Washburn Solid Body Electric Guitars

I had been looking at this guitar online and was about to buy it from Musiciansfriend.com when by chance I happened to find it on E-bay. It was $299, on sale, marked down from around $600. I got it on Ebay, new, for $304, and it came with a gc-41 hardshell case. This is a beautiful guitar. Mine is see-thru blue, but it also comes in see-thru red and caramel-burst. These colors both are also very nice. The blue has just recently been discontinued, so I got lucky. Its two humbuckers work very well. I can turn my amp on full volume and distortion, and it doesn't feed back until I get it about a foot away from the amp. The fretboard is pretty easy to play on. The selector switches and control knobs all work well. The VCC (Voice Contour Control)knobs are awesome; at 10, they are full humbuckers, but as you go toward 1, the coils split to sound like single coil, and you can get a very accurate fender sound. The tremolo bar is also a nice feature. Washburn makes a big deal out of the buzz feiten tuning system, but I don't notice any difference while tuning it from any other guitar. There's actually nothing bad about it, I just don't understand why they brag about it so much. The gc-40 case will work, but the gc-41 case is much nicer if you can find it. There really isn't anything that I don't like about this guitar Construction is very good. The guitar body and set neck are made of mahogany, and the fingerboard is rosewood; the guitar feels very solid. It has awesome winged fingerboard inlays... something unique, to set it apart from all the dotted ones, although, I wish they would have made the 12th fret inlay a little more distinct than the rest, but it does have the double dots on the side of the neck for you to find it easier. Plays great. Looks amazing. Solid construction. Unique look to set it apart from all other guitars. No reason to buy another guitar for a long time. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this on music123.com for $206.99 from $949 the best 200 dollars i spent in my life. It has an amazing clean tone to it every note is heard without flaw very full. Sustain is rather well on this i bought a decimator for my other guitar this one you can play without it. It looks rather tacky but im looking for a perfect sticker for it right now and it will be awesome. It didnt sound like my kind of guitar at first but after 20 minutes it sounds great it has its own personality. The neck is little chubby but the sounds is just amazing and it takes like 2 days to get adjusted to it and your happy. Its durable, very. A little thick in body and neck. It came in like perfect condition not a nick on it or scratch. You pay $200 for this guitar and it gives you the sound of the $1000 guitar. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought my Washburn BT4 on the internet at musiciansfriend.com and paid $140. The only reason I got it was because thats the amount of money I had, and my old electric was a piece of crap. When I plugged this guitar in for the first time I was amazed at the sounds I was getting for that kind of price. Here are a few things I really liked about the BT4: -tremelo bridge -single single humbucker pickup setup -oddly placed dot inlays -5 way switch -grover tuners -one tone and one volume knob -side input jack -solid body -great metallic red color If that isn't an AWESOME guitar for $140, then I don't know what is. None, I was simply amazed at what I was getting for $140. I don't know what other people think about this guitar, but I thought it to be just as good as $400 fenders that I have played. It is a very low priced guitar, but from what I learned, you shouldn't judge a guitar by the cost; just trust me. The quality of the guitar is friggin' awesome and I described the construction above. I summarized my thoughts in the "likes" section of this review. I honestly think that if your looking for a really good guitar and you only have $150, buy a Washburn BT4, I LOVE it! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this guitar brand new on ebay for $159.00. I got the Metallic Apple color which I think is a rare color as I haven't seen any of the online music stores carrying the WR-150 in this color. I love the color. It's the most beautiful shade of light metallic limeish color green. Looks metallic silver in bright bright lighting. I love the control knobs and pretty much the whole guitar. I like this guitar waaaaaaaay better than my last guitar which was a Jay Turser JT-300, that was a nice guitar too, but this Wasburn puts the old Jay Turser I had to shame. It's soo nice I'm almost afraid to play it for fear of getting a ding or hurting it, it's a work of art. What I don't like? Nothing. I love everything about this guitar. This guitar is superb in quality. Guitar looks like it's a $500.00+ guitar even though I paid $159.00. It's such good quality that I feel like a rock star with a custom made guitar. I've never had a Washburn, but I think for any of my future guitars I'll be looking to Washburn again. This guitar is great. It's my 2nd guitar, but I still consider myself a beginner. Again I feel I got a guitar that's way worth the $159.00 I paid. I bought this guitar on a budget. But I don't think I got a "budget" guitar. I think I got a great class guitar for a super low price. There's nothing "budget" or "cheap" about this guitar. Thanks Washburn!! