What in heaven's name is this?

[Kazz3lrath]

I saw this bad boy on e-bay and was completely befuddled by it. Anyone know much about it?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GEORGE-WASHB...item589bb573dd

[zac2944]

I love it. That thing is hot. Who knows what it sounds like. You could really rock with that thing.

[Melonthief]

The ad says it all. It's a 90"s Washburn ABT model. Made in Korea. Not a great bass not a horrible bass. If you address your question on the Washburn club thread TB member MeKer can probably tell you every last detail, he is something of an expert on washburns

[ggoat!!!]

Hmmmm...interesting.

I am familiar with this era of Washburn basses, but I've never heard of or seen a "George Washburn" signature model.

My first bass in 1987 was a Washburn B-2, which has basically the same body shape (but alder ply); it was the cheapest in the line at the time. It didn't have the "ABT" moniker. I still have the bass, and the last time it needed a set-up was around 1999. Great bass...solid, thick grunty tone. Not the best sustain, but it has a great neck (replaced under Lifetime warranty around 1990) and an identifiable great 70's mid-heavy rock tone. Not bright or twangy no matter what you do...its forte was in the mids and low mids, in the ability to cut through. I even added a Kahler to it back then.

A friend of mine around 1990 purchased a higher-up model of this same bass, a B-15 ABT in blue crackle mainly because he was impressed with my lowly B-2. Amazing bass...heavier than the B-2 due to a solid maple body (his was a prototype from Bill's Music...production models were alder), neck is a bit thicker (which is a good thing on these basses). Active electronics (although we removed it...too hi-fi), "Washburn" branded EMG Select pickups. The last time this bass needed a setup as well was around 1999. We also added a Kahler to his bass. It was used on a few dozen recordings even though there were what other people would call "better" basses available as I own 70 or so...but the Washburn just had a great bridge jazz pickup tone as it is a bit farther from the bridge than the "standard" Fender position; this gives the Washburn a bit more bottom and thickness when soloing the bridge pickup-not your typical thin twangy bridge jazz pickup tone. It actually has some balls on this bass to use the bridge pickup alone...works great for a distorted mid-heavy 70's Rush type tone. The D and G strings when played high on the neck have some thickness and girth behind them when using just the bridge pickup. Sounds great, even with heavy distortion it remained clear and defined...no mud.

Action on both of these Washburns is impeccable...nearly touching the frets with no buzz.

Great basses that fly under the radar...the 80's styling nowadays is beginning to be consisered a bonus of all things! "Hey, it's VINTAGE!!!" lol...


Jeff

[Melonthief]

And it sounds like ggoat knows his stuff too! I'm a huge fan of the matsoku washburns but my knowledge begins and ends there.MeKer has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Washburn.

[cdef]

Originally Posted by Melonthief

The ad says it all. It's a 90"s Washburn ABT model. Made in Korea. ...

The K****** serial indicates that it was built at the Kasuga factory in Nagoya, Japan, around 1988.

[micgtr71]

My friend had this bass in the late 80s early 90s. He called it the forcebat. It played well and had a nice neck. The pickups were not the best. Sounded very flat and doinky...Probably would be a great bass with new pickups. Love the finish. His was more blue IIRC.

[tom once dead]

It looks like the bass thats on one of those "Learn how to play Metal Bass" books.

[Hobobob]

My local GC had a guitar with that same finish for a while, not sure if it's still there. Definitely a head turner.

[ggoat!!!]

The best thing about these Washburns is that they have a lifetime warranty. I had my neck replaced just a few years after purchase due to a twist that was my fault. My friend, who purchased his B-15 used from Bill's Music (and therefore not the original owner) years later had his neck replaced under warranty without having to show proof that he was the original owner in any way, shape, or form. And, even though we had installed a Kahler on his bass and had to shim the original neck to get low enough action out of the tremolo, Washburn went out of their way to custom-make a neck that had a slightly thicker neck heel that made the shims unnecessary. Great customer service...and great basses.

[P. Aaron]

Looks good for Metal.

[jim777]

Tough to go wrong with a PJ that is decently built to begin with. You could mod it to sound like almost anything if you wanted, and the paint job is cool

[Chef]

George Washburn; First President of the USA, and, Bassist.

Super Rare Vintage Bass.

You should tooooootally hit that.