Guitar Lessons And Guitars

Washburn’s R319SWKK Parlor acoustic guitar gives out some heavy power in a little packaged six string, but don’t be fooled by it’s size. The natural acoustic sound and nicely toned range of this Washburn guitar will surprise you. The Washburn Parlor is a small-bodied instrument that packs in an astonishing amount of volume and punch for its size. With good blues guitar tabs and this guitar, you’ll be sounding like a pro in no time!

The popularity of these guitars peaked between the late 19th century until the 1950s, nonetheless they are making a strong resurgence. Because of the small size and incredible sound projection, a great many blues and folk guitarists have used parlor sized guitars such as the Washburn R319SWKK Parlor Guitar with a lot of success over the years and permanently stapled them as a true-blue American folk instrument. The secret to its incredible tone and sound projection lies in the wood. The solid spruce top and Trembesi body create balanced tone with lots of dynamic range, not to mention with a beautiful appearance as well. The dovetail neck joint gives strength to the construction, and helps the overall tone.

The Washburn R319SWKK guitar’s beautiful mahogany neck and the dark ebony bridge and fretboard add robustness to the instrument and a clear quality to the overall sound. The 24-3/4″ scale, 48mm nut, and V shaped neck offers comfort when playing all through the Washburn’s eighteen frets. Resplendent in an antique satin finish, and featuring chrome hardware and die-cast tuners, the Washburn Parlor guitar looks like something straight out of a museum, with a timeless tone that will never grow old. Amazingly, the case is just about as good looking as the guitar itself!

After playing ragtime and blues guitar for forty years or more, I’ve played many guitars and my heavy picking style of playing isn’t very suited to a very expensive guitar. What do I mean by that? Fortunately or unfortunately, I hit the strings pretty hard, and usually play amplified, so that the more delicate tones are a bit of a waste of time in my performances. That said, the vintage style of the Washburn parlors are very appealing. Firstly, when you are ordering, check that you are getting the R319SWKK, which has a one piece top – there are others with laminate tops that don’t sound the same. You have to have that solid top to get that great blues guitar tone.

The Washburn isn’t top of the range as far as fitments and finish go, but it looks terrific with it’s vintage look and distressed finish. Have it set up professionally, and fit either light gauge or medium strings, which will depend on your picking style. Mediums give an especially balanced volume for a great blues sound. The V shaped neck and the parlor sized body make this a really comfortable guitar to play. Once more, the overall look is terrific – it’s like a museum piece! It isn’t the best guitar on the market by any means, but for great punchy sound, fun and feel, you get a lot for your buck.

Learn more about acoustic blues guitar. Stop by Jim Bruce’s Youtube Channel site where you can see lesson videos for acoustic blues guitar.