Product: Washburn AB-90
Price Paid: US $599
Submitted
01/14/2005
at
07:53pm
by
ray
Email: none
Features
:
10
2004 Wasburn AB-90 Semi-acoustic 4 string bass. The 34" scale jazz bass like neck has 21 medium frets perfectly dressed, creme binding on sides and headstock. Nice inlays on rosewood fretboard and headstock. The neck is glued in with easy access to the highest frets, and has small Grover tuners. The finish on the neck and body is an excellent black laquer over maple. The single cutaway body also has creme bindings around all edges and the f holes. Excellent chrome tailpiece and tuneamatic bridge. The passive electronics are 2 EMG humbuckers. There is a vol and tone for each. There is also a 3 position toggle switch located on the left bout. Came with a very nice Washburn gigbag.This bass is made in Korea, and is the best quality bass I've ever owned or seen from there. (I've owned a Epiphone Jack Casady and a Brice Jazz 5) This bass is a fantastic value awesome quality, playability, looks and sound for the price.
Sound
:
10
Wow, I have this strung with Pyramid Gold Flatwounds and it has a huge fat sound. With the 2 pickups you can get real thumpy or have a brighter edge. I haven't tried it with roundwounds, but flatwouds and a semi-acoustic are made for each other. I've owned a few other semi-acoustics: a longscale 98 Epiphone Jack Casady, 50's Kay shortscale, 60's harmony shortscale, and a 65 Hofner Beatle bass. The Washburn plays and sounds better than all of them. The intonation is perfect right up to the 21 fret, that doesn't happen on a shortscale. I've used it live thru my Eden/Mesa rig on a blues gig and it's a lot thicker than my Fender P. Great for swing. This is primarily a finger style bass, but also sounds cool with a felt pick.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
The finish and build quality are _ucking unreal. I own or have owned some really high-end basses and this is as good as my Modulus and better than the F bass or Warwick I had. The black laquer finish, and inlays are fantastic. I usually don't like most laquer finishes on necks but this isn't sticky at all, really fast. I owned a Epiphone Jack Casady and the build quality on the Epiphone is alot cheaper (cheaper tuners, electronics, hardware and a crappy finish). The Washburn is actually less expensive than the Epiphone and has more versatility for sound. The action is low with not a single buzz.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
I don't think any semi-acoustic bass can take the abuse that a solid body can. But of all the semi acoustic basses I've owned this is definetly the best built. Top Grover tuners, tunematic bridge, heavy chrome tailpiece. The finish looks like it can last forever.This bass is so nice you wouldn't want to abuse it.I always carry a back up bass.
Customer Support
:
10
I bought this new/used from Bass Northwest and they shipped it nicely packed and setup perfect. Thanks guys !
Overall Rating
:
10
If you want a great looking and sounding semi acoustic bass, this is definetly the best value on the market. Way better for the money than the Epiphone Jack Casady piece of poo. The long scale plays better than those short scale Hofners (way too pricey) and has just as much versatility and sustain as the Lakland Hollowbody I tried( it's a bolt-on ?). The finish and the inlays make this one classy stage guitar. The jazz bass neck is fast and comfortable and the bass balances great on a strap, way better than a Epiphone or a Hofner. The EMG pickups are fat and quiet. This bass is one of the nicest I've ever owned and I've owned alot.
