Washburn XB-100 Bantam Bass

Great body,"wood", and very nicely set up. Even the machines are good.

I bought this bass 3 years ago. I used it out a couple a times, and it is the best investment yet. I had to make a few mod's to it. I replaced the stock pups with "seymore duncan Bass Line". Huge diverence in the bottom end and overall tone. I also replaced the bridge with a "Badass Bassbridge 3". This thing is a bitchen Funk, Jass, Rock, Metal, Motown worior. I've Played it all with this bass and have absolutly no ambitions of stopping. Get ur self one. Make a few modes, and you won't regret it.......

The action is supurb. Get some nice GHS Mediums, and it will impress you.

Rock solid.

Abour 20.5 frets, technically 21 but I don't know how you could use the last one, 4 strings, good pickups. Nice looking, mine is glazed in blue paint. Beautiful fretboard and very nice neck, precision bass. Hell of a deal, I got a case and a pretty nice and big Randall Amp with it.

I like to play a lot of older 70's type music, and it's pretty decent for that. It is much better however for a more grungy type of music sound/newer age, which I also like playing. It can get loud if you turn up your amp and pass all the way, but I find it to be nice and not screetchy. I don't think I'd use it in the studio, but for live shows it'd be great. It takes some getting used to but is pretty nice.

Came set up great with no flaws and pickups are great.

Seems sturdy enough I guess, everything seems very good. Straps buttons are solid, needs to be tuned every 2 days atleast. Probably wouldn't gig without a backup for it, but that's just kind of a rule.

I've been playing guitar for years, and have played bass for about a year, and this is the first bass I have bought. It is an excellent beginners bass and even good for a seasoned vet. For the price I don't see how you could get much better. If I had the money I probably would have bought a real nice Fender Jazz bass or something, but this is what I had and it worked out great. If it were lost or stolen the **** would hit the fan. Simple, easy to use and great sounding

2003, made in China. Pretty straight forward and basic bass guitar. mahogany body, maple neck w/ rosewood fretboard, 20 frets. Has the standard P-Bass set up of one passive split-coil pup wired up to 1 tone and 1 volume pot. The body style is somewhat reminisent of a Jazz bass, with it's offset waist, although much smaller. Hardware is all high-qaulity, chrome sealed tuners and a nice looking bridge for a entry level bass. The neck is thin and comfy to play, but it is not finished or laminated, it's just the bare wood. The body finish is somewhat chinsey as well (mine is black)and chips easily. I'm giving it a 7 for features. Very simple and basic features but has nice hardware and serves their purpose very well.

This is were you can tell it's a "begginer" bass. First off, the tone pot was noisey as hell. I would always have to keep it all the way down to elimiate this awful buzzing sound. The PUP is very muddy and ugly sounding, no versatility whatso ever, probably good for heavy/agressive styles of music but not good for Jazz,blues,pop, ect. Under normal circumstances i would replace it with something that makes richer, smoother tones, but will keep the originals in just because it is my designated beater bass. The bass has a very bland sound/tone to it overall. Being a begginer instrument, this is understandable and to be expected. I'll give a 5, just average, not terrible, but not really good either.

Like it or not, all basses pretty much need set-up when they leave the factoy to suit the player's personal prefrance. Mine took about a half hour of truss rod adjustment and bridge work to get a nice action w/ zero fretbuzz. No complaints here, plays nicely. The fretwork is all qaulity. The nut is qaulity. The tuners and bridge are very well made and will last longer then the rest of the bass. The only thing i don't like is unfinished, grainy neck (i'm spoiled) and the neck/body joint which looks slapped together. I'll say an 7 will do.

Well, it's built like a tank. Mine has been disassembled several times, fell off stands, thrown out of a window and taken a spill down a staircase, and it's still structurally sound. The finish is not to great though, it chips very easily and simply is of low qaulity. The strap buttons need to be tighted every once in a while, but thats no biggie. I would definatly use it without back up on live gigs, granted it sounded better. overall it will get an 8.

Never dealt with Washburn personally.

I've been playing for 10 years. This Washburn is my cheapest, ugliest bass, but it is reliable, like a an old Ford pickup. It occupies a stable with an 86'MIK Fender Squire II and two Nanyo Bass Collections. I aquired this soley as a kick-around/ practice axe and it serves that purpose well. If it were stolen i would definitaly get another one. Overall, this is a good starter axe.

