Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Philly Q on April 26, 2011, 05:16:47 PM
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Thanks to my "Saved Searches" on eBay, I've just unexpectedly acquired a 1989(?) Washburn HB-50:
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/KGrHqJlYE2D5e3Mt5BNrEvlLc1Q_121.jpg)(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/KGrHqNlME2EiNnWRBBNrEvktmmw_121.jpg)(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/KGrHqJlwE2FT5o3qGBNrEvsvdYQ_121.jpg)
I first heard of these when I was thinking of buying the Gibson ES-339 and I was looking into other small-bodied semis.
There's very little info about them. I'm fairly certain it's made in Japan, and it seems pretty much identical to the Ibanez AM400 from the same period - birdseye maple top on a thin, hollowed out mahogany back (like the Gibson CS-336), but with a generic T-O-M and stop tailpiece rather than the more unique Ibanez hardware.
According to internet lore, apparently the model only appeared in the 1989 Washburn catalogue and allegedly only about 50 of them were ever made! I doubt that's true, because they exist with two different f-hole shapes and two different headstock shapes.... can't see them making 50 guitars and varying the details that much! The serial number seems consistent with those mentioned by other European owners.
It seems very well made, lightweight and despite being 20 years old it's in almost as-new condition! Frets in good shape, hardware almost untarnished, hardly a mark on the finish. There's a very fine crack along part of the joint line on one side of the neck, but in this case I'm 99% sure it's age-related rather than any indication of a problem. The neck is a little bit slimmer than I'd normally choose, but it's comfortable and seems to suit the guitar.
But anyway, for the price, I couldn't resist! If it's not a "keeper" I can probably sell it on without losing too much. I may have got myself a bargain (for once). :)
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Looks great Phil - a bit Malcom Young-ish!
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tres cool, its very balanced looking visually
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Looks great Phil - a bit Malcom Young-ish!
Hadn't really thought of that Dave, but you're right, I guess it's the colour scheme. :) To me it feels quite posh with the binding and gold hardware, especially compared with all my rough-and-ready Juniors.
tres cool, its very balanced looking visually
It's physically quite well-balanced too, a little neck-heavy but no more so than an SG. The heavily-rounded mahogany back feels very comfy.
Visually, I'm not totally sure about the black rings and black pickups (they have black polepieces too, rather oddly). I don't know if I want to go the whole hog with gold covers, but (if I change the pickups) maybe gold-polepiece zebras in the black rings? On the other hand (this is like your V all over again!) they do kind of balance with the black headstock.
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difficult one - the black pups do compliment the headstock though, as you say. perhaps thats what i'd lean to
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Nice score, it does have that different yet familiar look.... I like it!
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Very sweet guitar! Cream rings and zebra-puppies would be nice too.
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Here are some other HB-50s with different looks, and in all three available colours.
(Note the first pic shows what seems to be the U.S. headstock shape, and the catalogue shows the different f-hole shape!)
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/30U-8984_front.jpg)(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/wpbac085c9_0f.jpg)
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/wb1.jpg)(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/1989-HB35HB50HB60.jpg)
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I love the birdseye! :o
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That's a really cool guitar, I think the f-hole shape is great and I've never even heard of this model of guitar before so it's an education too. Nice one, good score.
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cool guitar
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Gold covers would tear this one into ES339-terrority. Would look luxurious. Open zebra-coils with cream covers would give the guitar a bit more 'bite'.
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very nice :D
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It looks great
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I love the shape of your f-hole... and the rest is very nice too!
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Looks nice. You always manage to get some special guitar. What do you think about the Falcon?
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I love the shape of your f-hole... and the rest is very nice too!
I think I said that to a girl once and she wasn't amused .
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Nice one Philly :D
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I'm a sucker for an f- hole ;)
Looks nice, ebay can be VERY dangerous.
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Looks good Philly - nice one.
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Looks nice. You always manage to get some special guitar. What do you think about the Falcon?
I suppose I've got a few interesting ones, but not in the Twinfan league!
Strange you mentioned the Falcon, I've wanted one of those since the early '80s! :D I like all the "Wing Series" models, but I like the Falcon best because of the ash/rosewood body and brass ring fretboard inlays.
I suspect they'd be really heavy like an Ibanez Artist or Yamaha SG, but if I found a nice one I'd still buy it. There was one on eBay recently, but I got outbid. :(
(Thanks for all the comments, gents! :D )
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Congrats Philly that looks a nice one. You any thoughts on the pickups?
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Thanks! :D
Conventional wisdom on semis seems to be low-output pickups. But because of the thin body and hollowed-out mahogany construction, it sounds fairly bright and "solid-like" acoustically. At the moment I'm thinking Abraxas, I'm keen to try them after reading some interesting stuff about them recently.
After a week or so, this guitar is growing on me. It's really well made, comfortable to play and I'm liking the looks more and more. :)
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Looks nice. You always manage to get some special guitar. What do you think about the Falcon?
I suppose I've got a few interesting ones, but not in the Twinfan league!
Strange you mentioned the Falcon, I've wanted one of those since the early '80s! :D I like all the "Wing Series" models, but I like the Falcon best because of the ash/rosewood body and brass ring fretboard inlays.
I suspect they'd be really heavy like an Ibanez Artist or Yamaha SG, but if I found a nice one I'd still buy it. There was one on eBay recently, but I got outbid. :(
(Thanks for all the comments, gents! :D )
Looks amazing!
Here is a Rosewood Falcon for Sale http://www.gbase.com/gear/washburn-eagle-falcon-wing-serie-1982-rosewoo
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Looks like a good buy to me.
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Here is a Rosewood Falcon for Sale http://www.gbase.com/gear/washburn-eagle-falcon-wing-serie-1982-rosewoo
That's a strange one! Haven't seen one like that before, they normally have the five laminates of the through-neck visible on the top of the guitar, like this:
(http://www.g3h.be/wings/Testpics/Falcon001.jpg)
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Great guitar I found one in a guitar center store while I was looking for a different guitar. I fell in love with the feel of the body and the quality. I talked to a saleman who actually turned out to be the original owner and bought the guitar in 1989 for $1400 (US). He told me that the guitar was very rare and they only made it one year. He did not want to part with it but times are hard and he needed the money. I took his word but my son did not believe him and did research. He found out that they sold in 1989 for $1399 list price and were only made that year. He saw were one sold on eBay for around $7000 but that was second hand information. I paid $500 but have seen them sold for $390. I think the reason they sometime sell that low is people do not know anything about them so they do not know how rare they are. The Ibenez 400 model is almost exact except for the headstock. I sent my serial number which was taped in the electronics compartment to Washburn to ask about it because my guitar is not like any of the other HB50s. My guitar has a hummbucker at the bridge and a singlecoil pickup at the fretboard and it is all original. Washburn told me mine was a prototype and all the HB 50 were made in China at different locations so that might explain the different F holes. I actually think the same places in China may have made the Ibenez model. I am always searching for another one for my son because he loves mine but so do I. I will never sell mine because it was a deal and it is a great well made guitar. The three way switch with a hummbucker and single coil is a great sound. Love the light finish on your birdseye maple mine is the red finish. One thing I have notice is how few hits you get searching on the internet and the number of years between the hits. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
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Thanks very much for that information! :D
Surprised to hear they were made in China, though - I didn't realise the big far-eastern guitar companies had started Chinese manufacture that long ago.