I will also say that while hunting an ES Style guitar at the time, I considered a Gibson ES 335-355, the Ibanez 2355, an Epi Dot or ES175 ( which I once owned and sold one of each) and then I saw some Guild Starfires. I wasn't seeing Gretsches, or of course Godins or Eastman's here. But, once I decided on either the IBBY or the Gibby, my choice was made if I could find one.
Like I said, I wound up with the ES 135 Single Cut style. Then, a few years later, I got a perfectly awesome ES 335 copy. Smitty's old Washburn HB30.
Smitty already knows how I really really like this guitar very very much. Smitty also knows the mods he put into this guitar which I am sure started life as a pretty typical Asian factory product before he started. The setup, a Duncan Pup set he put in, nice pots etc all make this a great guitar that I would never want to trade or do anything to other than upgrade the Bridge/Saddles ( if wear and tear dictate) All else is perfect for how I play and how it sounds to me.
Here is what Smitty had posted when he was trying to sell it. I had already held this guitar in my hands at my house on one of his visits, so I knew I would like it.
Here are the specifics:
1. The original Washburn pickups have been replaced. There is a Seymour Duncan SH-1B in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan SH-1N in the neck.
2. The cheap, import pickup selector switch has been replaced with a Switchcraft switch.
3. The original electronics have been replaced. The pots are all 500 K Ohm, audio taper Bourns mini-pots and the tone capacitors are .022 mfd Sprague orange drops.
4. The stock plastic nut has been replaced with a Graphtech XL nut.
5. The knobs have been replaced with speed knobs.
6. There is very little fret wear and the guitar plays nicely.
7. The sale includes a strap and case.
Now, the caveats...
1. The Washburn HB-30 is an import guitar. This one is Korean. I’m not sure of the finish, but I’m guessing it’s poly.
2. This may actually be a good thing to some (like me) but the guitar is slightly yellowed. This is from age. The actual color is more of a brighter white. This may suggest the finish is nitro, contrary to my thought above, but I’m not sure.
3. I had planned at some point to replace the bridge. It is a cheap, import bridge and the adjustment screws in one of the saddles has started to rattle a bit. I have stopped the rattle with a drop of Elmer’s glue. So, the bridge really should be replaced. It uses the larger size import style posts. I actually prefer the larger posts, but the bridge, itself, is on the cheap side. I had held off on replacing the bridge because I was toying around with putting on a vibrato, of some sort, and I was going to pick a bridge based on the vibrato I chose.
4. One small note, the Seymour Duncan pickups were used when I got them from a friend, who had them in his Les Paul. Consequently, the wire on the neck pickup was not long enough to solder into place on the pots. So, I soldered in about three inches, or so, of braided wire to reach the pots. This is nothing that impacts the performance of the guitar, at all. It’s just one of those full disclosure things.
5. The guitar does have a “hard” case that is included in the sale. However, it is one of those cheap, fiber-type cases. But the guitar will be packed well.
6. The tuners are stamped “Grover” but they are the cheaper, import Grovers. However, they are quite smooth and have an 18:1 ratio.
So, there you have it. Structurally, the guitar is actually rather good and I’ve played it live many times. I really enjoy playing it and it is a very stable guitar. But, it does have some of the predictable import quirks, most of which I’ve replaced.
This awesome Washburn no longer lives in a Chipboard case, but now is well protected in an Epi ES 335 type case with the plush grey fur lining