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this guitar as my first serious guitar in a shop in whitchurch, cardiff. I forget the name, but it cost £229.00 Great to play, beautiful satin finish, quite light. Intonation is difficult to set and the truss rod is difficult to access. The construction is seamless and the quality is, in my opinion, better then what you would expect for the money. Superb for the money, still enjoying it 4 years on, a little tamer than most of washburns designs! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this online from ProAudioMusic.com in Pennsylvania. I paid $1199.00 plus $159.00 for the case. Right after I bought it they raised the price to $1499.00 plus case. At the time I bought it they had the best price of anybody by far. The Washburn JB100 midi guitar: I just bought this guitar about a month and a half ago. I needed a midi-synth ready guitar and I was very tired of that nasty stick-on GK-2A controller on my Gibson SG. I checked around for all the synth ready guitars and this one met all my needs. Upper neck accessability, built in GK-2A pickup with friendly controls, looks, playablity, and most important- a whammy bar! I looked at the Godin but no upper neck accessiblity. The Brian Moore doesn't come with a whammy! And I've never been that comfortable playing a Strat. Most of the synth ready Strats are crap, anyway! The JB100 midi was designed for Jennifer Batten. I saw her use hers playing with Jeff Beck and knew it must be pretty good. I've had a couple of Washburns before but this is far better than they were. The tracking for the synth is really good. Much better than the other pickup I installed myself on my SG. I wasn't about to drill holes in that guitar. I've used this guitar on several lives gigs and in the studio. No problems. The Seymore Duncan pickups are nice, too. The neck one being a JB Jr. Lots of tonal range. The only problem I have found is getting used to the Buzz Feiten tuning system. It's hard to get it there sometimes, but once it's in tune it generally stays there. Basically, there is nothing I don't like about this guitar! Right out of the shipping case it played like a dream. I didn't have adjust anything! (You may want to adjust the string height depending on your taste but it suited me). The factory did a great job of setting it up. With the original Floyd Rose and the Buzz Feiten tuning system it really stays in tune. The controls work great for the synth pickup. They are in a very convenient place and the patch change buttons work great. Everybody that has seen me use this guitar has fallen in love with it. It is built very well (hand- made). It is sturdy yet light. A real nice looking piece of work. Overall, I got this guitar for a really good price because I shopped around. I probably couldn't have afforded it at the usual price, but if you can afford it, get one! It's SWEET! If you use a guitar synth or Roland VG8 or VG7 amp you need it! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Washburn is a company has been really known for their inexpensive guitar insurance and primarily of their Nuno bettencourt series guitars.This guitar is a mahogany based guitar with the body in the neck with a rosewood fretboard. This is a pretty common would set up especially with the Les Paul style body guitar. This guitar also features the Buzz Feiten tuning system which is a little bit different the most of the normal tuning systems on guitars. It is set up to make your guitar in tune for longer time, but it also tuned a little bit differently. Overall this is a pretty good guitar for someone who is looking for a Gibson Les Paul style guitar. It is chaeper build and you will feel that but it god for the money. UTILIZATION Mahogany body Carved maple top, single cutaway Stop tail with tune-o-matic bridge One piece mahogany set neck Rosewood fingerboard 22 Jumbo frets 24.75" scale Seymour Duncan® Custom Custom pickups Exclusive Grover® 18:1 gear ratio tuners Buzz Feiten Tuning System™ Built in the USA Custom Shop SOUNDS If you've ever played any type of mahogany bass guitar such as a Gibson Les Paul guitar or a Paul Reed Smith guitar then you're good I know exactly the the tone you're going to get with his instrument. It does have a longer neck than most Gibson Les Paul guitar see you're going to be able to use a little bit more versatility and playing in the upper fret system. This is a one-piece mahogany neck you can get a good sustain out of this as well. Overall this is a fun guitar and if you're looking for something that's under thousand dollars than this is a good instrument by. OVERALL OPINION These guitars come in new ride at $995. That's a pretty good price for a guitar that does just about anything that you wanted to do. It does come with Seymour Duncan pickups which is a good pick up for this instrument. If you need the name of Gibson then you probably won't look towards this guitar but if you need the sound of a Gibson then this is a good guitar to look at. Overall, this is a nice enough guitar for someone who doesn't need the Gibson name and needs a full body sound of their electric guitar.

