[ship of fools]

Like any old guitar from that era you are going to find lemons on which ever side of the fence one is one. I have had some Washburns well lets say they didn't move me as much as I had hoped and others that just blew me away.
And we have to remember that while Martin built some great guitars in that time period Washburn ( Lyon and Healy ) were marketing wizards and more then likely outsold them and came up with some creative innovations for the guitars and they borrowed stole and cheated from each other.
Sometimes you just have to go out and try the guitars and see what it is that you are really looking for in these old beauties no matter which brand you pick go out and play as many as you can find and enjoy.
And Wade love that last post of yours ain't it the truth of it all, its not the guitar but the player that makes the music and interprets the sound.