Washburn CT2

this guitar rocks!!!!
I've owned and played many Gibson guitars in the past, and this is as close as it gets without breaking the bank!!
Grover tuners, set neck w/ bonded frets.
A true joy to play.
If you find one don't let it get away!

i bought a 1999 washburn ct2 made in korea that was in the "hot closouts" section of a well known musicians catalog. This les paul-ish guitar has a mahogany body with a mahogany set neck with an ebony fingerboard holding a standard dot inlay and 22 jumbo frets. the head holds grover tuners that have NEVER fallen out of tune even with heavy use (not including new string stretch) i've never seen another CT2 with the same color scheme, black with cream binding, chrome hardware, a very beefy soapbar bridge, and a tunomatic bridge. it came with a black leather gig bag that didn't offer much protection, and the toggle switch was broken off upon delivery.

this was my first guitar, so when i bought it i honestly had no idea what it was capable of, but now that i've been learning for a few years i'm finding myself falling into a really thich blues rock and it's moving towards a metal sound. The dual humbucker setup has a great blues/rockabilly soundwhen using the neck pickup on it's own, and the bridge pickup plays a bright jazz tone that has just the right amount of "pop" to it... both pickups in unison play a perfect warm rhythem tone for strumming natural chords cleanly. the guitar does not hum in any toggle position, but i guess the fall off is that, now that i've turned from fender amps and a fuzz tone to a marshall solid state with a nice overdrive, i'm not getting the agressive metal tones and sharp harmonics that i want... i'm thinking that there's going to be an EMG transplant for the bridge position in the near future, being that i'm not really goin in the jazz direction. bottom line: this thing is a tone machine creating lots of warm full round notes, but once out get a little more agressive it tends to come across a little soft

the initial setup wasn't changed for about a year, it was very easily playable at the skill level that i was at, as time went by and i wanted to change the action a little it was very easily adjustable with just a simple screw driver, and an allen key for the truss rod. For a stock setup this thing sounds great, it does not have the amazing electronics that the les paul has, but it does hold one thing over just about every gibson that i'v played.... the neck is perfect... my hands are a little bit thicker than the average persons , so i need a neck that allows me to move my palm freely AROUND the neck not just up and down it. I find the les pauls to bee too thick and round and that slows me down too much. the washburn, with the proper setup plays like a guitar should, flawlessly.... just wish that it had a little better electronics.

I think that any guitar can withstand live play if it's taken good care of, now obviously in my case the switch couldn't cut it, but it's probably cuz i got a really crappy gig bag that offered no protection whatsoever. the finish on the guitar is a very thick layer of paint that can hold up to just about everything save dropping it on something hard (whick i did... hehe that's how i know how thick the paint is) the strap buttons are large enough for live playand they are very solidly mounted into the hardwood body... with a hardshell case this would most definitly be road worthy, but like every guitar... strings break, even if you put new ones on before every show... there's still the chance so i'd bring a backup with me.... hmmm wonder if i can get another CT2?

never needed any kinds of service... even the broken switch is still usable, just a little short

being that i only paid 200 for it it's the greatest investment i've ever made... but even paying 750-1000 this is still major condtender when placed up against the lespaul that's a little more.... granted i'm going to have to replace a pickup for my personal ear and style but that's what makes one musician different from another. If this guitar was stolen i would first try to replace it with another CT2, but if i couldn't find another i would most definitly look to the new washburn lineup for it's replacement

made in Korea, 1999. 22 frets. quilted top and mahogany everywhere. 3 way selector, 1 volume, 1 tone, 2 humbuckers. set neck. stop tailpiece. grover tuners.

Korean made guitars have a reputation of not being on par with their US and Japanese counterparts. this guitar, i'm glad to report, is better than my Japan made Ibanez RG421 and Fender strat. It would have gotten a 7 with just the features i listed above. the Buzz Feiten Tuning system boosts it to a 9

doesnt matter what i play through. it sounds very les paul-ish. the elitist les paul crowd will probably turn their noses up on it and its their loss i say. rich/full sound all around. i actually thought the stock pickups were good (or at least better than Gibson's 490s) until i replaced them with duncan antiquities. now it can do jazz tones with better than most stock les pauls. i would've given them a 9 if i hadnt tried the antiquities. but compared to the new (which are actually old when you think about it) pickups all they deserve is an 8

beautifully set up. but i doubt if this was the way it was set up from the factory. the music store i bought it from usually makes all new guitars more presentable with a few set up tweaks. i switched strings to 11's, adjusted the truss rod and still it came out playing like a dream. definitely more playable than my old baseball-bat-for-a-neck les paul.
my only gripe is the stock bridge humbucker's polepieces completely missed the low E and A strings

everything on it seems to be rock solid. the strap buttons are rather smallish and straploks are a cheap and easy modification. still wouldnt gig without a backup though. it doesnt matter what guitar you're playing, strings break.

i hear they're terrible. but i've never had to deal with them regarding this ax so . . .

been playing for 12 years. i've had other more expensive guitars. my current stable houses an RG421, strat, les paul custom and 335. i bought this cuz i didnt want my paul to get a beating (it does cost 5 times as much) and this seemed like a great alternative. now i find myself playing this in place of my paul. its so much more playable. the Buzz Feiten Tuning system is more than just a gimmick. you can actually hear the difference (that is if your ears still work).

This guitar was made in 1997 based on the serial #. A quality guitar made in the USA by the Washburn Custom Shop. The guitar has a wicked neck with 22 medium frets and rosewood fretboard with dot markers. The guitar is solid mahogany in a baby blue color. The guitar has 2 screaming humbuckers Washburn W621 and W623. The guitar resembles a Les Paul, with the upper horn extending farther forward. Guitar has 1 tone and 1 volume control using the cool clear dials. The 3 way switch works perfectly. The guitar has a tune-o-matic bridge with stop tailpiece. The tuners are grovers, and are dead on. The Buzz Feiten Tuning System is a great addition to the Washburn line.

This Washburn is a truly professional axe. Flip the switch and you have screaming highs, but go the other end and deep bass that makes metal music melt. In the center position the pickups seem balanced, and have a warm jazz kind of feel. This guitar lets me play metal, classic rock, and get in the blues groove. Guitar weighs a ton, but you know you've got a killer axe.

I bought this guitar off Ebay, and it came set-up with low action and no fret buzzing. The pickups were perfect,and I have not had to adjust. The baby blue color is on the body, neck, and around the edges of the headstock. The guitar is 5 years old, but the only flaw is a discoloration of teh binding material.

This guitar will take you to hell and back. Everything is rock solid, although the strap buttons are small in diameter. The paint looks like it will last forever, and I would not think twice about using this guitar without a backup.

Lifetime warranty on this guitar, but I have not had to contact Washburn.

I have owned many guitars, mostly low end. This is my first top end guitar, and I know now what I was missing. I have been playing for 3 years, and without a doubt this is the best guitar I have ever owned. If it were lost or stolen, I would bust my butt to find another one. The sound, feel, and quality make this a hard guiatr to replace. I'm glad I didn't shell out a couple of grand just to be another Les Paul owner, since there is no way that a Les Paul is worth 4 times what I paid for this.