• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Washburns?

P

pilonian

Sep 25, 2006
54
0
London Ontario
#1
Well I recently picked up a washburn force 5 dirt cheap from one of the stores in town here and as far as I can tell, it seems to be a pretty decent bass. Mind you i don't have a ton of experience with high end stuff, I've played alot of Fender Americans and played on a Stingray b4, and I know it doesn't match up to them... but neither does my wallet. Anyways just wondering if anyone out there has any experience with washburn stuff and could let me know. So far i've had a few guitarists scowl at the washburn, but apparently they don't make great guitars.
Thanks TBer's
 
#5
I have had two washburns ad still have oe of them. I really liked one of them. I have not yet been able to find out what type it is. It is a fiver that is made in Korea. The other was a Taurus 25 (somethig like that). It was alright but I did not like the pickups. I reall liked the Korean made though. won't get rid of it unless I get a $1000 fiver or so. I have not yet had the privelege of playing a USA Washburn.
 
#6
I have a Washburn T24 that I got off eBay for about $250. When it came there was sticker on it that said "Made in Vietnam". It's a basic J-bass set-up. It sounds OK. I took the frets off last night and now it's an OK sounding fretless.
 
#7
I have a force 4 i got off of ebay for about $300 and i couldn't be happier. i've gigged with it for over a year. Spend the $60 to have that baby set up and you'll be glad you didn't go spend $1000 on something else. It may not sound as good as some of those other high end basses but every time i go into guitar center and play something "high end" i just want to go back home to my bass. Plays excellent, sounds good.
 
#8
I found a Washburn XB-something or other for virtually next to nothing. Worth every penny. It has a P/J set up and I love some of the angry growl I can get out of it. Nice look to it too. Black with a glittery kind of "bass boat" finish to it. Definitely top notch. Also, it was so cheap, I feel like it is more . . . . me.
 
#12
Had an old XB-100 in the closet. The Pots were shot, the pu's were really bad, the neck was bent. So I decided to spend about $100.00 on it and got dimarzio passive p's, did a custom paint job on it, shielded the control cavity , changed the pots from 500k to 250k, straightend out the neck, and now it's really sweet sounding! Sound warmer than a P and gives me a third bass option for big bass sound. It weighs about 7 1/2 pounds and the neck doesnt give me hand cramps.

I want to buy a warmoth neck for it since the ony thing I dont like now is the fretboard and the action.

Overall, you can get great sound off these basses with a little work and money.
 
#13
I have a Washburn BB5 Bantam and I love it. It has a thin neck, active soapbars, and I like how light it is. When I first got it in November, I played it right out of the box and didn't like the sound. I had it set up professionally and lighter pure nickel round wounds installed and it sounded 100% better. Granted it is no Alembec but it sounds great for a $600 bass with a lifetime warranty. I have found that the cheaper Washburns don't sound very good but the higher end models are very good. The acoustic guitars are some of the best for under $1000.
 
#14
I have the Rudy Sarzo Washburn bass that he played from the Quiet Riot days. I bought it before I was in a band; it's the worst sounding bass ever and screws up any mix it's in, but it'll hit every harmonic in Portrait of Tracy like nothing else I've ever played. I'm pulling the frets off it and turning it into a really ugly fretless. I'd abandon the body but under that disgusting paint job is a gorgeous slab of mahogany.
 
#15
I have a strange "relationship" with my Washburn T24 Taurus, I love it, but there are certain things that can really irritate me.

Likes:

-Comfortable shape, well contoured for sitting down and jamming.

-Great EQ, you can get a range of sounds just from the 2 vol + 2 tone knobs.

-The finish, multi-laminated matte gloss, gives it a nice smooth feel. Although places that are subject to constant friction, ie. top horn, seem to wear and give a glossy finish, which I kinda like!

-Can stay in tune for over a week with only very fine tuning needed, so fine it really doesn't change the sound.

-Lots of bottom end and smooooooooooth notes, very nice to play (once it was set up right).

Dislikes:

-The neck feels a bit sluggish, but I was kinda expecting this so i shouldn't complain.

-Tuners are pathetic when trying to tune real low (Drop C and below) it seems moving it even half a centimeter will send it completly out of tune again.

-THE WEIGHT!!! Oh dear god the weight... I've only played bass for a year and havn't actually played a wide variety of basses, but this thing kills my back. It's got Mahogany wings, not sure what the stripey bits are, maybe Maple? Anyways this thing is HEAVY, for me anyways, and im a pretty big bloke, im 6'2 and ive got pretty strong arms/shoulders. But I just cant play this for more than 40 minutes without having some back pain.

-The bass came horribly set up, im not sure if this was the store's fault for not maintaining their basses or if Washburn just dont care about having your bass set-up in the factory. But it was incredibly out of tune, and once tuned up i had extreme fret buzz from the 1st to 8th fret on the E and A strings. Tuners were really loose and flimsy, needed to tighten the screws to make them feel a bit better.


And thats my experiance with Washburn :) Overall, i love this thing. Strangely I play metal and i got this bass, and it goes really nicely with the genre! Though it cant handle faster paced pieces. Although cons seem to outweigh pro's i love my Washburn to death.

And as for people scowling at Washburn guitars, my favourite guitarist (Dimebag, RIP) played Washburn's for quite some time... Im convinced :)




EDIT: One thing im baffled about... It says it has active pickups, and it sounds like it has active pickups... but where the hell in the battery? I open it up and there is everything but a battery! What happens when it goes flat? Someone help me out?
 
#16
I have a Washburn XB200 PJ 4 string. At the moment it is my main bass I like the feel of the neck, there are no dead spots, all the frets are dressed quite nicely. However I find the controls a little redundant, being V/V/bal/tone and also the pickups could be a little more aggressive sounding.
 
#17
i almost bought a washburn 5 when I was in the mood for a 5, but I decided to stick with a 4, that was a good few years back. It played nicely - needed a little setup as the action was higher than cheech and chong. Maybe would change the pups aswell as they sounded a little bland.

All in all a cracking bass for the price they go for.
 
#18
I like my washburns. I am looking at the AB95 5 string hollow body and maybe getting another AB20 to mod up with magnetic and new electronics.

When I worked at a music store I had a chance to play every model that came out. Some Washburns are great some are not.

The idol series looks interesting.
Invalid Link Removed

The new CB Series looks nice as well.
Invalid Link Removed
 
#20
I just got hired to work at Washburn! So talk to me about what you want, like, dislike, would like to see, etc.

From what I have heard overall, many people are happy with their Washburn bases and some have poor experiences. I have heard some people in other threads say that they think Washburns feel and sound like much more expensive instruments. But of course, not everyone agrees. If you could deliver a *constructive* message to the company about what you would like to see in future basses (or perhaps what they are doing well already), what would you say?

Here's your chance. I will take all your feedback with me when I start my job there.

FunkyWilly
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back