Washburn BT3

All I know is that the neck is rosewood & the body is maple.
I'm not used to electrics yet...

My style is round-about, pretty much any kind of music can be played on any kind of guitar, but I esp. like this one.
I'll use it with any model of amp, any suggestions?
Although it sounds great with or without one...
Not at all noisy.
Strong, yet soft sound.
I haven't found any dislikes as far as I'm concerned...
As long as it works, I'm satisfied.

When I got it, it had the name "Joe Jones" scratched behind the neck at the base, & the number 236 on the back of the head.
It had a chip in the paint, but I was the only one to use it & I've taken good care of it... kinda strange, no?

This guitar is one of the most durable guitars I've ever seen!
I hit my sister over the head with it & it didn't break like all the other ones. A VERY durable guitar, too bad the strings won't last long...

I've been playing since I was 8(8 years now).
I own a 50 year old Spanish/Japanese acoustic(EL GUITARRIA on inlaid sticker, along with model #6768, & JAPAN on bottom-right corner), also very durable, but so small...
I will not lose this guitar! My uncle gave it to me, so it's one of my most treasured possessions.
I love the style, but hate the color, plain old red, give me crimson any day. My favorite feature is it's weight. Light enough to play without a strap.
I just wish it had flames & was crimson & black, but it works, so I shouldn't complain...
This was worth $40!
This guitar is a great starter & finisher!

Not sure of the year. Bought it used in 2000 from a friend who decided she didn't really have the inclination to learn how to play. Made in Indonesia.

22 frets

Solid body

Volume, 2 tone, 5-way selector

Factory S/S/S passive pickups

Rosewood fingerboard, maple neck (assuming maple body)

Black finish, body looks kind of like a squished Fender Jazz Bass. Interesting, to say the least.

Non-locking tremolo bridge, Grover tuners.

Came with a gig bag from the music shop my friend bought the guitar from.

I play a variety of styles, and the guitar fits pretty well with most of my playing (alt-metal and alt-rock.) I use a Crybaby, a Russian Big Muff, and a Digitech RP50, running through either a Crate 2x12 combo or a Laney halfstack (depending on who I'm jamming with.) Originally, the selector switch was very noisy, but after replacing the switch, the noise stopped. When recording myself at home (running my amp directly to my computer) I've been getting crazy feedback on my distorted channel when isolating the bridge pickup. I get a pretty nice Strat sound from it. I'm debating whether or not I want to mod the pick guard and route the body to drop in a humbucker on the bridge... we'll see, though.

Factory set up was decent... come on, this is an Indonesian-made 'value' guitar, I'm not expecting perfection by any means... the pickup selector seems to be a common problem with this model. 12th fret inlays aren't even, but not a big deal to me. Wouldn't stay in tune when using the whammy bar. Not a problem now, since I lost the whammy bar a long time ago and didn't feel the need to replace it then. Honestly, a Floyd Rose would be nice now, considering how much my playing has changed in nine years. This was my first and is my only 6 string electric for now. Most of my playing was done on acoustic guitars and electric basses before I got this. I've since had it set up with a slightly lower action than the factory setup... the neck plays pretty fast. My brother preferred playing this over his Mexican-made Strat, if that says anything.

I'd wager that the guitar would hold up to live playing. I haven't gigged with it, but every gig I've played to date has been as a bassist.

After owning it for three years, I let it sit for another 2, without even looking at it (went through a bit of a slump, stopped playing entirely for about a year.) Picked it up, realized it needed some work. $40 and a trip to the luthier, and it sounded better than I remembered. Since then, all I've had to do was change strings, and even then, not very often.

The finish looks essentially the same as it did when I got it, with the exception of a single ding.

About two months ago, one of the strap buttons looked like it was going to come off. I fixed it quickly and with ease, so not a big deal.

When jamming with friends, I put this guitar through sessions that last several hours. In the nine years I've owned it, I've broken strings three times. If I play a live show with this, the only reason I'd need a backup is because I can't do a 20-second string change, were the occasion to arise.

N/A

I've been playing guitar and bass for 13 years, with my primary focus being bass. I own a Jasmine acoustic electric, an entry-level Fender acoustic, a no-name 4-string, a Peavey 4-string, an Ibanez 5-string. I can rarely buy equipment over the $300 price range, so I tend to compare when shopping for guitars. This one was an exception, because my friend was going to either sell or pawn the guitar, so I offered to buy it. Can't beat it for $120.

If they still made this guitar, I'd buy another one, definitely. I would like a humbucker in the bridge position and a tremolo system that didn't suck, but my guitar is great the way it is.

22 Frets, solid top, 2 tone 1 volume knob and 5 way selector. 3 singl coils. Rosewood fretboard. Kind of a strat style body with the butt of a fender jazz bass. standard trem bridge. came with a gig bag.

