Washburn XB-105

Black, 5-string, passive, one P-style P/U. Not much to it. I bought this bass used and I think it was played fairly hard as the frets were ground down with actual string winding grooves etched into them. The P/U's also had these winding grooves on them. I don't know how someone can play that hard.

The sound is not real versitile, but it does the trick for my purposes. I use this as a backup to my Warwick LX5, and for my guitar player to play, when I switch to guitar, he is not real kind to instruments,so better to give him my Washburn instead of my Warwick.

I just ripped out the frets and turned it into a fretless 5 bass. This bass is pretty ideal for this conversion because the rosewood fretboard is nice and thick and should wear well. This is an easy conversion, and I recomend it. Just heat up the frets with a soldering iron a little at a time, and pry out the frets with plyers, you may have to list the fret a little with a knife to get it started. It's a piece of cake, just take your time. Sand the fretboard smooth with some 220 grit sand paper and bingo your done. You may have to lower the nut a bit too. Just pry it out and sand down the bottom then reinstall.

It's OK, some gap in the neck, but pretty good otherwise. The nut sucks. The tuning keys are good, and the bridge is pretty sturdy.

Obviously this bass has put up with a lot of abuse without any problems.

N/A

I originaly bought this bass as a backup to my Warwick LX5, and as a bass that I could take on the road. (I travel alot for my job). It was so cheap, I coundn't pass it up, and now that I have converted it to fretless, it's awsome.


Feel free to email me for help with de-fretting etc.

This is an update for the previous review:

Replaced stock pickups with EMG P5's and put a Badass II Bass Bridge on it. New jack and control knobs.

This bass sounded just ok with the stock parts on it; nothing too impressive. I carved some pretty cool looking flames on it after I grinded off the finish and while I was at it, I changed a lot of parts. The EMG P5's really bring this bass to life. There are many different tones available and all of them are easy to get at. The pickups give it the good ol' P-Bass rumble but with a lot more juice coming from the bass. Probably not a good choice for slapping/popping but it sounds heavenly for finger-style or picking.

More or less, I guess this is a review for the pickups. I highly recomend the EMG P5's for this bass. You won't even recognize your own bass after you put them on. It's like a completely different instrument.

With the new pickups and parts, it's just as good as any higher priced bass. This is the second cheap bass that I've modified and I'm starting to see a trend: buy a decent cheap bass and swap some new parts for the old, and you'll have a bass that is as good or better and still cost less than a brand new expensive one.

1 tone, 1 volume, single P-bass pickup, pretty easy and basic. 20 frets, alder body, and maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. Tuners are pretty nice, the nut sucks, the bridge is crap, original finish was a nice "can't-go-wrong" black but I changed that. Upper register seems out of tune at times so the neck may need re-adjusting.

Actually...this bass has a pretty decent sound to it. The pickups are crap (anyone who uses a single precision pickup for a 5 string is either stupid or cheap) and have a very unimpressive output. The B, open E, and G strings are quieter than the upper E, A, & D strings. However, with the help of an EQ (cheaper than a new bass) you can even it out. Great for any genre of music with a warm, rumbling sound. I have a Boss CE-2 and an old Acoustic 360 with an Ampeg 8x10 and I don't have any complaints about it yet.

Well, to tell the truth the finish was great at first. Then, after about 3 months of hard playing I noticed some wormings (from belts or rivets on jeans) and scratches. The action was a bit high from the store but I fixed that with no problem. Some of the fretwire on the middle portion of the neck was sticking out so I filed it down. To make a long story short, the paint on it deadens the sound. They used a cheap yet durable clearcoat which is great at killing sustain and tone so I grinded it off. My bass now looks like shit but it sounds like a bass should sound.

Pretty reliable. I'd never gig without a backup because of those worst-case scenarios that always happen when you're not prepaired. The jack needs to be replaced because it doesn't hold the phone plug as firmly as I'd like it to. The hardware is pretty standard equipment and as long as you don't leave it in a humid place it will be fine.

Washburn has a very friendly customer support department. They are one of the friendliest of the larger corporations out there which isn't saying much considering the coldness of the money-grubbing businesses. However, I needed to replace the bridge and all the stores wanted $20 more than it was worth. I talked to Washburn and they sent me a bridge for one of the high-cost models at wholesale cost. So that was cool.

This thing is not the greatest bass but it has potential. I think if just about everything were replaced then it would be an excellent instrument, but that defeats the point of a budget now doesn't it?

Check out washburn. Got a cheap 'n cheerful gigbag. As far as im concerned, does what I want it to!

Im a metal player and I needed a cheap 'n cheerful recording bass. Exactly that! Pretty full sounding DI'd, no problems.

No problems. I wouldnt have any quarms about using it live, no flaws.

Reliable enough for what I paid. I just want to record bass tracks!

uh, ok

Mainly a guitar player for around 11 years. This is my first bass cuz im doing some recording now. Plus, its fun to noodle round on. Should suit fine for any beginner or recording bass.

China? 2000. 20 frets. 2 controls, 1 tone, 1 volume. 1 p-bass pickup...major mistake! Passive. Kinda washburn's version of P- J- bass. Bolt on neck.

My style is punk and metal, but I'm all over the fret board and this bass is not condusive to "noodling". The pickup absolutely SUCKS! The D and G string are barely aubible compared to the B, E and A. Can't beleive I wasted my $ on this piece! The action was way too high. Had to have it set up once I got it, then had to shim the neck! Action still sucks. Pissed at myself for shelling out the $ for it. Very light "No Mass" cheap bass....you get what you pay for.

Action: SUCKS...see above
Fit: SUCKS...see above
Finish: The only good quality about this bass!
The fact that a 5-string comes equipped with only 1 p-bass pickup should tell you something....obviously I didn't listen!

Actually....I give it a pretty good thrashing and it takes it. I would not ever own another...not even as backup.

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I've owned Rics, Deans, Fenders, other Washburns, Epis...shit you name it. Play through a hartke 350watt through a carvin 18 speaker and a peavey 2-10 cab. my bad ass set up can't make this thing sound good! The fact that the D and G strings don't come through well, just really pisses me off!