Washburn A-20V Stage Series

Ialways thought it was an AV-20 but I may be wrong and it is the A 20-V...ANyhow I bought mine in 1985, used, from the music store with a Kahler Wammy bar...I just loved it. It is american made axe and sweet as honey. I recently gave it to my 8 yr old son for xmas and I bought a Sheraton II (absolutely a tremendous guitat) and I always loved it. A beautiful neck and touch to this axe. Very fast! My only complaint would be the stock pickups area little muddy for rhythm but the guitar just swells. Has sustain like my Les Paul but different. A very heavy guitar but that's what gives it it's distinct sound. This guitar is a winner and no wonder why Carlos Cavazo loved it so much. I rate this guitar a 9 out of 10. If you ever see one pick it up....My son loves it too! I may want it back in the future (only kidding). I love the neck thru body design and I did a lot of gigging with this bad boy. It was tops in my axe line up. I own 3 Gibsons, (Flying V, Explorer, and a Les Paul) and this guitar has a unique sound in comparison. I used it on many recordings and was always pleased with the sound and integrity of the guitar. This guitqar is a sleeper and a fine chunk of wood. Love it!

Beautiful sound...a little muddy for rhythm but sweet on leads. This guitar is sweet. All pots are as nice as the day I bought it. Never had any problems with the hardware. Setup is sweet. Very fast and I like the wide neck. Great for doing digs and harmics. Sustain is amazing. It is a very heqavy guitar like a Les Paul...actually heavier than my Gibson Les Paul.

What can I say. Fit and finish are on par with Gibson custom shop. Everything on this girl is perfect. Loved the Wham bar, but I would prefer a Floyd Rose vs the Kahler, althought the Kahler is a little smoother and easier to do dives with. Sweet!

I have owned mine for 24 yrs without any interventions. It rocks dude. That says it all. I plyed it for yewrs live and it still stands the test of time!

I wish there wqas more info on this axe....It's very confusing to get info on this Washburn.

I love this guitar. I have been offered Strats for trade and I have never taken the offers. This guitar is a sweetheart and real bulldog. It's hardcore and I would recommend it to anybody...you won't regret it. Rock On Brothers!

Neck-thru explorer(ish), dual humbuckers with with independent tone and volume with push/pull coil splits, three-piece 22 fret v-shaped maple neck, ash wings with flamed two-piece maple top, ebony fretboard with brass washer-shaped inlays, strat-style tremelo with string-thru-body, sealed tuners, brass nut, full binding. Made at Matsumoku around 1984.

I play classic hard rock and metal through an older Marshall Valvestate 4x12, no effects. It sounds very professional. It has it's own character and a ton of range. It can scream, sing, howl, quack, pop, crunch, whatever you're after. You would be one picky guitar player if you couldn't find a sound that works. The sustain and harmonics are as good as anything I've played, and I've played all the usual $2,000-$5,000 guitars. If you're into speed picking and trills, you'll be very pleased. I also like the coil splits for playing clean - makes a strat sound like a toy IMO.

The neck is almost perfect. It's faster and more comfortable for my big hands than a USA Rhoads. The shape helps place your fingers in the right spot, and the fretboard is slightly tapered. My fingers don't have to go out of their way until about the 19th fret. The frets are the perfect height to me; you can feel where you're at, but they don't tangle you up. I'm still working out the action, (the factory set-up is long gone, of course) I can't get it exactly where I want and keep all the buzzes out lower down, but it's close enough. I might replace the nut in the near future. Locking tuners are also in order, as a couple of these are showing their age. It's a little neck-heavy, but you don't notice so much the way your arm rests on the body. My only other dislike is the upper protrusion that jabs me in the stomach sometimes. A 'V' version of this would be perfect for me.

It feels tight and solid after 23 years and it lives up to Matsumoku's reputation. The finish looks like it's taken some shots, but held it's own, all the binding is still intact, and the electronics work perfectly and look unmodified. It could definitely withstand live playing, and probably has.

Been playing for 14 years (half my life). I also have a '78 Aria Pro II LPC copy, a '58 Dano/Silvertone U1, and a cheap Alvarez accoustic. I might get into collecting Japanese guitars, as the Aria is no slouch either. But this is definitely my main guitar if I ever get back into a band, and I would sefind myself another one if it were stolen.