I play a lot of punk/rock stuff, and it suits the style pretty well, especially using just the bridge pickup. I use a fender princeton 65 and danelectro daddy-O distortion, sounds great with the set up. sounds pretty good for a low end starter guitar. The pickups are decent, i would recommend upgrading (I bought some new schallers on ebay for $30). The original pickups arent that bad though. the selector is a bit noisy when you switch positions. Can get a good variety of sounds from this thing, punk, hard rock, softer clean stuff, its a great starter.

I bought this guitar used and the action is pretty low, but not too low. I prefer the action to be a bit higher though. There were some high frets and buzzing so i had the frets leveled. its very easy to play.

This guitar holds up pretty well. Its sturdy and withstood my garage rocking pretty well for the past year. The finish is great and didnt even come off when i removed a few stickers i had on. I did have some problems with the strap buttons coming loose but once you tighten the screw back up they are nice and solid. Pretty dependable guitar. I probably would want a back up guitar if i was gigging with this thing though. I had to replace the jack right away, if you buy one i would suggest you do the same considering its a fairly cheap replacement.

havent had to

Ive been playing guitar a year and a half and bass for over 5. I also own a Breedlove Atlas series acoustic, a schecter deluxe 4 bass, and I just bought a Schecter S-1 plus, which is why im selling this guitar. I dont think i would have replaced this if it were lost or stolen. I do like the balance on this guitar very much, its easy to play and is very comfortable. One thing i did not like is that it goes out of tune very easy when youre using the trem. Overall a pretty good axe for the beginner or for a cheap backup guitar. once i had the new pickups in this thing rocked.

It is a 1998 Washburn Maverick BT-3, 22-fret, Solid-Top, 2 Tone 1 Volume, 5-way selector, S/S/S Washburn Pickups, Passive Electronics, Alder Body Maple Neck, Like a strat but rounder and nicer shape. Tune-O-Matic Bridge Thin neck with Jumbo Frets.

I play heavy metal, but I'm the only metalhead in my band so sometimes peaceful tunes are forced upon me. I have a Zoom GFX-707 and a Jonsson Stage 100 amp and it sounds terrific! It has a unique tone and I play alongside my friends strat and I sometimes sound better than him! Strumming sometimes sounds tinny but if you set your amp and pedal right it will be great, especially if you consider the price!

I still have the same settings that it came with and I love it! Everything was set perfectly! I've heard a lot of people complain about a noisy selector, but it's fine and switches easily between it's slots but sticks when you want it to. A very nice setup.

I've played live and i bumped it against our bass player's head and it's fine (the guitar!) and it feels soli and built to last! The finish is great and will last me forever. Believe it or not both of my strap buttons fell off within 2 weeks but this was a factory flaw. This year at the band gathering I will never consider taking a backup!

Washburn hasn't seen it since it left the factory!

I own a Jonsson stage 100 Amp and a Zoom GFX 707 pedal. Both cost more than the guitar itself and even I were given a strat I would use it only as a backup, not that I'd ever need one! I compared it to a starfire and a Ibanez, but after I played them the comfort drove me to choose the Washburn! I wouldbuy another one because you can't get anything better for the price, or R1000 more! I just wish it had slightly better pickups but that's not major, it sounds fine! If you are on a budget and need a guitar, get this one, you won't be disappointed!

1999, made in Indonesia. 22 frets. Cream color solid body. Two tone/one volume. 5 way pickup selector. 3 standard single coils.Alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard. Standard whammy. Grovers, but really needs locking tuners if you want to use the whammy. Looks like a small Strat.

I play mostly blues and pre-90's "classic" rock styles with this guitar. Play through a Carvin 212 BelAir (seriously cool tube amp...), and it gets all of the usual Fendery single coil sounds, including the spanky inbetween-pickup sounds. Hendrix, Clapton, Stevie Ray, David Gilmore, Joe Walsh - all the tones are there if you know how to squeeze 'em out. Wish the pickups were a little hotter, but hey, you get what you pay for.

Factory set-up was OK as is, but I did some tweaking to make it feel a little better. The neck is VERY comfortable. Workmanship is very good, especially for a guitar in this price range (dirt cheap). Intonation is fair.

I bought this guitar so I could use it for gigs without worrying about it being damaged, stolen, etc. A cheap bang-around kind of guitar. It does that job perfectly. And it's really lightweight, so you can wear it comfortably for a long gig. I don't bring a back-up with me.

Never dealt with them

Been playing for 20+ years. Have guitars and basses from Gibson, Martin, and Carvin. This is my "beat on it live" guitar, and it does the job well. If it were lost/stolen, I might grab another one -- can't beat the features for the money. It feels nice, it looks sharp. I would add locking tuners, a Floyd Rose, or put hotter pickups on it, but it would cost more than the guitar did...think I'll leave it be.

