Washburns?

[Captain_Arrrg]

I love, love, my T-24, and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to spend over $500 to get a bass.

Likes:

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

I sometimes have trouble sitting down as the little horn will slip off when I get too carried away.

Dislikes:

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

You can kinda tinker with this (minimize relief, lower saddles), but I'll agree it is different.

-THE WEIGHT!!!....

It's heavier than some (ie. those designed that way), but it's not hard to find a heavier bass out there.

-The bass came horribly set up,....

I would be a bit miffed if a music store tried to sell me a bass in that condition, but this highlights why you need give it a good once over. Make sure all the parts are sturdy and fit well, plug it in and check it's electronics, and play every fret. Find all this out and the store will either fix it or cut the price.

EDIT: One thing im baffled about... It says it has active pickups,....

As far as I can tell, it doesn't. What says it has active pickups?

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...a neck-through, 24 fret bass at those prices! (and I'm referring to the pre-price drop price)....

I got mine for basically those reasons at the same time (looking at the price now hurts a little). Can I ask what you ended up going with?

[*]While most agree that Washburns feature superior construction, it is almost ubiquitously stated that the pickups are sub-par sounding – usually described as cold and lifeless.

I think they're great for stock pups on a low-mid price bass, and I have received many compliments on the sound. Most reviews also look favorably on them.

[*]As I understand it, the Taurus series uses non-standard-sized Jazz style pickups – because of this, the player cannot change his or her sound by replacing the stock pickups, and thus is stuck with the stock sound.

Just get some J pups for a 5-string. I almost did it before I had some money problems (now I've grown accustomed to her voice), but I'm one who tends to make things fit perfectly- woodworking know-how may be needed.

[*]The Taurus model is clearly, shall we say, borrowed from the design created by Jerzy Drozd....

I've never seen that before, and it would be hard to deny the resemblance. Though being a leading maker of 10+ string basses, I don't think they're as hard off as you think. I don't want to defend a copy such as this, Washburn could have thought up something original.

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I have a Lyon by Washburn; as far as I can tell the Fender Squire of Washburn.

My guitarist's dad has one that I've played a good bit, and I'd take it over a Squire any day.


Whew! Maybe I should start an "I love my Taurus" club!

 

[Christopher]

My first bass was a cheesy 80s Force ABT B-40 and I briefly owned a nicely made XB-900 a few years ago, so I have a soft spot for Washburns despite their somewhat lousy reputation.

One of the things I like about the company is some of the ridiculous limited-runs and one-offs they do. Every now and then these pop up on ebay or the stores, like an XB-900 with a stonewashed white top or a US Custom Shop Gretsch White Falcon knockoff.

 

[zenlowend]

I have a xb-125 that was my 2nd bass and I have a RB-2002 that is still, IMO, the best balanced bass I have ever played...fast neck too.

 

[Jjango]

I got mine for basically those reasons at the same time (looking at the price now hurts a little). Can I ask what you ended up going with?

I think I just ended up dealing with GAS pains!

I've never seen that before, and it would be hard to deny the resemblance. Though being a leading maker of 10+ string basses, I don't think they're as hard off as you think. I don't want to defend a copy such as this, Washburn could have thought up something original.

I dunno... the whole thing just gave me the creeps. From a thread here at TalkBass:

Dan Lenard here, at LAG.

Jerzy and I have been aware of the Washburn Taurus for about 2 years. (...)

But, when I first saw the Taurus 2 years ago, I WAS ticked.
You see, at the Franfurt Music Messe in 2002, a Koren fellow bought 5 Jerzy Drozd basses and promised to order 50 more for the local ( Korean) market.
This sounded a bit suspicious - are high end basses doing well in Korea ?

Well, the order for 50 never came through ( no surprise ).
But....... a few months later the Taurus appeared - the Washburn catalog claimed a unique and original design.

I contacted Michael Tobias, asking him to refer me to his attorney.
I called this attorney in New York, explained the situation , and asked for his advice.
He advised me that he was the attorney for Washburn !!

At this point I had to laugh at the situation.
I figured that anybody who plays and buys the Washburn would probably never buy one of Jerzy's basses, and vice versa.

I believe this story serves to demonstrate the "character" of the decision makers at Washburn.
Enuff said.

 

[floridagatorfan]

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.

I own this bass as well, but like you im not very fond of the controls , i love playing it though and it is well worth the money