Show Full Spec Comparison
| Washburn D10SCE | EA10 | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Washburn | Washburn |
| Year: | 2020 | 2020 |
| Strings: | 6 | 6 |
| Made in: | United States | China |
| Series: | Heritage | Festival |
| Colors: | Natural | Black |
| Left-Handed Version: | Yes | No |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Hollowbody | Hollowbody |
| Body Material: | Solid Sitka Spruce | Basswood |
| Sides Material: | Mahogany | Basswood |
| Back Material: | Mahogany | Basswood |
| Bridge: | Ovangkol | Alternative |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Set | Set |
| Tuners: | Chrome Diecast | Chrome Diecast |
| Fretboard: | Ovangkol | Engineered Wood |
| Neck Material: | Satin Mahogany with 2 way Truss Rod | Mahogany with 2 way Truss Rod |
| Decoration: | Dots | Dots |
| Scale Size: | 25.3" | 24" |
| Shape: | Acoustic Washburn Heritage | Acoustic Washburn Festival |
| Frets: | 20 Medium Nickel Silver | 20 Medium Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | 12" | 12" |
| Nut: | NuBone | NuBone |
| Nut Width: | 43mm (1.693'') | 42.8mm (1.687'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Pickups: | Fishman Presys II301T w/tuner (Preamp / Active) | Barcus-Berry EQ4T (Preamp / Active) |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Chrome | Chrome |
Reasons to Get
Washburn D10SCE over EA10
Reasons to Get
Washburn EA10 over D10SCE
Other Key Differences
Washburn D10SCE vs EA10
Shared Features
Washburn D10SCE vs EA10
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Washburn D10SCE favors large hands more than the Washburn EA10. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Washburn D10SCE:
Washburn EA10:
Beginner Friendliness
The Washburn EA10 meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Washburn D10SCE meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Washburn D10SCE- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Washburn EA10- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
Sound Quality Comparison
The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .
Woods Used in Both
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Woods Used in the Washburn D10SCE
Ovangkol is a beautiful wood that's popular for acoustic guitars. Its tone sits somewhere between rosewood and mahogany, meaning it has a punchy low-end and nice mid-range. Find out more about Ovangkol.
Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.
Woods Used in the Washburn EA10
Engineered wood is strong, stable, and cheaper than traditional wood. It's made by grounding wood and putting it back together to get more material out of less wood. It's a good material, but some people prefer traditional wood because of tradition, looks, and even tone.
Basswood is a lightweight type of wood that isn't as expensive as other popular choices for guitar building. It gives more power to the mid-range frequencies. Its color can vary from pale white to light brown. Find out more about Basswood.
Winner: Tie.
Electronics
Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.
Winner:Tie.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Washburn D10SCE compares to the Washburn EA10.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Washburn D10SCE is built in United States while the Washburn EA10 is made in China.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
Winner: Washburn D10SCE
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
In this case, both have NuBone nuts. It's made by the same company that makes TUSQ nuts. It's slightly softer but hard enough to give you a brighter sound when playing open strings. It's also self-lubricating, so it's good for tuning stability.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. Both come with Chrome Diecast.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Washburn D10SCE
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- NuBone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- NuBone Saddle
- Solid Top Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Washburn EA10
- Expensive Wood
- NuBone Nut
- Electronics
- NuBone Saddle
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No Top Brand Pickups
- Laminated Top Wood
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Washburn D10SCE has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42.8mm (1.687''). This is a 0.2mm (0.006'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Washburn D10SCE, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Washburn D10SCE has the longest scale: 25.3". The Washburn EA10 is only 24" long. This is a 1.3'' (33mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Washburn D10SCE has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
The Washburn EA10, on the other hand, has a D neck. This is a thin and flat neck that is made for playing fast. If you prefer a neck that doesn't get in your way when soloing, this is the shape you should use. Guitarists that prefer to have a bit more grip won't like this type of neck.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
Both the Washburn D10SCE and the Washburn EA10 have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.
Fret Size
Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.
