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Sorry in advance for the book-length story! 
So I just started playing with a new group of guys who like to do more modern stuff (Alter Bridge, Chevelle, Saving Benjamin, etc) than I've been doing, as well as their own similar-veined originals. They needed a lead player and I wanted to do something different. Plus, they all seem like great guys!
Anyways... they're still looking for a drummer right now (old one was an arse), so they want to do an unplugged deal until we find one. They've done some unplugged gigs before and really enjoyed them (so did the crowd according to them). So I find myself needing to do something in the acoustic guitar department. I have two very nice dreadnaught acoustics with piezzo under-saddle pickups (Yairi DY-75 and an old Takamine Martin-copy with Brazillian rosewood back and sides), but no controls at all. Between that, and the fact that they're so darn BIG, I found myself wantin to try to get something smaller, plus something with full electronics and a cutaway.
So I walk into my friend's music store yesterday and play a bunch of guitars. My favorites were a Breedlove (with the soundhole in the top/side), an Ibanez Vai acoustic, and this Washburn WB 200. The Washburn is discontinued, so they wanted $499 for it -- was originally $599. Came with OHSC. It was cheaper than the other two, and it was a very small, handy, "quirky" little thing that instantly caught my attention. I used to be all about BIG sounding acoustics like dreadnaughts. But lately I've got more into smaller instruments that are comfortable to play and sound great through a PA or acoustic amp. Anyways... I was putting the guitar back on the wall hanger and noticed a pretty long crack in the soundboard -- running from the rear of the sound hole towards the bridge. I mentioned it to my friend and told him to let me know what he was going to do with it because I might still be interested (for a discount of course). The guitar is totally playable and sounds fine. I can fix that crack easily enough or get it fixed if I want to do it right. So I walk in today and he says that he's sending it back for credit. The other owner is standing there and asks him what they have into this guitar, he says $200. They got it on a big discount because it was discontinued. So I tell the guys that I'll give them $350 for it right now (with case of course). They took it. I went home very happy. Plugged it into the LR Baggs DI box that I'm trying out, then into my small PA. VERY NICE! The guitar has both 1/4" and XLR outs. So I ran it straight into the board with XLR cable and it was awesome sounding there too. And VERY playable and comfortable. Found myself banging away playing and singing some Hootie stuff ("Time") before I had to run back to work.
VERY happy with this little guitar. I may just have to keep my eyes opened for other Washburn guitars as a result of this (it's my first).
So I just started playing with a new group of guys who like to do more modern stuff (Alter Bridge, Chevelle, Saving Benjamin, etc) than I've been doing, as well as their own similar-veined originals. They needed a lead player and I wanted to do something different. Plus, they all seem like great guys!
Anyways... they're still looking for a drummer right now (old one was an arse), so they want to do an unplugged deal until we find one. They've done some unplugged gigs before and really enjoyed them (so did the crowd according to them). So I find myself needing to do something in the acoustic guitar department. I have two very nice dreadnaught acoustics with piezzo under-saddle pickups (Yairi DY-75 and an old Takamine Martin-copy with Brazillian rosewood back and sides), but no controls at all. Between that, and the fact that they're so darn BIG, I found myself wantin to try to get something smaller, plus something with full electronics and a cutaway.
So I walk into my friend's music store yesterday and play a bunch of guitars. My favorites were a Breedlove (with the soundhole in the top/side), an Ibanez Vai acoustic, and this Washburn WB 200. The Washburn is discontinued, so they wanted $499 for it -- was originally $599. Came with OHSC. It was cheaper than the other two, and it was a very small, handy, "quirky" little thing that instantly caught my attention. I used to be all about BIG sounding acoustics like dreadnaughts. But lately I've got more into smaller instruments that are comfortable to play and sound great through a PA or acoustic amp. Anyways... I was putting the guitar back on the wall hanger and noticed a pretty long crack in the soundboard -- running from the rear of the sound hole towards the bridge. I mentioned it to my friend and told him to let me know what he was going to do with it because I might still be interested (for a discount of course). The guitar is totally playable and sounds fine. I can fix that crack easily enough or get it fixed if I want to do it right. So I walk in today and he says that he's sending it back for credit. The other owner is standing there and asks him what they have into this guitar, he says $200. They got it on a big discount because it was discontinued. So I tell the guys that I'll give them $350 for it right now (with case of course). They took it. I went home very happy. Plugged it into the LR Baggs DI box that I'm trying out, then into my small PA. VERY NICE! The guitar has both 1/4" and XLR outs. So I ran it straight into the board with XLR cable and it was awesome sounding there too. And VERY playable and comfortable. Found myself banging away playing and singing some Hootie stuff ("Time") before I had to run back to work.
VERY happy with this little guitar. I may just have to keep my eyes opened for other Washburn guitars as a result of this (it's my first).
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