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tjon901 « Washburns 335 »
Published on 06/09/11 at 08:49The HB35 is a take on the classic Gibson style semi-hollow guitar. In the late 50s Jazz players were getting more into amplification, but they found out that if you put a pickup on your hollowbody guitar you get a lot of feedback if you try to play with any volume or gain. Gibson helped them out by making the semi hollow guitar. There is a block of wood running down the middle of the inside of the guitar and this helps eliminate the feedback you would get with a fully hollow guitar. The Washburn HB35 has a maple body and a maple neck. The neck has 22 frets on a rosewood fretboard. The radius on the fretboard feels to be around 12 inches, the neck has a bit of a v shape going on and is nicely wide. It has two Washburn humbuckers with dual tone and volume controls. It has a 3 way pickup selector on the upper horn.
UTILIZATION
This guitar comes set up for Jazz. This came from the factory with 11s and a wound G. I do not see many guitars coming stock setup with a wound G string. This may make it hard for some people to play. With the heavy strings you wont be getting all the rock bends you are use to. This guitar is setup for jazzy chord progressions. The Buzz Feiten tuning system Washburn uses means the guitar intonates better than most guitars. This is good when you plan on playing complex jazz chords. If the intonation is off a little bit your chords will sound off. If you are use to jazz guitars the heavy strings will be no problem for you. The strap peg is right behind the heel joint as it is on most guitars like this. This might get in your way if you are playing up above the 20th fret.
SOUNDS
The pickups are ultra jazzy. They are pretty dark and may be too dark for some people. When looking at jazz guitars it is important you find one that comes with pickups you like from the factory. Because of their construction it is very difficult to change the pickups and electronics out on these guitars. The neck pickup has a very dark sound and can get muddy in the low end. The bridge pick up is not as dark as the neck. You can get some good twang in the bridge position. This guitar gives a nice woody sound in all the positions due to its design.
OVERALL OPINION
These guitars are pretty good value for semi-hollow guitars. These guitars are only around 500 dollars. It has the classic look of a Gibson 335 without the price. If you are looking for a nice and dark jazz guitar the pickups are perfect for you. If you are not looking for a sound this dark you may have to do some EQ'ing or look at another guitar. Or maybe you can find a good luthier. If you want a nice guitar that is setup for straight jazz this is a good option.
UTILIZATION
This guitar comes set up for Jazz. This came from the factory with 11s and a wound G. I do not see many guitars coming stock setup with a wound G string. This may make it hard for some people to play. With the heavy strings you wont be getting all the rock bends you are use to. This guitar is setup for jazzy chord progressions. The Buzz Feiten tuning system Washburn uses means the guitar intonates better than most guitars. This is good when you plan on playing complex jazz chords. If the intonation is off a little bit your chords will sound off. If you are use to jazz guitars the heavy strings will be no problem for you. The strap peg is right behind the heel joint as it is on most guitars like this. This might get in your way if you are playing up above the 20th fret.
SOUNDS
The pickups are ultra jazzy. They are pretty dark and may be too dark for some people. When looking at jazz guitars it is important you find one that comes with pickups you like from the factory. Because of their construction it is very difficult to change the pickups and electronics out on these guitars. The neck pickup has a very dark sound and can get muddy in the low end. The bridge pick up is not as dark as the neck. You can get some good twang in the bridge position. This guitar gives a nice woody sound in all the positions due to its design.
OVERALL OPINION
These guitars are pretty good value for semi-hollow guitars. These guitars are only around 500 dollars. It has the classic look of a Gibson 335 without the price. If you are looking for a nice and dark jazz guitar the pickups are perfect for you. If you are not looking for a sound this dark you may have to do some EQ'ing or look at another guitar. Or maybe you can find a good luthier. If you want a nice guitar that is setup for straight jazz this is a good option.