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GMC Forum _ GEAR & PRODUCTION _ Washburn Guitars, Educate Me

Posted by: SeeJay May 7 2014, 12:26 AM

I saw an interesting old Washburn at a shop near me. I forgot to look at the model. It actually played well. I know some people used them back in the day, but never game them a chance.

You guys like them? Someone tell me more about whats good.

Is there a washburn sleeper out there I could pick up cheap?

Posted by: SeeJay May 11 2014, 05:17 AM

No One? Bummer.

Posted by: Todd Simpson May 11 2014, 06:21 AM

Hmm. Well to be honest, the only Washburns I've ever coveted were the DIME models before he switched to DEAN. I've never owned any of them. Or any washburn for that matter. Now that I think about it, I don't know anyone who plays a washburn nor have I ever seen one in video chat. Maybe now that OLA ENGLUND has a new sig model they will proliferate

QUOTE (SeeJay @ May 11 2014, 12:17 AM)

No One? Bummer.

Posted by: Mertay May 11 2014, 11:18 AM

Mid. 90's when I first started playing they were very popular were I live and actually an alternative to ibanez or Jackson. Their superstrat type and Nuno models were very popular.

Later though I only started seeing Nuno models and their super affordable guitars, it was simply off the radar. Probably till recent the Nuno models were what was keeping them going (again, at least in my area).

The parallaxe series to me is a huge come back, haven't played one yet but the design,features and pricing seems very competitive and I see people buying them on forums. I'M specially curious about this neck heel, for a long while it was used on expensive Nuno models but now they can be found on mid. priced models too;

Posted by: Ulrik May 11 2014, 12:34 PM

I got a really good deal on a Wasburn WM17, which I now normally use, for example in the latest collabs.
It's not a total beginner guitar and it's not a total expensive one. I'm quite happy with it, except the whammy is missing.
I don't have a lot of other guitars to compare it to.

Posted by: SpaseMoonkey May 11 2014, 06:38 PM

I have a 1993 MG-34, the first guitar I ever had. I want to say the model above it was a MG-44 which was what Michael Angelo Batio used back in the 90s. How does it play? Not a clue I need to get all new hardware and restore it back to playing condition.

Posted by: SeeJay May 11 2014, 11:57 PM

Yea, I think it's a washburn Nuno model I saw. Seems like those are Washburn at their best.

Posted by: SixStringSamurai May 12 2014, 06:57 AM

I do think that the N4 series are probably the best guitars that Washburn make today, especially since the Dime series disappeared (sadly, I have yet to play a Washburn USA Dime 3).

I played some of the Parallax series at NAMM, and while it's great that Ola is revitalizing interest in the company, out of the Parallax guitars that I played (a lower end Ola sig among them), I didn't feel that there was anything particular special that differentiated them from, say, Schecter's Korean line. Very much that same sort of highly glossed, thick finish guitar that looks beautiful and has great specs but at the end of the day is, for me, covered in too much goop to really have great tone. However, the target metal market will probably just opt to put EMGs or Blackouts in it and run it through an Axe FX so at the end of the day it probably doesn't really matter to them.

That said, if you like the Parallax series they do seem like great value for money.

Posted by: SeeJay May 12 2014, 04:26 PM

Uhh, you guys, I was just poking around the Washburn site. . .

How come we aren't talking about the http://www.washburn.com/products/electric/series/Paul%20Stanley%20Series.html Models!?!?!?

Posted by: Mertay May 12 2014, 05:37 PM

Never played his sig. guitar before, not to bash Washburn but I like the design of the ibanez one more

Posted by: Todd Simpson May 13 2014, 11:56 PM

I am still keeping an eye out for a washburn Dime Slime, and one of the diamond plate, and a Southern Cross, maybe a rebel too But I'm a patient guy. All of them are on my 'Guitar Bucket List"

Posted by: SeeJay May 14 2014, 04:42 AM

I'm with ya. Washburn was never something I was looking out for. But I was just curious if others had experiences.

Again, as much as they were played on back in the day, I feel like they had to have had a decent series at some point.

QUOTE (Mertay @ May 12 2014, 04:37 PM)

Never played his sig. guitar before, not to bash Washburn but I like the design of the ibanez one more