Washburn Review: Oscar Schmidt Delta King

History: I am a 20 year Amateur guitarist that has gigged for several years with a classic rock band from 1989 thru 1991. I play as a hobbyist at present owning 6 guitars at present and 12 over my lifetime. I have played on just about every major brand guitar made at one time or another.

Purchase: I purchased this guitar from Musicians Friend online for $169. I wanted a semi-hollow body electric without paying major manufacturer prices.

What I Like About This Washburn Oscar Schmidt Delta King: The pickups and overall sound is great. and the Grover tuners do a fine job of keeping things in tune. Other than minor flaws expected on a guitar in this price range this tobacco sunburst guitar looks very vintage and very pleasing to the eye.

What I Do NOT Like About The Washburn Oscar Schmidt Delta King: This guitar has the worst neck and action I have ever played on. Admittedly, I don't like flat fretboards like this one but the action cannot be lowered to an acceptable low level without buzzing somewhere in the higher ranges of the fretboard. To compound the problem the neck is set so far into the body of the guitar that many of the higher fretboard notes are just not reachable.

Washburn Oscar Schmidt Delta King Quality Rating: The electronics perform well and things feel solid. Minor flaws like none matching wood grains and fret detailing can be lived with.

Review Summary: Because of the neck problems on this guitar I have lowered the action to where it is comfortably played and have relegated its use for rhythm guitar work, never moving above the 12th fret do to buzzing. This is a shame because all the good points of this guitar are mired by severe neck problems. Because I mainly play lead this guitar is displayed in the bedroom because it matches the furniture nicely. Had Washburn put a little more effort into the neck design they could have had a real winner.

Rating of this Washburn product: 2

This Washburn Oscar Schmidt Delta King Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Wayne

Review Date: 2008-01-06