Washburn J5 Hollow Body Electric Guitar

Comments about Washburn J5 Hollow Body Electric Guitar:

Well, this guitar is my first hollow body, so I don't have a great comparison of this guitar vs. other hollow body guitars. But I have owned several guitars, both electric and acoustic (Washburn, Ibanez, Martin, etc...), and this one sounds pretty darn good.

It has a very clean tone which I love. I was basically looking for an electric guitar that I could play clean like an acoustic without losing its tonal qualities. It definitely meets that requirement. And I haven't had any problems with feedback so far. Honestly, it even sounds really good without any amplification at all.

It also sounds good when played with distortion, but I'm not a big fan of effects pedals and what not.

As far as playability goes, it has a nice feel. It's a rather large guitar, but still comfortable (and I'm 5'5, 115lbs). When I got mine the action was set too low, causing the 1st fret to buzz when played. I cranked up the action a bit and it's playing great now. And raising or lowering the action is as simple as turning a knob, so I can't complain.

I would recommend a lighter gauge of ACOUSTIC strings. Custom Light or Extra Light. Also, the phosphor bronze strings have a really nice sound on this guitar.

If you're looking for a nice hollow body without spending a few thousand dollars, you can't go wrong with the J-5. I believe there is also a J-7 model, which is a step up from the J-5.

Just try hard to get a case for this instrument when you buy it. The shop I bought mine from was not sent the case that was made for this guitar. Since then, no one has been able to locate a hard case that fits it. I believe the case is a GC-78 model, or something similar.

I hope I can find one soon, cuz this guitar looks even better in person than in any photograph, and I want to keep it that way.