Ich habe die Gitarre seit 1980. Neupreis 600 Euro
Finish: Riegelahornfunier, cherry red sunburst
Body style: ??hnlich Explorer
Bridge style: Feste Br??cke. Seiten werden durch den Korpus gef??hrt
Korpus aus Esche
Durchgehender Hals aus Mahagoni, Ebenholzgriffbrett, 21 B??nde
Messingsattel, Messingeinlagen im Griffbrett
Gute Mechaniken
2 Humbucker, 2 Push-Volume Potis, 2 Ton Potis, 3-Wege Schalter
Brigde: SD SH4, Neck: SD Alnico Pro II
Eine wundersch??ne Gitarre!

Ich spiele haupts??chlich klassische Rockmusik. Dies Gitarre ist sehr vielseitig und klingt einfach klasse. Es sind verschiedenste Sounds m??glich.

Die Gitarre kam bestens eingestellt aus dem Laden. Die Bespielbarkeit ist wunderbar. Habe viele verschiedene Gitarren ausprobiert. Es ist mir diesbez??glich noch nichts besseres unter die Finger gekommen.

Die Gitarre ist sehr solide und sauber gebaut. Die Gurtpins sind f??r einen richtigen Einsatz zu klein und sollten in gr????ere oder Lockmodelle ausgetaucht werden.

Habe noch keinerlei Erfahrungen diesbez??glich da die Gitarre immer einwandfrei funktionierte.

Ich spiele seit 25 jahren Gitarre und habe das Gl??ck diese Traumgitarre zu besitzen. Allerdings sollten kleine Ver??nderungen (Pickups, Gurtkn??pfe) durchgef??hrt werden. Ist aber glaube ich bei allen Instrumenten diese Preisklasse nichts ungew??hnliches. Die Originalpickups waren gut aber insbesondere am Steg zu brav.

I bought my Washburn A-20V guitar used in 1987 for $500.00. I don't know what year it was made or where it was made. It is a neck-through, red-orange sunburst, cream outlining, brass circle inlays, rosewood fretboard, with a Floyd Rose Tremolo and locking nut. It has 24 frets. I put a EMG 81 active pickup in the bridge position and a trembucker in the neck position.

I used it for metal, I play through a Randall RM4 now, but it sound good through any amp I've had over the years. Great tone and feel.

It is the best playing guitar I own. The action is perfect. It stays in tune and takes a beating.

It is a tank, I can through down all night and it will take it. The wood is solid, I use strap locks and never had any problems with the wood giving out like some of my other guitars. Very dependable.

Never had any tech problem with this guitar.

I've been playing since 1983. I have another 1984 Washburn, a Schecter C-7 7 string, a Ibanez 7 string, a Italia Modulo, and an Alvarez Acoustic. If my Washburn A-20V got stolen my life would never be the same.

my guitar has 22frets two humbuckers brigde humbucker is a seymour dncan jeff beck the color is silver sparkle its an explorerstyle solid body

the sound is ideal for rock and heay metal i use a behringer v-amp a dunlop cry baby and a national amp

i'm 12 years old. I play one year guitar i would buy if it's lost a epiphone sg in cherry red

Push pull controls give a huge variety of sounds.

Mine has a tiger maple top over a mahogany body so the classic les paul sound can be achieved easily. Toggle to the neck pick-up and pull up on the coil spilt and you get classic texas blues sound, a la Stevie Ray!! Ultra versitile.

I've owned the guitar for over 20 years, having purchased it from the original owner, Jon Butcher. The guitar was brought on tour with him in the early eighties and stood up well. Nothing about this guitar has gone wrong. EVER !!

This guitar is bulletproof. See my comments regarding action, fit and finish.

Never had to contact customer service.

