Washburn XB920 - opinions needed

[jcburn]

Hi folks - have been given the green light by the wife to grab a new bass. Was on the lookout for a new J type bass of some description but an XB920 (with EMG JJ setup)has presented itself and got me interested.
Let me know your opinions - I remember being interested in these back in the late 90's but some stories of dodgy/warping necks put me off.
The seller of this bass states the bass plays well and has recently been set up, however I wont be able to try it out.

 

[CrUiSeR]

Depends on the price. I had a 900; it was/is a good bass, but I don't miss it

 

[Super Iridium]

Double check the truss rod before you buy. I had a beautiful xb 900, but the nut was frozen on the threaded rod, and when I tried to twist it for an adjustment, I snapped the end of the threaded rod right off.

They are beautiful, excellent instruments, but without a working truss rod, you're screwed.

 

[jknorton]

I have two of the XB900/920s. They play great but the neck/truss rod seems to need adjustment a little bit more often than my Fender P's but no real problems. In this case it would seem like a matter of trust with the seller since you cannot try it out first. Make sure he has confirmed the truss rod works as it should. The natural finish ash(?) body on one of mine is pretty heavy, the painted one has a noticeably thinner body and is a lot lighter. If I were going to get another I would look for another painted body model.

One of the better features is the neck though. Its quite a bit narrower (3/16+ inch) at the 20th fret than a fender, and it is probably a good bit thinner (front-to-back) than most Spectors - and if you like that profile it's great.

While they are nice basses the real selling point to me is the Bartolini pickup/preamp setup on both of mine. One of the better sounding and most versatile of any of my basses. Of course that does not apply in your case. If you already know and like the sound of EMG/JJs then that's good, I do not have any knowledge of them.

Hope this helps
-John

 

[jcburn]

Thanks for the opnions everybody.

 

[ElBecko59]

I have two of the XB900/920s. They play great but the neck/truss rod seems to need adjustment a little bit more often than my Fender P's but no real problems. In this case it would seem like a matter of trust with the seller since you cannot try it out first. Make sure he has confirmed the truss rod works as it should. The natural finish ash(?) body on one of mine is pretty heavy, the painted one has a noticeably thinner body and is a lot lighter. If I were going to get another I would look for another painted body model.

One of the better features is the neck though. Its quite a bit narrower (3/16+ inch) at the 20th fret than a fender, and it is probably a good bit thinner (front-to-back) than most Spectors - and if you like that profile it's great.

While they are nice basses the real selling point to me is the Bartolini pickup/preamp setup on both of mine. One of the better sounding and most versatile of any of my basses. Of course that does not apply in your case. If you already know and like the sound of EMG/JJs then that's good, I do not have any knowledge of them.

Hope this helps
-John

Old post I know but I recently found a XB-920 for sale with the Barts , seller not responding to messages , So I can't even ask about the truss rod and it looks like it has oxidized parts in the control cavity , Hard to make an offer with no other info other than "great condition" .. I already own a stonewash blue XB-900 with the single MM pickup so maybe I should enjoy mine until my gear GAS subsides ......