It was a little over 100 years ago that George Washburn Lyon, of Lyon & Healy (America's then largest music company) lent his name to a range of fretted instruments. A century later, Washburns are still around - but, after an ownership change in the 1970s, production has now been shifted to Japan. Nonetheless, quite a few players still think of Washburn as an 'American' guitar, and so I was very interested to get my paws on a sample of their D-24 flattop for a try-out.

To start with, the D-24 looks beautiful. It's Dreadnought-sized, with back and sides of Flame Maple and a laminated Spruce top. The finish is a modest and pleasing semi-matt rather than the 'skating-rink' look of the average Japanese lacquer - and the overall effect is stunning yet subtle, if you know what I mean. The neck is Mahogany, fingerboard, headplate and bridge are Rosewood, and the nut and compensating saddle I'm pretty certain are plastic - fine at this sort of price, and I'm not into bumping off elephants anyway! However, the nut did cause a few frowns, as on this particular sample it had been inaccurately set - slightly off to the right, so that the top E string hovered a bit too close to the edge of the fretboard. This was probably just a one-off fault - it didn't seem to affect the guitar's intonation, for instance - but a more thorough quality control check wouldn't come amiss.

The pearl-buttoned machines on the D-24 bore the legend 'George Washburn', but we reckon they were probably Gotohs - certainly they operated smoothly and very lightly.

So on to playability - and how the D-24 actually sounds. Flame Maple seems to me a somewhat strange choice of wood for an acoustic (although its use in electrics is getting near-legendary these days) and before I started playing I didn't know what to expect. Before I talk about the tone of this Washburn, though, I'll just say that it's a very comfortable guitar; fits well on the lap, and isn't so huge that it hampers the right hand. Though it's quite narrow across the fingerboard the neck was just a little 'fat' for me; but I must stress that this is purely a personal opinion - everyone has different ideals, and certainly I got used to the neck dimensions quickly and found it very playable if not stunningly fast (fancy ourself as an Albert Lee, do we? - Ed).

So now, the most important aspect of all - the sound. Maple is not the richest-sounding or most resonant of woods, and the Washburn's overall tone was pretty sharp and toppy, with a not-too-prominent bass - there was none of the 'boominess' which (to my ears, at any rate) tends to dog all but the highest quality Dreadnoughts. Enough projection, though, to keep most players happy, and a top end that responded nicely to a fairly firm right hand - though gentler finger-pickers might find the volume put out by this body a bit lower than average. I'd imagine (though I haven't had the chance to try it for myself) that this D-24 would record well, where its sharp and rather hard sound would stand it in good stead for sheer clarity. For me, though, the combination of Maple with a laminate top was a little bit unforgiving, and I could have done with slightly better sustain - again, the Maple/laminate effect, I suspect.

However, it must be remembered that the D-24 is by no means an expensive guitar. The low £200s for an acoustic that's well-made (bar the nut, but these things can happen...) and as handsome as this model isn't over the top. Whether or not you like the sound is a matter entirely for you to decide. I got used to it, though I still can't help feeling that Washburn have sacrificed an element of sound quality for the sake of beauty, and maybe a more traditional acoustic guitar wood (such as Mahogany?) would have been preferable if they wanted a really ace but bright sound, even if it didn't look half as good. Nonetheless, the D-24 is an unusual and in many respects pleasing instrument. Worth a look if you're in the market for a mid-priced acoustic and open-minded enough to give something different a try.

RRP £225 inc. VAT

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