The mysterious Washburn XB 920

[groove pump]

Hoping some of you funk-meisters might have a little experience with this bass that you could share with the class. I spotted one in the used inventory of a local (regional) chain and I'll probably try to get it transferred to the shop near me so I can have a go with it, but any feedback/reviews around here or harmony central are pretty sparse.

Looks as though these were produced in the US - maybe Chicago - and come with some good looking materials including big ol' Bartolini soapbars and a preamp. Can't say I've ever looked twice at anything from Washburn in the past, but this looks to be a model with some potential.

Thanks ahead of time to all.

 

[perfektspace6]

I played one of these and can't say I liked it. Sounded very, very dark. I wasn't able to produce a tone that I would consider usable. It was sort of baffling. Keep in mind i played it for 10 minutes in a shop. Don't remember much else because I was so put off by the tone. The build quality and feel were solid.

 

[rarcauto67]

I am buying a Zebrawood USA Custom shop made Washburn XB920 4 string bass. Light as a feather, fatastic neck fast and sturdy . No sharp Fret edges, smooth fast bolt on Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. Hipshot style Highmass bridge, Batrolini soap bar active electronics. Fantastic sound and tone. And because it has the washburn name on it, the bass is for a song and dance cheap when brand new it was a $1700 bass. Remember you can get a squire bass that works and sound perfectly and the next one out of the box sucks. Its how its made and how if feels and sounds. We all know a great bass when you hold it and play it and feel it and we all know , nah not for me....This one for me is fantastic and I can not wait to own it.

 

[Super Iridium]

I own the XB900, which has a slightly different pickup configuration. I'm not an expert, but I was amazed that a bass like this was available at the price I paid. The neck in particular is a thing of beauty -- quartersawn maple, and the perfect shape for me. I'm amazed that these don't go for higher prices, but so much the better for those of us buying them!

 

[4 String Stew]

Hmm, I have one of these on the hook right now, not sure if I'm gona jump at it. From what I could find on the net, they seem very bright sounding, not much warmth to them. Am I wrong? I'm not a big bass snob, open to anything, and they look like a well crafted guitar.

 

[Super Iridium]

They are well crafted, but check the truss rod carefully. They use a non standard nut and can freeze up with age. There's no clearance for repairing the nut either, so if it's not working for some reason, you might need a whole new neck.

 

[SP_EB4L]

I played one of these and can't say I liked it. Sounded very, very dark. I wasn't able to produce a tone that I would consider usable. It was sort of baffling. Keep in mind i played it for 10 minutes in a shop. Don't remember much else because I was so put off by the tone. The build quality and feel were solid.

Good evening,

The XB-900-920 equipped with Bartolini pups have a very sophisticate preamp with dip switches that could change completely the tone of this bass and depending how it was settled the tone could be crappy to fantastic. Probably the dip switches was not set properly (I mean to your taste) on the bass that you had used then. Here is the link for the dip switch positions and their effect on the frequency, and here is a picture of it…

 

[SP_EB4L]

Hmm, I have one of these on the hook right now, not sure if I'm gona jump at it. From what I could find on the net, they seem very bright sounding, not much warmth to them. Am I wrong? I'm not a big bass snob, open to anything, and they look like a well crafted guitar.

On this video it's not sound so bright but most of the other youtube vids present bright sounding XB-920 (slapper fans).