The Washburn Wi 64 Handle is very comfortable, I played on strat so it changes me, but it adapts very quickly and runs very fast and accessible in the treble, the 22nd fret of the low E string went 3 months without any damage to the wrist with this guitar. UTILIZATION Cant really say how much I love this guitar, I have used many Washburn’s over my years as a musician and the Wi 64 Relic is one of the better ones that they make, not the most expensive one though. Which means that you can get a great sound for a small price. And I am all about getting gear for a low price, especially gear that sounds great. SOUNDS When the price tag came into view, and I realized that wasn't the case. I also realized that if this thing played as good as it looked, and was at all comfortable, I was going to get it. To make a long story short, I got it. It's set-up was really nice, and the pick-ups sounded incredible. The coil "tap" trims 30% off the single-coil and gives you a whole different (softer, jazzier)tone, at much less volume. It is useful, I was just surprised to see a single coil pick-up tapped. Fit & finish is as good as I've ever encountered on a Washburn. It's a beautiful guitar that, IMO, just needs black bell knobs to be perfect. And maybe gold hardware down the road OVERALL OPINION overall, super comfortable to play, as ultra light weight pen overgrazing. even lighter than SG! It is even so light that sometimes it seems to play like a kid guitar but if you really listen you can tell that its great quality. This guitar is a no brainer, the settings are basic, Les Paul style. there is just the knobs to split the microphones. Nothing beats the sound, I like the locking tuners and push/pull coil split pickups. Sounds fantastic.

I am taking a different approach to the review of this guitar, and the Zoom Fire-18M amp I got at the same time, than I usually do. Rather than live it with months or years, I am going to review these on a "first impressions" basis, as I play them, together, for the first time. Made in Korea. Simple controls- vol, tone, 3-way switch vintage Strat-type (Washburn's promotional material says 5, but it ain't so,) but WAIT! Push-pull pot to split or tap the 'buckers! I LOVE that! Two "Head Hunter" humbucker pickups. 24 FREAKIN' FRETS! That's why I say, I gotta learn how to play lead. Tune-o-Matic bridge. Thin maple neck, rosewood fretboard. Oh, and BUZZ FEITEN TUNING SYSTEM! I'm amped about this, as it's new to me. On spending a little time with the guitar, though, I don't see what the hoopla is all about. Beautiful, dark brown, rich-looking alder top. With no pickguard, and everything, including the 3-way switch, mounted directly on the arched wood top, and NO fret markers on the fretboard (they are, however, on the side), this is a beautiful but understated guitar. Grover 18:1 tuners. UTILIZATION 24th fret is as easy to access as such narrowly-spaced frets can be. Nice sounds can be had here, without having to wring them out of the guitar. Light body, well balanced, body contouring is minimal, but enough. SOUNDS Sounds are rather limited- surprising and a tad dissapointing, given that this guitar has a HB coil tap. The Washburn "Head hunter" pickups are okay, but do not really stand out. OVERALL OPINION 24 frets and tune-o-matic (no tremolo) bridge make this a good tool for a lead guitarist who does not go in for histronics, but rather a wide range, but ho-hum pickups may spoil the fun, until they are replaced. If you let your playing and finger technique do the talking for you, and don't care for "flash," this is a good platform for modifications.

Nuno Bettencourt is in my top three guitars players of all time. He has a swing and swagger to his guitar playing that is not only melodic but catchy as well. He has a great rhythm hand and lead all in one. His solos are perfectly crafted and special each time. Many solos from people can be pointless or seem just like some guitar Olympics. His though fast at times has a point to make and carefully thought out. This guitar highlights his playing style and really gives him the tone that is required to go along with his playing style. This guitar is made to look old right out of the factory. he has continued to play his original N4 and if you have ever see it it looks like it has been rode hard and put up wet. Washburn has done the work for you on this guitar. UTILIZATION Aged solid alder body (N4 Vintage) Aged hardware (N4 Vintage) 22 fret maple neck with ebony fingerboard L500 Bill Lawrence® bridge pickup Seymour Duncan® '59 neck pickup Schaller Floyd Rose® tremelo R2 chrome locking nut Stephens® extended cutaway 5-bolt neck joint Spanish Luthier's headstock joint 14" pitch-angled reverse headstock Grover® 18:1 tuners Buzz Feiten Tuning System™ SOUNDS This guitar feels good right out of the box. It has a thin neck profile and makes it very easy and convenient to play. You can relax a little more and be able to slide up and down the neck with ease. At the bottom of the neck it have a routed neck joint that allows you to reach the higher frets. If you have played a fender Stratocaster then you know that at times it is hard to reach the 20th fret because of the neck heel. Washburn has eliminated the awkwardness of playing in that register by carving out the backside for easy fret access. OVERALL OPINION At new these guitars come at around $2250, which not a bad price for a custom shop guitar. Even though it is Washburn and Not fender or Gibson the custom shop build on these guitars is excellent. I would recommend any Nuno Bettencourt fan to own one of these guitars. They are very fun to play and sound great. The body shape is slightly smaller than a Fender Stratocaster. it has a similar shape but slightly smaller in profile.

