I paid way less than that for one. I HAVE played all of the above except the ZAD-50 or 80, which were not even as good as the Flinthills Washburns but are adorned in the same manner. The Flint Hills were all solid wood at least and high gloss finish Abalone trim. All carried the "SI" serial number sequences meaning Samick Indonesia. Frankly none of them are exceptional. That Factory never has made Great Guitars....just mid entry level products. They are just not able to compete with instruments in the better classes. If you paid $500-$800 for anything built there....You got Fleeced. Campare them Side By Side to a Grand Rewards built Guitar at the $500.00 mark or a Norman ST-68 ot S&P Showcase model at the $800.00 mark and find out. Not all that???? Not all anything! End Of Story.

The finest polish and lubricant for your Washburn WD40 is WD40. It'll make your guitar slicker than deerguts on a doorknob!!