Washburn Guitars

Washburn Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer. It was established in 1883 in Chicago, Illinois. Washburn is a part of U.S. Music Corporation.

Contents

History

The Washburn guitar company started making guitars in 1883 in Chicago as a division of stringed instrument maker Lyon & Healy. Lyon & Healy was making plucked string instruments in the 1880s, with Washburn (guitars, mandolins, banjos, and zithers) being their premier line. The Washburn factory would later be involved with Delta Blues as a result of an influx of African Americans to the area in the 1920s. This type of blues would change the way blues music was played, and would also change rock and roll. This blues movement helped in the success of Washburn guitars at that time. The musicians played the guitars as well as making them by hand. The Washburn guitar and the blues movement that it was involved with are associated with Maxwell Street. This street is only a few blocks from the factory where Washburn guitars were first embraced.

Washburn makes electric guitars, acoustic guitars, electric basses, acoustic basses, banjos, mandolins, travel guitars, and amplifiers. The company also makes accessories including guitar cases, clothing, and other parts like tuners, pick ups, and straps. Washburn is mostly known for its electric guitars and acoustic guitars. The company makes eight different styles or “Series” of both electric and acoustic guitars.[1]

Washburn guitars have been gaining much recognition in recent years, particularly within the extreme metal, hardcore punk and post-rock scenes.

Guitars

Electric:

Acoustic:

Voice Contour Control

Many Washburn guitars equipped with humbuckers have a feature called VCC, which is currently available only on Washburn. VCC stands for Voice Contour Control and it is a unique system that is similar to coil tapping , in that it changes the tone of your humbucking pick-up to that of a single coil, but it does it by turning the tone knob. In doing so you get every sound from your humbucker to the P-90 to the single coil and all points in between, all without the hum normally associated with single coils. In other words, it gives the player the option of a warm/thick humbucker sound, or a thinner single coil sound at the twist of a knob. With VCC at 10 on the guitar knob, you get a fuller, thicker sound characteristic of humbucking pickups.

Notable Washburn innovations (Promotional)

Over the years, Washburn designed (patented and trademarked) several prominent guitar construction features:

Endorsers

Washburn were the first company to use the mechanism of endorsements: instrument manufacturer and famous artist secure a contract that states:

This process greatly promotes the whole industry. Beginning artists often try to copy the sound of their favourite artists and thus try to use the same equipment. Endorsements help both manufacturers and consumers: beginning artists get to know what kind of equipment their idol uses and can copy their sound easier, and companies raise sales.

The whole list of Washburn endorsers.

Product lineup

Signature models

The Culprit, with its sliced-up Explorer-style body, featured a Floyd Rose tremolo, a mirror pickguard and a pair of hot ceramic humbucking pickups with chrome cover.

References

  1. ^ Washburn History
  2. ^ Buzz Feiten Tuning System
  3. ^ Stephen's Extended Cutaway-The Washburn Days
  4. ^ Washburn Voics Contour Control (VCC)
  5. ^ Washburn PS600
  6. ^ Washburn PS800
  7. ^ Washburn PS7000
  8. ^ Washburn Paul Stanley Acoustic Guitars

External links