Made in 2003, probably in china. My XB100 body is mahogany in a cherry sunburst finish with chrome string through bridge and control knobs. The tuners are sealed types with smallish buttons. There is a passive P style split coil pickup. The neck is bolt on maple with a rosewood fingerboard. This is a simple and attractive bass with a real quality feel for the price.

The bass has a suprisingly good range of tonality - better than my Mexican Fender P Bass.

Beautifully finished and well set up. The only possible criticism is that the colours of the pieces of mahogany making up the body can be seen through the sunburst finish. I love the shape and it is a real quality bass for so little money.

Built like a brick outhouse and very well suited to gigging.

Never dealt with them.

A simple, easy to play and top class P style bass for very little money. Go on, try one.

I assume it was made very recently, chinese, just bought it.
This is the MF deal which came with a case style bag, *you can't bend it the filler is stiff* CDrom, cable, etc.
Look, this is just like any standard P bass. You know the drill. very simple design. And Classic for very good reasons.
We're not supposed to write glowing reviews, well.. BS! I couldn't find a flaw on it. Not a single screw loose or crooked, nothing.
I am not going to say, ' a lot of bass for the money ', though that's true. Because it tends to leave you with the impression this bass couldn't really stand up to a 'real' P bass, or more expensive instrument, and nothing could be further from the truth.

I'm giving it a ten for features, though it has none, really.
It's the simplest design in the world so far as I know.
I give it a ten because that's enough!

Boy howdy. sound is the thing. Plenty of power though not as strong as my Dimarzio P bass pickup.
Very nice quiet smooth broad tonal range.. complaint would be rare and probably come from someone with an uncomfortable stick projecting from somewhere on their person.
A bit of string buzz, roundwounds, easily fixed by raising only one string just a bit.
This has plenty of high end snap and bite.. but isn't harsh, and the lows are clear.. plenty of tone, I'm serious.
I'd use it for recording at home, for sure. Probably in the studio, too. Great gigging bass, especially since you could have two for this money!
If you get one with the same quality fretwork I have, and all other things being equal--which I gather from the other reviewers is probable, you'll be satisfied completely.

I have to say fabulous and give it a ten. I returned TWO Fender P Bass Specials, *jazz neck and added jazz bass pickup, p bass body* and TWO ESP basses that cost over five hundred bucks.
They couldn't come close to this Washburn in any category, ecpecially construction!
The intonation was only very slightly out..
The action was near perfect..
The pickups were set well.. no change.
Neck pocket tight as can be.

Way to go Chinese.

I've been playing forty years.. I'd gig with this, no backup, any damned time. Night after night, too, I'd bet.
Good chrome, all looks and feels solid and right.
Finish is satin natural, thin but I doubt that's a problem at all.
Strap buttons solid, like everything else.
Brand new, but don't think I'm wrong.. that something will pop up later since it's not expensive. I know the difference between crap and a good bass.
This is a good bass!

Never dealt with them.
ten by default. *s*

As I said, I'm 56, playing since I was 16.

One could dream about a beginner bass this good for almost that long, and not find one.
If you gig part time or regularly, I played mostly bars over the years, take my word for it, this plays great, sounds great, very solid.
Neck's a bit wider at the nut than a fender P bass, but not much.
I really like the feel of this guitar overall. hangs well, plays just fine.
If my son wants this instead of the ESP, I'm buying another one for me.
I love the sound, and the playablility. The solid construction compliments leos dream very well.
I think anyone with experience who trys this bass will immediately think of what it might sound like with thier fave split pickup.. or their fave bridge.. but I doubt anyone would change the tuners and the pots seem very good as well.
In short, unless it's just your own vanity and ego, you ought to try this bass package.
I'm happy as I can be.

I'm going to make a wild guess that this was made in 2005 in China. It's got 20 frets and 4 strings. Fair range for a bass. It's a solid bodied guitar with a single P-pickup. One volume, one tone. All passive, so it's really basic. Satin natural finish on my model. It's got a Fender Jazz body so it's really comfortable and has a nice look, nothing extreme (although I do like the BC Rich Mockingbird bass). A hardtail backloaded bridge makes for easy string changes. The tuners are sealed Washburns with large keys. The neck is a bit wider than say a Fender or Ibanez, but feels really comfortable in my hand. The 34 inch scale seems about basic for a bass as well. It came with a CD/ROM bass lesson and a hard case.

