Acoustic Guitars

About Acoustic Guitars Test on 03/22 Washburn acoustic-electric guitars are the descendants of a long line of instrument-building history. Starting out in 1883 as a premier line of Lyon & Healy, Washburn's guitar development was influenced by Chicago's Delta Blues scene in the 1920s. In fact, their factory was located close to the Maxwell Street blues corridor, which led to many of the area's musicians actually taking day jobs building Washburn guitars. That resulted in Washburn becoming synonymous with the Chicago Blues sound and having a significant impact on the development of rock and roll as we know it today. One of Washburn's claims to fame is having developed the first dreadnought-sized guitar in 1912, but a more recent innovation from the company came in the 1980s with the Festival line of acoustic-electric guitars. These instruments have thinner-than-standard bodies, which reduces feedback when you're playing with an amplifier plugged in. That simple change proved effective enough for the Washburn Festival guitars to be adopted as stage acoustics by guitarists like George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Jimmy Page. Since then, Washburn has continued to develop their guitars, and today's Festival models are great choices for beginners as well as experienced musicians. If you're an intermediate player, you'll also want to consider the WD and WG series. Washburn's WG guitars are fitted with cedar tops for the tight, clear tones that only a hardwood can produce. The WD line, on the other hand, are spruce-topped for a more mellow acoustic sound. Like all of Washburn's acoustic-electric guitars, the preamps in both of these model lineups are placed right on top, where they're easy to reach even mid-performance. The best thing about acoustic-electric guitars is that there's no limit to what they can do. Unplugged, they play and sound just like any acoustic guitar - but plug them into an amplifier and you can project your sound to fill the biggest venues. You can even add effects pedals to take the amplified acoustic tones to a whole new level, or mute the guitar to make it perform like a full-on electric axe. The decision is yours with a Washburn acoustic-electric guitar. These instruments can accommodate any genre and any personal style. Whether that means touring with a country band, getting back to Washburn's roots in a blues club or simply enjoying your music hobby at home, these guitars are ready for anything.