WMJ40SCE acoustic Anyone own one?

[d4hender]

I can't find it on the Washburn site anywhere, but it looks sweet and is listed at closeout prices

http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/Washburn-WMJ40SCE-Acoustic-Electric-Guitar.html

Has anyone played the Washburn mini jumbo WMJ40SCE?

Thanks in advance,

Dave

[Stevis]

Hi Dave,

Did you end up buying a WMJ40sce?  I bought one recently but had the same problem as you, in terms of finding reviews.  Here is what I have learned about it and experienced with my purchase.  It was part of their WD series from 2010-2011 catalogue.  It offers a number of features you would not expect in a guitar that is being sold for $286.00.  It has solid spruce top and mahogany back/sides, with spruce bracing.  It has bone nut and saddle, Grover tuners and Fishman 501 electronics (with tuner).

I am an amateur but have been pleased.  I found no dents, dings or defects.  After tuning, it played well out of the box.  I didn't encounter any fret buzz.  Mini jumbo is comfortable to play.  And most importantly, it has decent sound (at least to my ear).  I am not sure that the natural finish would have been my first choice but it seemed like too good a deal to pass up at the above price (as the comparable models I've played are close to $200 more).

I would be interested in hearing if anyone else had an opinion or experience with this model.

Cheers,
Steve

[t.y.]

Welcome. sure is a nice looking guitar. Does it come with Grover tuners?  I see they still have some for sale. Tom.   

[Stevis]

Yes it does have Grovers.  The only guitar that is close to the deal at the URL above is the Alvarez AD710ce, a dreadnought from their Artist Series, which was on sale this week at GC for $332 + tax (plus they will honor the $30 off coupon, if you order over phone).  I bought both.  Again, I am a novice guitarist but they have different sounds and tones.  I hear a deeper more resonant tone with the dreadnought, which as you know, is a function of the bigger deeper body. However, I really dig the comfort of the Washburn mini jumbo, which is thinner and smaller across the top.

The only minor "complaints" about the WMJ40SCE are: 1) they have rear strap button but no top strap button; and 2) it doesn't have the two different types of jacks, like I see on most of the 2011-2012 models.

I was told by the folks, who are selling the WMJ40SCE at the above site, that they bought out remaining stock from Washburn so they have a limited inventory (which could be a B.S. sales ploy).

[t.y.]

If WMS told you they bought all of these guitars, it is almost certain to be true. I have bought a few from them, were they bought them all, real good deals that way. I to would like a Mini Jumbo someday, if I find one at the rite price. I have to save up again before I have to even think about it  LOL.   Tom.   

[Stevis]

Hey Tom,

That's good to know about WMS.  I had some trepidation about buying a guitar that I had never played.  To compound that, the only online review or posting that  I could find for this model was the post at the beginning of this thread.  One of the things that helped sell me though was that WMS posted a thorough list of specs for this model, which is not the case for all of their Washburn listings (or listings on other Washburn sales sites).

Are you familiar with mini jumbos?  I looked at some "grand auditorium" models too, which seemed very similar to me, in terms of size and design.  It lead me to wonder if the mini and auditorium were different names used interchangeably by different manufacturers, for the same style.

Cheers,
Steve

[philpm]

Are you familiar with mini jumbos?  I looked at some "grand auditorium" models too, which seemed very similar to me, in terms of size and design.  It lead me to wonder if the mini and auditorium were different names used interchangeably by different manufacturers, for the same style.

Cheers,
Steve

Steve, I also have one of the mini-jumbos, the WMJ11S.  They are actually a bit smaller than the Grand Auditorium size, and also have a slightly different shape.  As a reference, a grand auditorium is generally considered to be one size down from a dreadnought, which if you use Martin nomenclature, would make it a OOO or OOOO size.  Martin was the manufacturer that also started the Grand Auditorium nomenclature, first using it in the late 30's/early 40's to name a new model in the OOO range.

Phil

[Stevis]

Thanks, Phil.  I have never played a Washburn grand auditorium but did try out the Alvarez AF710, which to me seemed very similar in size and shape to my WMJ40SCE.  I am pretty new to the whole "acoustic world" having focused mostly on my bass.  So, learning about the key design differences and features on different makes/models of acoustics has been interesting.  Discovering this site has really helped.

Steve