And So, It Begins: The Great Washburn Hot Rodding Thread

I have a Washburn dred, and an 80's Wasburn strat HSS knockoff. Both feel great to me.
@smitty_p I'll be there for you when ready... I'm currently four deep with the custom queue and I'm trying to get ready for a guitar show in four weeks... after that? I'll metal that up real good
 
When we first moved to NE Illinois and I learned there was a such thing as Washburn guitars….. turns out they had a factory in Mundelein….. about 20 miles from me. Not 100%…. But pretty sure it isn’t there anymore.
 
TVvoodoo said:
I have a Washburn dred, and an 80's Wasburn strat HSS knockoff. Both feel great to me.
@smitty_p I'll be there for you when ready... I'm currently four deep with the custom queue and I'm trying to get ready for a guitar show in four weeks... after that? I'll metal that up real good
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No rush. I'll be doing mostly surface, aesthetic stuff for starters before I dive into the innards. I won't really be needing a strap for while. It will need to be suitable for Grover strap locks, though. I already had a set of those.

Good luck at the show!
 
smitty_p said:
No rush. I'll be doing mostly surface, aesthetic stuff for starters before I dive into the innards. I won't really be needing a strap for while. It will need to be suitable for Grover strap locks, though. I already had a set of those.

Good luck at the show!
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Smitty, I know where there is a strap.

Oh and HEY Smitty. Ever since I got my '79 LP in my sig, I was thinking to ask if you'd give it a test play, adjust and set up things how it sounds best etc?

Kind of a 2nd opinion since you know your way around LP's

Oh and I like that Black HB30 A Lot
 
I've tried my first aesthetic change.

I swapped the amber top hat knobs for black speed knobs.

I think this looks much better.


cZJ8THZ.jpg



For reference, here's what the guitar originally looked like. The amber knobs kind of clashed with the appearance, I thought. There literally is nothing else on the guitar of a similar color to tie the appearance together. Even the headstock logo is white. That aged amber look really seemed out of place to me.

utzhFcK.jpg


I'm also going to try some chrome knurled knobs like this to see how that looks.

I suspect I may actually end up liking these the best, as they will look consistent with the rest of the chrome hardware on the guitar.

1725553614247.png
 
Another thing I may do is put on a black, Graphtech nut. To me, a black nut gives a guitar more of a "rock" aesthetic and makes it seem a little less like a bluesy or jazzy guitar.

But, that kind of change is not really high on the priority list, right now.
 
Well, whatcha know...my chrome knobs came in today, too!

So, here it is with the chrome knobs:

kOQrbXv.jpg


Frankly, I'm a little torn between the black speed knobs and the chrome knobs. The speed knobs give it a more raw look, but the chrome knobs kind of make me think of a muscle car with chrome trim and accessories. It's got a tough look all its own, in a studded leather sort of way.

Either one will work and will be consistent with a rock/metal look. In a way, though, I am leaning toward the chrome knobs because they just "pop" more.

If I stick with the knurled chrome knobs, I'll also replace the switch tip with a metal switch tip to keep a consistent look.
 
smitty_p said:
Well, whatcha know...my chrome knobs came in today, too!

So, here it is with the chrome knobs:

kOQrbXv.jpg


Frankly, I'm a little torn between the black speed knobs and the chrome knobs. The speed knobs give it a more raw look, but the chrome knobs kind of make me think of a muscle car with chrome trim and accessories. It's got a tough look all its own, in a studded leather sort of way.

Either one will work and will be consistent with a rock/metal look. In a way, though, I am leaning toward the chrome knobs because they just "pop" more.

If I stick with the knurled chrome knobs, I'll also replace the switch tip with a metal switch tip to keep a consistent look.
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Didn’t think I’d say it, but I do like the Tele knob style, over the speed knobs, aesthetically. I know they work as well, if not better, than the speed knobs for live tweaking. I’ve had them on several of my past gigging guitars over the years. That’s all just personal preference/experience though. They look good.
Thanks for sharing this.
 
The reason I prefer speed knobs, reflector top hats, and witch hats these days, is the availability of points of reference on them…vs the unmarked Tele style. It would be nice to find some Mesa Boogie Recto style to fit.
MBKRS-2-Knopf-fuer-Mesa-Boogie-Rectifier-Silber-klein-fuer-63mm-Achse-Madenschraube-1.jpg
 
Thatbastarddon said:
Didn’t think I’d say it, but I do like the Tele knob style, over the speed knobs, aesthetically. I know they work as well, if not better, than the speed knobs for live tweaking. I’ve had them on several of my past gigging guitars over the years. That’s all just personal preference/experience though. They look good.
Thanks for sharing this.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the input. As I've been messing around with this, I am leaning more toward the chrome knobs. The knurled sides make it really easy to manipulate the pots.

Thatbastarddon said:
The reason I prefer speed knobs, reflector top hats, and witch hats these days, is the availability of points of reference on them…vs the unmarked Tele style. It would be nice to find some Mesa Boogie Recto style to fit.
Click to expand...

I use the set screw as a point of reference. I orient the knobs so the set screw would be in the Number 10 position.

WashburnHB30_ChromeKnobs_sm.jpg
 
smitty_p said:
I use the set screw as a point of reference.
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Same here, but as I moved to different amp styles, and (sometimes) needed to set up for clean and dirty on the same channel (because there may only be one channel), I found that the set screw spent a lot of time out of sight.
 
I’ve got a Washburn “Cumberland” jumbo acoustic, and it’s amazing, almost as great sounding as easy to play as my long lost Guild F-50R. When I bought it, I shopped every guitar store within a two-hour drive and played dozens of Taylors, Martins, Guilds, Yamahas, ready to spend some real dollars on the guitar that reminded me of that F-50R. That damn Washburn was hanging in a store I could easily walk to from my house, and cost only $800. But that was the one.
 
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