Right now I have no reason to think of movimg on from this guitar. If I get another guitar it will be to sit along side this. When I look at what this guitar delivers compared to 'big money' guitars (you know who I mean!) it is an outstanding buy - about the only thing I might do is get a higher spec of the model! When I was looking for a guitar (already have an Ibanez and I wanted a more straight forward guitar, no trem etc.), I couldnt beleive what I got for my money. Compared to other guitars in this price bracket it has to be ranked as one of the best. I cant understand why Washburn dont market them more in the UK. To lose it, break it whatever would really hurt. I'd certainly buy it again compared to Epis etc.

Sound
With a Seymour Duncan '59 and an SD Custom you get a wide range of sounds from this guitar from hard rock to a nice clean sound for jazz. Really can roar with the bridge pup (three-way switch). The VCC is a Washburn set up that is a variation on a tap for switching on single-coil. You need to play with it a for a while to get the feel, its not like the usual push/pull that other guitars have. With this, you can roll on and off to get shades of change in tone. I'll give it 9 here allowing that some people are never convinced with any single-coil tap effect. I play this through a Peavey with a GT-8 and when I'm in my Zep 'mood' this thing destroys all enemies!! :) it has been played live and people are suitably impressed.… read more

Features
No frills with this. Straight ahead, no BS guitar! As mentioned, has a VCC set up rather than a push/pull tap for single-coil but thats it and this can be ignored and the guitar played as it is. Grover tuners, Seymour Duncan pick ups. Nicely laid out fret board inlay and really nice headstock finish. Neck is a through-finish.

Ease of Use
The standard of guitar you get for your money means this has to get a 10. You can ignore the VCC option just plug it in and play and this thing will kick your ass!! nice action with a rosewood fretboard. It has a through-neck which with the cut-away design gives excellent access to the higher frets.

Quality
Excellent set up. I bought this over the internet, so sent it to a local guitar shop for a set up and it plays like a dream. SD pick ups, Grover Tuners, really nice Caramel Burst finish on the one I have, through-neck design.....really excellent quality. Gets played all the time, including gigs (my daughter steals it when my back is turned to play at school gigs with her band!). Looked after with set-ups there is no reason why this guitar wouldnt have good mileage in it over the years.

Value
Put it this way - most guys that think Gibson and cant afford it get an Epi. Quite frankly, the set up of this guitar, the quality of pick-ups etc would wipe the floor with any Epi or similar. Dont even bother thinking about it. I'm quite serious here. Its a no-brainer. I live in the UK and bought this at the time for about 390euro (about $720 now, give or take). This price compares with higher spec Epi's but comes with far better hardware than Epi ever offer.

Manufacturer Support
Had the guitar for 2 years and never had a problem. So, cant really judge support. Washburn do have a players forum that I read now and again but I've never had to contact anyone with any issues.

The Wow Factor
Absolutely!! A Gibson-style guitar, with quality finish and hardware this is something that definitely attracts attention. I let my daughter play it in her school band at some gigs. The combination of its look, sound and the fact that a Washburn guitar is a bit of a rare find over here means the guitar gets a ton of compliments. :)

Musical Background:
Hobbyist

Musical Style:
Rock/Blues read less