I've been playing for over 20 years. In 1984 I sold a Guild S-250 to a friend and promtly looked in the local ads for a Washburn A20. It was THE coolest guitar at the time, and I was able to locate one near Boston. As luck would have it, the seller was Jon Butcher. Jon would go on to become a fairly successful national act. He had received the guitar from Washburn as a perk, with hopes he would sign on as an endorser. For those who are familiar with him, he was a Strat guy, so this guitar was about as far from his personal preferences as you can find. The guitar was modified by Jon as the original Wonderbar tremelo was replaced by a VERY Early Kahler (so early it states that the Patent is Pending- there is no number on it). The locking tremelo combined with the overall solid feel made this my main guitar for years. It could use a good going over as the pots are starting to crackle a bit, but all in all a fantastic guitar. If you can find an original buy it.

Way back in '81 I bought a blonde flame maple coloured A20-v from Chris Kinman Guitar Craft in Brisbane (now he makes amazing pickups) Neck through body, 2 humbuckers, coil tapping, vintage style tremelo, brass nut and fret marker perfect binding and that beautiful compact explorer style. It had everything a boy could want and played soooo well. I was a student at the time though and sold it to a friend six months later to pay some bills...he said he'd sell it back to me when I had the cash but once he owned it, he wouldn't sell it back....so in '82 I bought another one from Chris, this one in metallic sky blue which was just as perfect...it was stolen a couple of years back, and I'm still trying to get over it.

You could play anything on this guitar....jazz, country, thrash...whatever, the pickups were just that good. single coil got you a nice tele or strat sound...but push the pots back in and it would kick like a mule. It looked cool too and so you lost no credibility weather you played with the jazz boys or in your local goth pub.
Will admit not to everyones taste though.

I've owned 2 and both were faultless...no, really!
Someone actually designed a guitar that sounded like anything, designed it to sustain like anything...with all the features you could want, in a tasefull way (remember all of those guitars of the time with millions of nobs and switches...Yuck) and the neck profile was a very comfortable vee shape

I used one regularly for nearly 20 years and it always sounded and played great. It only ever had 1 fret job and the 3 way switch replaced once...and in that time I had 2 wives that weren't that reliable... yes, whoever has it now is very lucky to have it to play...but if I ever catch them that will not be so lucky....

in all those years I never needed it...if building something so well is part of customer service then I have to give top marks...

If it were stolen or lost?.....well I can tell you first hand I want to replace it...if only I could find a good one....hardtail or vintage style trem (not the floyd rose style "quiet riot" one) any colour (preferably cherry or tobacco sunburst) needs to be a good one and I'll pay accordingly...if you have one or know someone that has a good one...

I bought this second hand about 20 years ago. It is made in Japan. Two volume, two tone and coil splitting. Twin Washburn humbuckers. It has a neck through body design. It is cherry sunburst with a heavy gloss laquer finish, very durable and in excellent condition considering its age. It has a brass nut which seems quite rare by todays standards.

I am an ordinary guitarist. When I bought this I was still taking lessons. My teacher saw it and wanted to buy it from me. I had a Tempo strat copy which was a toy. I could not beleive the acton of this and how easy it was to play. The bridge pick up has a great rich humbucker sond and up until now (I am buting a Marshall Valvestate 2000 50 watt head which will run through a home made twin cab with a Vintage thirty and a Greenback. However up until now I have had a Peavey Bandit which was a thrash box and currently a Marshall MG50DFX. Despite the modest amplification this guitar will always give a good crunchy driving sound. The neck pick up is not as great. It sound weak for rythym but sounds quite nice for overdriven lead al la Santana smooth. I am looking forward to playing through my new set up. The neck through body gives excellent sustain and te cut away gives access to the highest frets. I have not found much else that allows such ease in this area. I love Les Pauls but after trying some in shops I dont think could do what I do so high up with their bulky neck heels.

The action is flawless. I played with a PRS a while back and the action of my A20 gave nothing away. Considering I paid $260 Australian dollars it is a bargain. It is beautifully built, service guys in shops and anyone who knows guitars always comment when they see it. The machine heads hold tune quite well. Some of the harware, the bridge particulary has oxidized (over twenty years).

I have not been a performing player but have recently started jamming and playing a few parties. The guitar has therefore not seen a particularyl had life and I look after it well. Having said that it is built like a brick shithouse and would stand up to life on the road. Even so I could not see the point in treating it roughly. I have had no problems with any hardware or electrics or switches etc. It works as perfectly as the day I bought it.

Never had to trouble them. My local guitar shop sets it up once a year.

