Customer Reviews

Washburn Travel Series RO10TR Travel Guitar

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this guitar to keep my fingers in shape while travelling on business. For that purpose it is very effective. I find myself playing for hours in my hotel room and have even written some song outlines with this guitar.

The Good: It's light and compact. The neck has a nice feel and is easy to play (with the strap). The tone is "okay" for a travel guitar, (it's thin but what do you expect out of a guitar this size). The guitar overall seems sturdy.

The Bad: It's a little bit long to fit right in the overhead bins on an airplane. It will fit length-wise but then roller bags no long fit properly. This is a minor gripe as the crew on all my flights have helped me find available space for it either on top of other bags or behind the last row of seats. The intonation isn't great and overall it goes out of tune quite quickly while playing. Higher quality tuners would have been nice.

Summary: Great travel guitar for the money. It's better than those neck only kits to practice on as it actually plays notes, but is definitely not a guitar "replacement". It's fine for a few nights away from home to keep the fingers in shape.

I purchased a Washburn RO10TR in anticipation of a trip to Italy and France where I was going to be meeting up with some of the other guys in my blues band. I wanted a travel guitar and case that wouldn't be a hassle to carry through airports and would fit easily into the overhead bins on my flights. But most of all, I wanted a guitar that was playable without a lot of set-up and that sounded good.
Just as long as you don't expect the kind of sound you get out of your big old dreadnought. It has a small sound box so it has a tenor ring to it.
This little baby filled all my needs...and is kind of cute--in the way you might think of your own sister...on top of it all.
One of my band mates had a Martin travel guitar that cost twice as much. I thought the Washburn held its own in every respect. And I got a lot of comments on the case as well...as in, "It looks like the case alone should cost what you paid for the whole set-up.

Picked up some Blue Steel lite stings and some brass abalone pins to enhance tone. Also was the last to pick it up for $118.50 shipped to my door. If you like a parlor guitar, this might be for you. The case is kick ass too, easily a $50 value.

Update: After putting on the brass pins and adding a snark tuner, along with putting on new strings, this guitar rocks. Putting the brass pins keeps it from being too top heavy and helps to improve tone. This is my go-to guitar. Sounds good and has great intonation. The only fore-seeable upgrade would be to get closed geared tunners but the open geared work fine and hold tunning. I have a washburn D-30 and love this just as much for 1/3 the cost.

I just recieved my Washburn and it is fantastic! After set up, it played well and sounded fairly good considering how small the body is. I did not recieve the CD but am an experienced player so that does not matter. I suggest taking the guitar in to have the frets filed and action lowered to your liking. For this price, you can't go wrong and I prefer this body style to the Martin. The case is worth every penny and I am extremely excited to take it on next travel. I am confident that this case will easily fit into any airplane overhead space or under the seat. $109.00 is a STEAL!

I bought the Washburn a few years ago. It has always been playable and portable, as other reviewers have mentioned, with a tinny but balanced tone. I decided to have a piezo bridge pickup installed, which cost about $100. When I route it through a small equalizer stomp box to any amp or PA, this guitar is now a satisfying instrument for professional gigs. The equalizer compensates for the lack of bottom-end tone, and it is light, it goes anywhere, it is inexpensive - what more could you want?