The Washburn M118SW F-style mandolin comes out of the box looking and feeling like a family heirloom. The mandolin is built on the popular F-style platform-a classic acoustic folk design belting out bright, powerful tone. It starts with a carved solid spruce top for warm, balanced tone right out of the box. The mandolin's back and sides are bookmatched carved solid flamed maple, offering tremendous beauty.
The ebony fingerboard over the maple neck offers a warm sustain, while the F-style mandolin design keeps your attack punchy and quick-ideal for chopping away in barn-burnin' bluegrass settings. A subtle rope purfling outlines the Florentine body, while the distressed Allan style tailpiece and distressed stained matte finish continue the vintage look. Four inline open-gear distressed tuning machines offer precise tuning with an aged appearance. The distressed wood and natural finish maintain a timeless folk look and sound that turns heads from parking lot jams to center stage. Includes case.
Florentine cutaway design
Distressed stained matte finish
Carved solid spruce top
Book matched carved solid flamed maple back and sides
Maple neck
Ebony fingerboard
Rope purfling on the top edge.
4 inline open gear distressed tuning machines
Rosewood bridge
Wider neck, nut, and string spacing
Aged Allan style tailpiece
Color: vintage natural
Includes case
Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling
and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a
complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks
Normal wear and tear
Power surges
Dust, internal heat and humidity
Other plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks)
For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax.
Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement
Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold
Plans are renewable on new gear
*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
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I bought this mandolin as my first mando to learn on. It has some fair reviews across the internet - though Washburn is nowhere near as well known or consistant as Eastman, Kentucky and other lines. I really liked the distressed look in the pics. Unfortunately, the distressing on the horn tore up some of the purfling which was the main reason I had to return it. Secondly, it did not come setup very well at all. Action too high, intonation all wrong. I guess I did not expect much, though, this being an internet mass vendor. Some people swear this model is a good deal, but I would steer clear for a more well-known brand. It's hard to find quality F style body mandolins in this price range. I ended up increasing my budget a few hundred and buying an Eastman 615 secondhand which I couldn't be happier with. This Washburn is probably one you'd want to see and play before purchasing, it has potential but as I found out - quality control is hit or miss.
Washburn M118SW F-Style Mandolin Vintage Natural
.I've never been so disappointed with an instrument. The cheap Fender I already own looks light and delicate in comparison to the Washburn. Such a fancy pants case, yet when I opened it the thickness of the plastic purfling reminded me of those white, red, and black plastic toy guitars from the dime store of my childhood. And the "antique" finish makes the wood look like plywood, dark and cheap. Returned it for a Loar M-600.
Washburn M118SW F-Style Mandolin Vintage Natural
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(7 of 10
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This mandolin plays and sounds great. Chop and single note quality, loud too.
Washburn M118SW F-Style Mandolin Vintage Natural
."The Bluegrass Bark" is a mixed blessing. When I play bluegrass I love it. When I play other styles I wish for a less harsh, less shrill tone. This thing can get LOUD and SHRILL playing chords and the sound cuts through, you will be heard.
My main reason for buying this was the wider neck. As I get older, my fingers need all the help they can get. I am not a fan of distressed finishes but this seemed to be the best bang for the buck.
The bridge sting slot for the first G string was cut a whisker too deep. This was an easy fix but should have been caught at the factory.
This is too much money but then all decent mandolins are. I do not understand why mandolins are so bloody high priced compared to guitars. Is a great puzzlement!
Washburn M118SW F-Style Mandolin Vintage Natural
. Tone and volume is great. Set up out of the box was okay. I was pleasently supprised by the sound. Nice case. would recommend mandovoodoo to maximize the sound and set up. Great instrument for the money. Would also consider the Richie Owens model for about the same price.
Washburn M118SW F-Style Mandolin Vintage Natural
.I like the mandolin a lot despite the flaws. I very much wish that American manufacturers could compete in price but that isn't going to happen. It stays in tune and the machine heads are tight and work well so far and it has a completely adjustable bridge. I'm going to try the alternate stringing method with octave strings for the G and D and see how that works to improve playability.
I like the "Washburn" name too because "Eastman" sounds like "Eastman Kodak".
It's a really nice looking Mandolin and it comes with a distressed case with a green felt lining that is very nice too. I don't care for Sunburst finish so this is a really nice alternative. I don't know if it is easy to play or not because I have no criteria on which to judge. I've never played one before. But mandolin stores like to call this one "cheap" so it might be that it has a hard action. I am considering having an expert look at it to maybe improve the height and playability some. I tried adjusting the bridge myself and it was as low as possible out of the box. It stays in tune all the way up the neck and that is good and it is crisp and has a good volume output.
