I guess for me it's an issue of bang for the buck. Two years ago when I decided to pick the guitar back up, CB asked one of her co-workers (a Martin snob) what guitar he would recommend in the price range we were looking for. His response was that you couldn't find a decent guitar in that price range, and I'd be better off saving my money for a real guitar.

When I started researching the issue I found the Washburn D10S. It had been named by Acoustic Guitar Magazine as the best acoustic guitar under $500, so I thought I'd give it a try (at that time they were going for $200 new, though the price has gone up this year to about $275). I fell in love with it.

Since then I've done a few things to improve her, specifically a bone nut and saddle, and the improvement they made was well worth the coin. I now have five Washburns for the price of less then I could have spent on one Martin or Taylor.

Now, I'm not going to try to tell you that my little D10S sounds just as good as a Martin or Taylor. It doesn't. But I will tell you that she sounds just as good (and plays as well) as guitars costing three or four times as much. I can also say that when you compare the D10S to other guitars in the same price range, the difference in terms of craftsmanship, quality and sound is immediately evident.