The Washburn N6 came out in 2005. Nuno an accomplished guitar player was looking for more diversity in his sound so he and Washburn set out to make a stratty version of the Nuno signature model. Nuno Bettencourt is the guitarist for the long time band Extreme. Extreme had some hits the 80s and are still going today. Since the early 90s Nuno has played Washburn guitars exclusively. A unique part of Nunos guitar is the neck joint. Nuno hooked up with a luthier named Stephen Davies to design the guitar. Together they designed a guitar with a very cool neck joint. The neck joint is ideally suited for neck through guitars but for Nuno and the ease of repairability they made this guitar a bolt on. To get a more strat like tone from the guitar the guitar has a maple fretboard and a pickguard along with two Seymour Duncan single coils along with the Bill Lawrence 500xl in the bridge. These pickups are mounted in the pickguard to give more of a strat tone. UTILIZATION Because this is just a modified Nuno signature model guitar it plays just like a normal Nuno model. The flat fretboard lets you have a super low action and that makes it very easy to play. The extended cutaway lets you play all the way up the neck. With the guitar only having 22 frets every one of them is very easy to reach. The volume knob is kind of in a strange spot. It is not easy to do volume swells with it if you are used to the a Fender or Jackson volume knob placement. The tone knob is also way out of the way. The pickup slector is also out of the way and being a 5 way selector you will not be switching pickups very quickly. All N6's have the Buzz Feiten tuning system which is a mod on the nut which helps make the inotation of the guitar as close to perfect as you can get without changing the frets. SOUNDS This guitar gets pretty close to the strat tone they were looking for. The neck pickup is placed pretty far back because of the hole for the trussrod so it has slightly more high end than a normal strat neck pickup would get. The 500XL in the bridge still cuts through like crazy but with the single coils it kind of over powers them. The volume and output difference you get with the single coils and the 500XL is pretty extreme. OVERALL OPINION The Washburn N6 is a great playing guitar that gets a lot of the strat tones. Nuno has been playing these guitars for nearly 20 years now so you know there is something about them that draws you in. When you play one you will feel the unique feeling you get from the innovative design.

Nuno Bettencourt is the guitarist for the long time band Extreme. Extreme had some hits the 80s and are still going today. Since the early 90s Nuno has played Washburn guitars exclusively. A unique part of Nunos guitar is the neck joint. Nuno hooked up with a luthier named Stephen Davies to design the guitar. Together they designed a guitar with a very cool neck joint. The neck joint is ideally suited for neck through guitars but for Nuno and the ease of repairability they made this guitar a bolt on. The guitar has a maple neck with a ebony fretboard with 22 jumbo frets. The neck is bolted to an swamp ash body. The N4 has a Bill Lawrence 500XL in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan 59 in the neck. Early models had Kahler tremolo units but later ones and the current ones have Floyd Rose systems. It has a single volume knob and 3 way switch. UTILIZATION The flat fretboard lets you have a super low action and that makes it very easy to play. The extended cutaway lets you play all the way up the neck. With the guitar only having 22 frets every one of them is very easy to reach. The volume knob is kind of in a strange spot. It is not easy to do volume swells with it if you are used to the a Fender or Jackson volume knob placement. The pickup slector is also out of the way. New N4's have the Buzz Feiten tuning system which is a mod on the nut which helps make the inotation of the guitar as close to perfect as you can get without changing the frets. SOUNDS With the 500XL and the alder body this guitar really cuts through. Coming from the 80s when everyone was using huge rack setups people needed brighter guitars as to not get lost in the signal. The Duncan 59 is very smooth in the neck to go with the bitey 500Xl. Its pretty unusual for a company to put pickups from two different companies in the same guitar. This shows Washburn really wanted to get the sound as authentic as possible to what Nuno gets. OVERALL OPINION There are cheaper and more expensive versions of the Nuno sig guitar but the N4 is the original. The cheaper ones dont have all the features and the more expensive ones may have a fancier wood but they wont necessarily sound any better. There is a reason most guitars are made from the same few woods. This is one of the few signature guitars that doesnt have the players name plastered all over it. If you are looking for a good playing solid guitar that comes with good pickups from the factory the N4 is a good option.