My style is hard/classic rock. I play alot of Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Buckcherry, and things and it sounded pretty good for what I did. Currently I'm running it through my Marshall VS100H and a vintage 30 cab. No noise fromt the pickup at all which I was shocked about. I get a pretty full range of sounds. The tone control has a sweet taper so that I don't lose full treble too early. With it around the halfway point I can cover AiC pretty well, when it's cranked I get some twang good for some styles of rock. The sound is amazing for a "starter" bass in my opinion.

The action was decent, but I had to re-adjust it anyway since I play in Dropped D. The pickups weren't too close to the strings so I had no problem there chugging away on the strings. Everything was built well. For being an import, it beats the hell outta my Epiphone LP Standard.

This bass will definitley stand live shows. It's made from mohogany, how many LPs fall apart, huh? The hardware seems solid. I might change some things out on whims, but certainly not because it's flawed. Mine had no real finish so I shouldn't have to worry about it wearing away. The strap buttons are solid as a rock. I also use Kepur straps by default. The tuners are extremely stable. I've knocked it on it's head several times and I'm still where I tuned it when I opened it. I'd have a backup with me just because it's stupid to gig without one.

N/A

I've been playing guitar for 5 years. I bought this so I could expand my sonic knowledge and it's great. I would expect this to go for around $299.99 for the quality you get from this. It's a no-nonsense bass. If you want a company with famous basses, get a Fender or whatever for more moeny, if you want a company that tries to appeal to what's cool, get an Ibanez or something. But if you want a bass that will play and has classic looks then get this. It's the best bass for it's price.

It was made in China, I generally find China makes total garbage but I guess this Chinaman had his Wheaties the morning he made this bass. I'm pretty impressed. 4 string,2 pots(vol/tone). Rosewood fretboard, maple neck with truss rod, mahogany body(I got the natural finish, which was Satin)
I was severely disappointed in the color of the finish. I expected darker when you think of mahogany. It looked like unfinished furniture. It has grown on me and we have bonded. I wouldn't trade for two black shiny ones now. Everything on this bass is smooth finish, definite attention to detail. It has a Jazz shape body so buy a guitar stand or SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!
Tuners work smooth, stays in tune.
Very thin neck- flatter(larger neck radius than Fenders) but slightly wider than a Fender Jazz bass at the nut.
Solid adjustable bridge.
Came with killer rectangle gig bag that has separate compartments like a hardshell case AND came with an e-media bass method 1 cdrom which is the MAIN thing that pushed me over the fence between the P-bass and this. The CD-rom has 110 lessons and is 60 bucks alone! I saw how good the guitar e-media cd-rom was and had to have the bass, as I'm a self-taught tightwad.
So, features for bass=5(avg) next step over a washtub and broom with strings. but a 10 for the features of THIS PACKAGE from Musician's Friend.

Sounds good as I have nothing to compare it to but I'm sure it would sound better with another jazz pickup next to the p-bass pickup. So, it's a bit limited on sound as it only has one pickup and one tone control. It suits my music style which is learning any walking riff I can. Not noisy. Full sound, guess the mahogany probably is premium material vs. alder. Pretty comparable weight, not as heavy as ash.

Action is pretty decent, not extreme low but not high at all by any means. I did have to tweak the truss rod very very small amount, as it had a perfectly straight neck when I got it(new). Everything seems lined up and fit pretty well. No flaws. I've heard of some having roughness but mine didn't suffer from this. All controls and knobs were tight. Non-adjustable pickups.

I would think this bass would last with live playing, it seems pretty solid. hardware seems solid, tuners are silky smooth, which really surprised me on a low-end piece like this.
Strap buttons are solid. Only adjusted truss rod a very small amount as the neck was perfectly straight and strings buzzed combined with my beginner skills.
I don't gig, as I'm just starting out and a hobbyist but if I did gig, sure, I'd depend on it. I take care of my crap and it seems to take care of me.

Good, I called to get the spec sheet because apparently no music shops in New Orleans seem to be licensed to sell Washburns so I couldn't SEE what I was getting. The customer service manager e-mailed the spec sheet within 5 minutes, this is initially how I found out about the neck radius being larger than the Fender. So, top notch guys. Limited Lifetime warranty, one year on whole thing. I think the lifetime warranty covers out of the ordinary stuff like the body just split open one day by itself or something.

This is my first bass. I own many guitars:Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, Oscar Schmidt OE30, 1980 Alvarez elect. acoustic 6 string, and a Sigma classical guitar(Martin off-shoot co. as Oscar Schmidt is to Washburn).
I really researched the crap out of this before I got it so I knew what I was getting into. If it were stolen, I'd get another, it's nice balenced, good starter bass. My favorite feature is the PACKAGE. For the price, I can't believe you get a 60.00 cdrom, a case and a bass for 129!!!
I compared it to a Squier Affinity P-bass,a true Fender P-bass, Fender Jazz bass, Ernie Ball Musicman bass, & Ibanez starterpack.