This is a 1999 Washburn BT3, part of its very own Maverick Series. This is a hollow body guitar, with a beautiful white finish. s/s/s Wahburn 5000 pups, Gig bag etc thrown in

I want to go into a bit of depth with this review, there are many reviews but not many which delve deep enuff into this guitar.
I have been playin guitar since i woz 11 and im now 18, i work in a guitar shop so i like to think i know wot im talkin about. I brought this guitar on a budget, and when comparing it to many of the other budget guitars available I found this to be a cut above the rest. In terms of sound the standard washburn pups that came with this guitar, were well.....poor. At anything near gig level or practise studio work these pickups produce a tinny sound, very poor quality making it practically impossible to get a sound which people actually want to listen to. I play through a Carlsbro GLX 30, a beautiful amp in my opinion, can produce any amount of tone and is easily in the high end of its class, into this i use an AX1500G Korg modelling signal processor, therefore these pickups really were just wasting my time, as soon as id saved #120 (English sterling)I wacked in a kent armstrong single coil in the middle slot and 2 Kent Armstrong Blades into the bridge and neck slots. The guitar now sings like a birdy, the hollow body provides me with beautiful "classic" sounds, and on a good day I can get equalling a Strat.

The 5 way switch selector which came with this guitar woz of very poor quality and woz very noisy when changing pickups, it also seemed a bit thin and weedy to me i woz scared of breaking it, i chose therefore to change this and for #8 fitting u cant complain. Im giving this a low mark purely for the originals settings i had, with the new pickups etc this guitar sounds beautiful with endless tone if i were to mark it on its new features i wud give it a 9 easily, its now perfect for those long solos and quick finger breakin riffs

Ive had no problem with the action on this guitar, its set up perfectly for my style, neither to high nor to low. The pickups were a bit wobbly, and i needed to raise my bridge pickup a bit as it woz been drubbed out by he other 2.
Now i have to moan. When i got this guitar the bridge pickup failed to work, Washburn had infact installed faulty wiring to this pickup and it failed to make any noise at all. Afta fixing this problem I found that the original five way pickup selector did not select the bridge pickup every time, "wiggling" with the selector woz the only way i cud select the bridge pickup, how do Washburn fail to notice these problems????
And now for the good things, the neck on this guitar is amazing, one of the reasons i invested in it. It compares with the best and is so amazingly comfortable, anybody buying this guitar is a bargain in the neck itself. The fretting woz fine and the beautiful white glossy finish will neva wear off. I cannot flaw this guitar on its appearence, i fell for it.
Every so often i have to tighten my tuning pegs as they become loose and vibrate, and my strap nut has only come out once. But nothing that cant be fixed easily.

I have gigged with this guitar on many occasions without a back up, and have complete faith in it. I am more worried about a powercut during playing than this guitar faultering. The finish on this guitar will neva wear off, i really woz quite impressed by it.

Ive had no dealings but wud on one occasion liked to have ripped mr washburns balls off, i cant see how the pickup fault went unnoticed.

I have been playin for 7 years, I use this guitar through an AX1500G korg effects board into a 30watt carlsboro GLX30 amp. This guitar suits my playin style perfectly, the neck and sound is beautiful from anythin form the blues to rock.
If this guitar broke i wud purchase another one, but i wud once again invest in new pickups and a new selecter.
I wish it had a floatin trem, that wud top it off nicely.
This guitar if u have a fiddle with it and replace the pickups is a beauty, a real bargain, i wud buy it ova any guitar in the price range of #600, anything ova that u cant really compare it with for obvious reasons, it will neva be a PRS or a strat.

Im they guy from Sudbury, Ontario who bought this guitat from Jett Landry This is the worst guitar Ive realize this now as time goes on. Im still keeping it but im never buying a washburn product again. Go with ESP or something more heavy duty. Its been nothing but trouble since Ive owned it. Its not as durable as you think.A few months ago I didnt know much about guitars but now I do. If you own a BT3 keep it and by something else unless you want to replace the bridge pick up with a SEymour duncan Hot Rail

Not the best
Boss MT2 Medal Zone mainly
Its noisy with the selector but thats normal witn single coils
Yea Right
Its good for Rhythm Playing...only in my opinon
Unreliable neck moves around quite often. Anything Higher then a 50-14 gauge strings the guitar goes wacko.