Again,I'll give it a high rating because I've never seen a top model. The music store locally doesn't carry anything past the price point of the Washburn and the ones they have, with typical Sunburst finish, look cheap. Quality appears pretty good except the glue joints from the neck to the body are very sloppy. They may have been trying for that "distressed" look again but it concerns me. I expect clean joints. Same with the inlay. The inlay is uneven in spots around the neck joints and there is glue overspray. I suppose for the price that is to be expected although this price or so is very costly to me.
I think for this price, any Chinese made mandolin will be about the same in value. Many say the Eastman is a better instrument but there were none available at this price. I was able to afford the Washburn in this awful economy and it is fun to play.
Washburn M118SW F-Style Mandolin Vintage Natural
.I bought this because it has 1) a thicker neck, 2) solid wood construction, 3) wider sound box, and 4) a distressed thin matte finish, all of which results in a beautiful "woody" tone, which is what you want in a mandolin. It comes with a very nice, felt lined case. The finish was perfect and I am very pleased.
Washburn M118SW F-Style Mandolin Vintage Natural
.Caution on this mandolin. I originally purchased a used one, took it home but returned it a few days later, decided the asking price was too high, very used & needed some repair, but excellent tone, look and feel, so I figured I would spring for a new one, ordered from MF, and was shocked at what came in the package. It was unplayable, even a truss rod adjustment was unlikely to fix the bowed neck, workmanship was shoddy, with burr marks on the binding, unattractive color, wouldn't stay in tune. MF was very good about allowing return. This is not the type of mandolin that you can buy through the mail, obviously extreme variability of workmanship, and you will need an expert luthier to set you up. I later stepped up to an Eastman, more money, also Chinese import, but a quality instrument. This Washburn can be OK if you can look at a bunch of them, handle them, and pick the best one, spend some money for a good luthier (neck, bridge, & frets), and you may be OK. Big disappointment at this price range. The beaten-up used one I briefly had(built in 2010) was infinitely superior, probably from a different factory. Nice case, however.
Washburn M118SW F-Style Mandolin Vintage Natural
.I agree with all the above folks who previously commented. It's good and it's bad. Looks good from a distance but if you start looking at the neck joint, scroll, and binding, etc... not much time spent there at the factory. Four out of eight tuners are so sloppy they refuse to hold a tune. The bridge was so far from where it needed to be for proper inntonation. The 11th thru the 14th frets were lifting out of ther slots from the fret board. The frets are such a small gauge. They won't last long the way I play. The 4 seconds that it holds a tune, it sounds fair and has excellent projection and volume. After doing all I could I took it to GC luthier after calling washburn about it, they worked on it and gave up. I returned to it washburn via GC for a new factory QC'd replacement with a very helpful and concerned customer service rep. Thanks Ryan! Should be here any day now. I will write a new review when it arrives. It's fair to mention that I have been playing mandolin since the mid seventies, not just bluegrass either, so my expectations of a reasonably useable instrument may be snootier than your average player. This item cost 700 to 900 depending on where you purchase it. I personally have bought better for under 200 so I expect alot more precision at that cost. An American Breedlove at 1399.99 is so much more for not that much more money, to me. This is the last imported mandolin I will ever buy. Never again. Ever. I've heard so much hype about eastman and kentucky, but I was not totally thrilled when I played them vrs thier cost. I recommend domestic Breedlove, Weber, Collins, Rothfield, a couple of Gibsons... If you must buy an import I would ask you to check out the upper models of the Mike Kelly line. It's also only fair to mention that the Washburn case is a very nice quality case. Too bad the mandolin fits so sloppy loose in it... TBC
Washburn M118SW F-Style Mandolin Vintage Natural
.1st,I describe myself as "experienced" because I no longer play for my income,which I did for a long time.Love this mandolin,great tone & the neck is one of the nicest I've played on.I also own a Loar LM600.Hard to compare because they each do their jobs really,really well.Wider string spacing feels great & no problem transitioning from Loar to Washburn.Definitely has the bluegrass bark in abundance.The aged,or "distressed" finish is nice without being overly distressed.Felt comfortable as an old pair of jeans after I got it set up.Tuners are not great & I may go to a set of Grover 309s,but for now,i made a call to Washburn & talked to someone that was truly helpful & concerned about what I was saying.A new set of tuners are on the way from Washburn.Great customer support.All in all,really happy with this mandolin.
Washburn M118SW F-Style Mandolin Vintage Natural
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