I started playing over twenty years ago. I stopped for about 15, just fiddling around every now and then. I have resumed with a vengeance and am playing with a group of friends in a band. currently run through a Boss super overdrive, Boss Equalizer, Digitech Rp200 and a Marshall MG50DFX. I cannot bear to imagine life without this and despite the fact I will probably but an Epiphone Explorer for D tuning, I cant imagine using anything else as my primary guitar. In fact if I could get a good one of these I would buy another. A freind of mine who owns about 8 Les Pauls used to have an A20 but sold it. He then had a copy custom made. I love its playabiltiy and sond . I also love the look of it. Some people like the vintage look. I like this. I have often thought of getting a whammy bar fitted but am too scared of stuffing up the action. Whammy bars are for guitar heros anyway and Im not one of those. It is heavy but thats about the only down side. If you ever get a chance to get your hands on a good one of these grab it.

Early 80's Explorer style, in blue with off-white banding.
Twin humbuckers & trem. Coil tapped controls.
High quality fixtures and fittings.

Zero noise, very clean sound. With the coil taps you can get a superior strat sound or with full on huckers a real crunch.

No setup done since purchase from House of Guitars who were selling the geetar on behalf of a private collector.
Low action, no string buzz, fast, and wonderful harmonics, nevr goes out of tune even when excessive trem used.
A couple of nasty chips, that probably happened when an over excited metal merchant dropped it on stage.

It's over 20 years old, and looks set for another 20. I would not hesitate in gigging it, and don't mind lending it out to mates!

n/a

Been twanging years, mainly for own amusement.I'm looking for an Ibanez Artist, Yamahan SG200 and a 61 SG, and and ES335. I have no intention os selling my A20-V, don't be fooled by 80's heavy metal poser looks - this a seriously good axe.

I purchased my 1980's Washburn A20-V Stage Series new in 2000 from a reputable dealer and old friend. He had two of them identical that had been hanging in his shop for close to 20 years. It was immaculate, mint condition and still is as I only play it on special occasions. When not in use it remains in it's case. I believe it has a set neck and that the neck and body are either maple or mahogany with an ebony fretboard and jumbo frets. The body is similar to a Gibson Explorer or Firebird, possibly a cross between them both. It's antique white with black binding and hardware. The push / pull pots, three way toggle and stock washburn pickups allow for a vast selection of tones. Unlike any other trem system on the planet, the Washburn 2001 or Wonderbar and string lock above the nut are absolute genius. I can dive down low, Pull it up high or play straight without any of the distortion or garble that you get with other trem systems that tend to move while you're playing chords.

I can get jazzy, funky, hard rock and bluesy tones with this guitar and some relatively inexpensive equipment. I'm still a big fan of stomp boxes, I use a Danelectro Daddy-O, Cool Cat, Corned Beef and Tuna Melt, and also a DOD Hard rock distortion with digital delay. I play through a Washburn SX60C amp or my homemade Homegrown Tone which is a 1970's Univox 50 watt amp head made by T. Gianinni in Brazil lnked up to a 1960's Jensen Alnico5 50 watt Speaker with bell housing and both mounted into an old leather suitcase. The blues doesn't get any better than that!

The guitar had absolutely no flaws, a glass finish! When I bought it it had been hanging around for roughly 20 years so, yes I had to have it professionally set up for myself. A task that was easily conducted and proved this instruments worthiness among the big dawgs of guitars.

I could depend on this guitar to play straight through the fires of hell and back. It's rock solid!

Washburn is generally very good to deal with. The warrantees that they extend they do honor no matter how long you've owned the instrument, It's a limited Lifetime Warrantee against manufacturing defects. The only problem that I have with Washburn is that they cannot seem to accurately date this guitar because my serial number does not fit the standard process. They could have kept better records.

I have been playing for 30 years. My other equipment are a 1990 Washburn KC40-V, 1990's Lyon by Washburn Strat, 1999 Washburn D42SCE, 2003 Oscar Schmidt by Washburn OE3, 1950's Kay Accoustic, 1975 Gibson L6-S and a 1989 Squire II by Fender Strat. My A20-V is definetly my favorite. For the condition that it's in and at the price I paid, I could never afford replace it as much as I would want to.