It had alot of dents and scratches when I got it. Its showing wear and tear already. The selector has got to go. My G string tuner has a mind of its own and the nut its just f**ked. the frets towards the nut are coming off the fret board as time goes on. Well you get what you pay for. Im going for a ESP SC500 LTD Guitar Its gonna cost me a little over a Thousand Canadian but I know its worth it. Very durable guitar

Probably not
possibly on another guitar
i dunno
no not quite
no
I would most definitely use a back up guitar with this

6 years
Should I take a friends advice about what to buy
I would get something else
Yes. My buddys Samick S series played better and he paid less for it
I wish it had a tun-o-matic bridge system with at least a humbucher
No I think Ive said enough

The electronics and hardware are basically a standard strat configuration.

Not too good. Doesn't do clean as good as my strat, doesn't raunch as good either.

BAD factory setup. Action was too high, frets were real rough. This guitar is awkward to play because it is short from top to bottom, like it was built for kids or something.

It took about a week for the strap button to fall off.

I've been playing for 29 years. I also have a Washburn acoustic D10 whose action also sucks, a strat that's - well - a strat, a 70's Lyle f-hole semi that's the best player I've ever picked up, and a Gretsch solid body.

Folks, if you want a guitar this cheap go with the Fender Squier strat. The whole Washburn Maverick line nothing but trash, basically toy-quality. It's offensive even. If someone wants to buy mine they can have it cheap. The only reason I haven't sold it so far is because my 3yr old likes to bang on it.

Japan (1998)
22 frets
Solid top
volume, 2 tones, 5 way selector
S/S/S
(Washburn)WB 200 Series
Passive Electronics
Maple Body and neck I believe
Transparent finish
I has a warped fender strat look, short handed,the machine head really adds character
Tune-o-matic Bridge
Non-locking tuners-Unknown Brand
Thin frets, Rosewood fingerboard
Included accessories: Case, 2 Excalabur Cables, Standard Strap(had already), Seiko chromatic electronic tuner, dust cleaning cloth and truss rod and saddle allan key

My music style is hard rock to death metal and it suits it fine since Im a rhythm guitarist. I use samick, fender and Marshall Amps with a Boss Metal Zone pedal. It isn't noisy at all to me since I've owned it. My guitar is second hand and was well taken care of before I owned it. The sound it quite full and rich but occasionally you get the buzz of the string but I can't pick it up on my pedal. My only dislike is the bridge. My preferences is floating bridges but i dont plan on changing the original set up of my washburn. Who knows since it is discontinued, it may go up in value depending on condition. I grown attached to my washburn. The first night I got it I slept with it beside me. Its a great guitar.

The action was a little high but I got my saddles and truss rod adjusted which changed it alot. The pickups were set up great no flaws in that. The only flaw was one poorly filed fret wire on the 3rd fret which I got repaired for no charge. Fore some reason the was a flaw in the finish. little pits on the face of the guitar which I was told was there when the last owner got it. The pickup selector cuts out on certain settings. Sometimes you have to wiggle it to make it work.

I already preformed and It had no effect on the durability of the guitar. I notice the strings on this set up of guitar are quite flexible on any gauge. I use 11 to 46 gauge and plan to go to 50 gauge at least. I plan on putting in seymour duncan single in to replace the wb 200 series standard with most BT3's. The finish is fine with abuse but I dont give it much of that anyways. The strap buttons are fine but a couple of times I had to help support it with duct tape. Probably because I need a new strap. I can Depend on it enough to say that it is my number one guitar and I would most definitely use it for a gig with out a back up.

I never bothered to check the warranty but I get my guitar repaired usually for free. Only for adjustments only. I have to pay for replacement parts. Its hard to find a guitar like this in my area. there is only one washburn dealer that I know of in my region.

Ive been playing for 5 years on an acoustic guitar.
I needed to get a new hard drive for my computer but instead I bought a Washburn Guitar.
I would probably get something else because I like to try new things but I would most definitely stay with washburn. I like guitars with unique sounds. It give you a sense of standing out amongst the fender and samick owners and there strats. IT probaly is my set up but I put it up to a fender strat and my washburn over ruled all.
I wish My guitar had at least one double coil pick up standard with all BT3's Its a little downfall but I got a great deal.

It was made in Indonesia, in 1998, it has 22 frets, solid top, 2 tone one volume, 5 way selector. 3 single coils,pasive electronics.
Rosewood neck, maple body
satin black
is a maverick series
The original bridge was a tune o matic, but I change it to a Floyd Rose
The tuners are Grover
the frets are jumbo

it sounds great with Heavy Metal music
With a Fender amp and zoom 505 II great sustain
It a little bit of noisy but great sounding
Bright and clean sound without distortion
I don't like the sound of the first way it sounds very dirty

the pickups are just plain but well adjusted

I had the since 1998 and with the use it had is very good and I mean VERY good for all the live playing we've been playing

Well the customer support didn't have to worry about it

Just Like having a Strat