Washburn Rarewoods vs. Blueridge & Seagull?

[ajames]

Hello,

 

Well, i've played guitar for 6-7 years and its time for a new acoustic as i am going off to college, and simply put. want a new guitar.

 

I'm tired of my crappy Oscar Schmidt Acoustic-Electric (i believe its an OG20-something or other) and need an upgrade. Its treated me well, but i have reached its limits a long time ago.

 

First off, the budget: $500

 

My local shop carries a lot of dean acoustics, which i personally do not like, as well as Gibsons, which are a tad out of my range, and some Washburns.

 

I played several of Washburn's 120th Anniv. Rarewood guitars and liked a few. All within the $400-$500 range. I like the Koa model quite well ... even moreso than the Rosewood, which surprised me.

 

My question is how do these Washburns fair up to similar Blueridges (140, 160) and the Seagulls?

 

I've played a Blueridge before and enjoyed it ... as well as Seagulls. Its just been a while.

 

I prefer guitars that have very present bass ... almost that big, boomy, tone. Which i find more in a more mellow Mahogony ... but its different in every guitar.

 

How do similarly priced guitars stack up to these Rarewoods (WD44S, WD46S, etc) in tone and quality, and value?

 

any thoughts? thanks

[hammergjh]

Seagulls make very nice sounding North American made acoustic guitars for short money. Solid wood tops and pretty good contruction. Mine's over 8 years old and still looks great. Play a few different ones and let your hands and your ears be the deciding factor.

[mrlucky7]

I second the vote for a Seagull. Listen to a few....Try a cedar top; you might just get that bassy sound you are looking for. Yamaha would be an other alternative...my 80's FG335II as a very bassy sound

[guit30]

Get A Taylor 110 or Blueridge BR-160

Jim

[guit30]

I bought one of these from MF. It was in awful shape, very heavy guitar, Blueridges are much better

Jim

[leftync]

I'd vote for the Seagull M6 Gloss or similarly priced Blueridge. I bet you can get it at Elderly for $500 give or take a few bucks.

And if you're going to college, you want a spruce top if only for its greater durability--no offense to cedar fans. for the same reason I'd advise against a satin finish. there were several nice guitars I looked at in a similar price range, then I remembered I had kids and bought one with a gloss finish. I also like the short scale and wide fretboard, but seagulls aren't for everyone.

all the recommendations you're getting are good, but for sound and value I'd consider the M6 Gloss or a Blueridge. If you buy online, make sure it's a place you trust, as I hear there are quality control issues with Blueridge. But if you get a good one you've really got a gem. There's a guy in these forums who sells them, and he seems trustworthy.

[ajames]

I was out shopping today and played:

 

Seagull S6+

Blueridge BR-140

Seagull S6 Folk

a Few Alvarez AW guitars

Garrison G-4

Garrison G-30

Garrison G-40

 

my impressions on the Seagull were that for the $365 price tag w/ case, its a good deal for what you get. that said, i agree it does give some of the deep, mellow sound, but it wasn't responsive enough for me. I know i could get used to the shorter scale and wider neck, but at the time, it did bother me a little.

 

i was amazed at how much i didn't like the Blueridge. i had heard good things about them, but for the $500+ price tag ... i didn't think it was much at all. It felt quite cheap in my hands. The sound was somewhat dead compared to many of the other guitars i played today, and its skinny neck made me think of it as a toy. If it was a cheaper guitar, i could see how it would be a good buy ... but for the price tag ... i did not think its tone was impressive ... taht is, at least for my playing style.

 

I fell in love with several of the Garrison's however. The one that surprised me most was the spruce/birch G-30. it had quite the personality. and when i really stummed hard and dug into it, the mids just sung. it was quite responsive and easy to play.

 

That said, the solid spruce/mohogony G-40 w/ the ebony neck took the cake. Quality was leaps and bounds above the Blueridges there. and sounded comparable to a much nicer guitar, but w/ a rougly $700 price tag.

 

I'm torn. Blueridges did nothing for me, and i felt their more classic design to be lacking for my tastes. Seagulls are great guitars, and while i found the cedar to perform quite well, to me, it felt as if the cedar sealed up the guiar too much. and it seemed to be too hard to expose the tones i'm looking for.

 

Sadly, i feel the $450 Washburns are the best compromise between the two. The garrison's are a touch out of my range right now ... and the cheaper blueridges/ seagulls leave something to be desired for my tastes.

 

What about a rosewood Washburn WD56SW from MF? Or one of the other of the similar guitars they have going right now on MF?

[parrothd_mark]

Here's a post on a Washburn board by a guy who bought a WD56SW and loves it. Good insight on the guitar...your mileage may vary.

 

 

 

http://www.washburn.com/jamgroup1/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2384

 

 

Mark

[guit30]

I bought a Washburn WD54SW from Musician's friend, it arrived in horrible shape, thay are D/Ced

Jim

[leftync]

I'm surprised that the Blueridges you've seen are not impressive. The ones I've seen were quite nice and comparable to more expensive guitars.

And I understand what you're saying about the Seagull S6. I hope you can try out an M6 gloss. Nice as the S6 is, the M6 feels and sounds like a more substantial instrument. It's spoiled me. Just yesterday I was in a store strumming an HD 21 and a d-35. Maybe I'm crazy, but I didn't go nuts for either of them (a collings dread is another story, however).