The XB100 is a discontinued Washburn model. 5 piece mahogany body with an overall 7.7lb light weight, maple bolt-on 34" scale neck w/rosewood fingerboard, sealed tuning keys, single ceramic P-Bass pickup, 500K mini pots for volume and tone. Well built, good materials, nothing to dislike, simpl a good P-Bass.

The stock ceramic pup has an edgey tone that's at least okay for most music - I think anyone will find it quite good and useable. I replaced it with an AlNiCo Rio Grande "Muy Grande" P-Bass pup for more punch and versatility. Also swapped the roundwounds for flatwounds, and put in new 250K CTS pots and a Switchcraft jack. A water buffalo horn nut replaced the plastic one. Now it's a *Killer* P-Bass.

As expected with any guitar/bass, the action needed tweaking. Aside from that, it was good to go - well built, well finished.

This is a simple, solid bass guitar. It'll outlast most humans.

Who could care?

I started playing bass in bands back in the 60's and my first rig was a Hagstrom P-Bass into an Ampeg B15N. This XB100 is a killer value P-Bass that will work well right outta it's supplied hard/soft case (prolly worth $50 alone). With a good setup alone it'll be ready for stage or studio. Easy to mod, lightweight, rugged and reliable. A fantastic value on all accounts. Too bad it won't be offered much longer. Even if you don't need a bass, get one of these b4 they're all gone.

well its P-bass made of "GOOD" cheap woods, i give 8 for the woods.... oh yes, includes an 30 watt washburn amp . solded for the half of the price i paid and will buy a good pickup :)

good sound and good sustain too (maybe the Mahogany body helps), the pickup work well but will change it for a better one, for a better Deep Low end.

1)well i use no effects for bass so no opinion on this,the amp is an Ampeg Ba-115 (think this amp is perfect for the P- bass Pickup)B,E,A,D tunning for jazz, rock and metal stuff.

2)No noises (from the pickup)

3)the strong (not powerfull but bery strong can be loud enough) pickp go from bright to a warm bassy sound (lack of a deep low end)

4)this girl kick ass on stage (with original pickups)don't know about the studio.

...well i like the sound its strong good tone control (nothing too die for.), but the lack of a deep low end and makes this girl deserve just an 8

1)Factory set up? well the friend in china just put the pieces together and then to the box. This is the main cause of fret buzzz all over the fingerboard.

2)After a good setup you will play a very confortable bass, with no buzzes and stuff like that.

3)Finish? exellent! well natural finish make this girl look so good..
no mayor flaws, if you have a microscope u will find some ones

a 5 for the factory setings

Great, i been playing for a lot of years this bass is the best $200 deal INCLUDES AN AMP!!! sold it by $100 now just have to decide if I Will keep this girl Passive(Duncans) or active (EMG'S).

Purchased from Musiciansfriend.com for $150 with case
Made in China
Basic short-scalle bass, lightweight, great for beginners and more.
Single split pickup.

The sound is not very deep and lacks punch, but again this is a very inexpensive bass. The pickup is weak, so an upgrade may improve the sound. I'll leave it as it is for the price I paid. Running through a bass f/x processor to add some gain fixes what the bass lacks.
The tone control works great - from trebby, slappy sound to a deep, upright-bass-like sound.

The action was high and intonation was not very good. I spent some time adjusting the neck, lowering the action and adjusting the intonation. I got it to almost perfect with minimal buzz.
As with other inexpensive instruments, not much time was spent on the setup at the factory. If you can do it yourself, it is a good bargain.

The body wasn't perfectly sanded before the finish was applied. I have no problem with that, maybe that's why so cheap.

This is where I have a problem. I had intermittent wiring problems until one day it cut off dead completely. Musiciansfriend.com exchanged promptly.
A friend of mine bought the same and was DOA, the second one after an exchange died in a few days.
Very low quality of the jacks and wiring.

Haven't dealt with them directly. Musiciansfriend.com took care of my problem.

I bought this bass for a home studio. It is very lightweight, comfortable, has the basic sounds and is inexpensive. It came with a case and even a cable - great set for a beginner.
It would have been a great buy if it wasn't for the lousy wiring (see above).
Looks cool too - from jazz night club to punk garage band.