[EvilTwin]

I actually don't dig Blueridges, either. There's a bluegrass shop about 8 miles from where I live that carries a lot of them. I was very, very, very underwhelmed.

 

That said, I had very, very high expectations since they are so highly regarded.

 

But they just didn't do anything for me. Sounding...well, "muffled" is a relative term with a spruce topped guitar, since you've got to play 'em a bit to get the best out of them...but the Blueridges I played just didn't have "it." Just...dead sounding. And the necks cramped me, too.

 

Since they're from Saga, it's made me rethink buying oen of Saga's Gitane gypsy jazz box.

 

Strangely enough, I also adore Garrisons, too. I played a cedar/birch one that KILLED. I thought I'd hate 'em, but I think they kick mucho booty. I may buy one someday.

 

I own a Seagull S6+Folk, and it's a great guitar. It isn't as rich or complex as my Tacoma DM18, but it still sounds great. I love it (and I've scarred the top quite a bit, to show my love!). Only $350 with HSC (I would have spent twice as much for a Martin with comparable features). Highly recommended.

[ajames]

Yes! That Garrison is the G-30, which did, in fact, kick the same mucho butty that you speak of. Its all solid, spruce top, and BIRCH back/sides.

 

at first i remember thinking "birch?!", but it really did sound good. its one of the guitars i'm seriously considering. the store i know sells it for a tad over $500 w/ case.

 

Do blueridges increase drastically as they progress up the line ... ? meaning ... will a BR-180 sound much much better to me than the 140 i played and didn't like?

[fantasticsound]

Well, back when I bought my Blueridge BR-1, it was a replacement for a Takamine I'd bought for over $600, at cost (I worked at GC) in 1991. The headstock had split in an accident.

 

The prominent Nashville luthier who suggested I replace it with a Blueridge insisted BR guitars are well built, but are not set up well by the factory. This wasn't an issue as he would be installing an L.R. Baggs preamp and ribbon pickup, and would properly set it up for me. Total cost including labor? Under $500.

 

That was in 1997. The Blueridge is not only my main guitar, but it has received many accolades from professional players in several country label acts I've mixed for. The timbre is nicely balanced, but I've heard other Blueridge guitars that fell to the bassy side. I augment it with a Lute Hole, which I keep in whether I'm plugged in, recording or just playing, but remove in outdoor situations with no PA, where the maximum bass response is necessary.

 

I would absolutely consider a Seagull, but I suggest you check out some actual Blueridge instruments before dismissing them on the test drive's of anyone here.

 

Also, I have found only one Washburn in hundreds I've played that I liked. Even their most expensive guitars left me wondering why anyone who knew better would bother buying one.

[Nicko]

I have a Blueridge BR-160 and in my opinion it sounds great even with 3 month old strings. It sounds better than my Martin DM (which I've always like too) with new strings.

[Andrewrg]

I have a Blueridge 280,one of the last Brazilian models which is a prewar D45 copy and a great sounding guitar.A friend has a BR73 OOO/OM laminate which is really sweet sounding.As previously posted their factory setup leaves a lot to be desired,enough,in fact to put you off buying one.A good,pro setup makes a world of difference.

I also found the neck on mine too skinny compared to my Martins and it`s for sale.

[ajames]

don't worry about me buying a Washburn.

 

i was somewhat dissappointed that the washburn i played was the one of the better sounding guitars i played in those few days when i was testing out guitars, but i've since truly found them to be lacking. they just seem un-musical and dead. especially compared to pretty much every Garrison i've played so far, and a couple high-end Deans.

 

I'd like to play a well-set up Blueridge, but i'm not sure there's any way for me to do so, aside from buying one in hopes that i will actually like it after a good set-up. And despite those sound struggles, i did find the neck a little too small for my noticing.

 

it was small enough for me to think "wow, this is small". and if i noticed it that much just testing it ... i have a hunch that pesonally i'd tire of it and not like it.

 

As of now, i'm looking at a Garrison, or a Dean Sweetwood DR/DM. Both sound quite good and somewhat similar to me.

[moo1010321]

you can't go wrong with a garrison. i got one, woohoo blows a lot of pricey guitars out of the water. But try it out! I also got an art and lutherie, great for the money, but didnt have the lows that i was looking for. Not enough treble, but got mine for 80 bucks so...

[marekk]

i played several BlueRidge's at a shop last weekend. their setup was okay(it was a real small shop so they had no excuse to keep their stock playable) anyway my wife and I favored their J-45 copy(Bg-160?) very rich even tone compared to their D gloss tops. All their necks were thin as they come and very light weight over all. i think their necks are just too thin(good for youth size hands though) and Blueridge would be much better with some wood hanging under that fretboard.

 

also i played an epi masterbuilt, oh my what a nice sounding and playing acoustic for the money. I think the model was based on a J-185. i also messed with a Doc model Gallegher for a minute, that is now my favorite handmade, nothing fancy, just a well made tank with great tone. i wish i could have taken all those ladies home and played on them more.

 

imho

mark

[postalsock]

MARK LISTEN TO ME GET A YAMAHA I BOUT A FG700S EXCELLENT BASS TONE 200 BUCKS, do what you want.