Washburn HB35

1983 HB35 TS made in "Japan"...not Korea, not China. Verified by Washburn. The Japanese quiality is very apparent when compared side by side to the Korean models. Bought used over internet from a obscure music store for $395 including shipping and hardshell case. If you guys loved the Korean models for the price, you would cream over the early Japanese models.

10 for sound. I once owned a 1962 Gison ES-330 with p-90s and this was every bit as sweet even with the humbuckers. I mean every bit. Feed back is much less of a problem than with the Gibson.

I have no idea how the factory setup was. It was almost 20 years old when I got it. Dropped it off at local shop for setup and had 10's strung and when I picked it up, Wooowww!

The action is unbelievable for the price.

I don't play professionaly but I'm sure this guitar would not have a problem with performance. The hardware is very good except for the gold fading in places on the bridge. The finish of the guitar is wonderful and should hold up as any other guitar with proper care.

Sent and email to Washburn inquiring about the serial number. To my surprise, I got a reply about a week later. No other dealings but I give a 9 simply because they did not blow me off like reported by others.

I have been playing off and on, mostly off for 35 years. I currently have a 1997 Fender American Standard Strat and a 1976-77 Aria PRO II Matsumoku setneck Les Paul. The Fender and Aria are very very good but the Washburn edges both out IMHO.

I played the current year model of the HB35 and was very impressed. That is why I decided on taking a chance and buying this guitar sight unseen except photos. I'm glad I did because I got an instrument that was measurably better than the new Washburns I played.

If it were stolen or lost, I wowuld try to find a like replacement. I'm pretty sure I could not replace it tick for tack with the Korean made instrument.

Built in 2002 with a laminated flamed tigerstripe top and back. With it's V-shaped neck it feels like a fifties guitar and sounds like a dream. This guitar has looks, electronics, sounds and details which are all great.

I play rock, blues and jazz and this guitar will fit into all these styles. With the use of a tube amp you'll get a very nice mellow tone. With the use of 0.11 or even 0.12 strings jazz is in your reach as well. The neck pick up sounds a bit boincky at higher volumes.

I didn't chance the set-up one bit, so the set-up was really great. But this might be done by my dealer. All details are great so 5 stars all the way.

After playing one year, this guitar sohws to be very reliable. I didn't even break one string yet.

I contacted Washburn one once, and they reacted by email within two days.

Whoa! What a great buy! I could not have wished for a better guitar below one thousand dollars. Look no further and get yourself one. You will get the hang of it within one week and pick it up time after time. I have compared it with a Ibanez AS-120 with sloppy details (topnut was worthless, bridge was not placed straid) and a Epiphone Sheraton II which sounded very cheap.

Mine is a 1991 korean made Washburn HB-35 in wine-red. This model is almost a copy of the Gibson 335. The body is semiacoustic with 2 f-holes a sustain block, made from sycamore and maple top. A light brown rosewood fretboard with 22 frets. It comes with the usual two humbuckers, two vol and tone controls and a three-way toggle switch. The color is somehow transparent and you can see the wood through. Everything is in original condition (tuners,pickups).Theres no switch or push-pull pot to change the humbuckers from serial to parallel.

This is a real good jazz and blues guitar. I used it over two little combos and it sounded great in all settings. Clear and distorted. Its not twangy at all but if you like a fat round sound its perfect.

I had to set up this one since there was fret buzz above the 14th fret on A and E string. Once the action was raised to 5 mm it was a breeze. The guitar sounded much better then. Other than that I could not find any faults.

Looks reliable. I havent had it for such a long time that I could really judge that. But from what I see it should hold on some time.

I have tried once to contact washburn and wasnt very succesful. I give them a 5 here.

I play since 30 years and this guitar is good value. Nice made and a defined sound make it a very good instrument for a reasonable price.

Made in late 02 or early 03, in Korea, 22 fret Washburn's version of the ES335. Flamed maple body, Flamed maple top
Double cutaway semi-acoustic body, center block
Gold hardware,Bound f holes,Multi lam binding
Raised black/white pickguard, Rosewood fingerboard
Split block inlays, binding on the neck, Tune-o-matic bridge
Stop bar tailpiece
2 Humbucker pickups
dual volume and tone knobs/3 way switch, Grover 18:1 gear ratio tuners
Buzz Feiten Tuning System
Came with nice fitted case, and a guitar cord
Buzz Feiten system and 18:1 Grovers, it has more features than a 3 grand Gibson!

I play Classic rock a little hard rock,(UFO, Scorpions, 80's stuff) and blues. I run this through a boss PW10 wha pedal set up for the Vox wha or univibe( a very cool pedal)into a whirlwind A B Y box (excellent box see reviews)into a Behringer AC112 vintager and Mashall 2000 AVT 50. the Marshall w/ the onboard reverb only, the Behringer has just about every effect you can imagine on board, both amps are hybride amps with 12ax7 valve preamps.
1st let me say this about the guitar, unplugged it has a sweet tone! This is a versatile guitar that can take u just about anywhere you want to go except maybe heavy metal, but hey the Nuge and Malcom Young have been getting heavy sounds out of hollow and semi-hollow bodies for years. Beautiful clean sounds for rhythm, loads of sustain as you'ld expect from a semi-hollow.
The Stock pickups are fine but I have a set of Dimarzio Virtual PAFs that I 'm gonna put in. I have always changed the pickups in all my guitars except my Gibson SG classic with P90s.

Washburn sets these up when they arrive in the US. Mine was on back order and came directly from them and it was set up perfectly. It comes with a set of 11s with a wound G, I usually play lights with a 10 on the high E, I have no problems bending on this neck with the 11s and I'm gonna keep it that wayThe action was low but no fret buzz, only the second out of dozens that I ever purchased that didn't need a set up right away! My only complaint is that the bookmatched top could have been matched a tad better, but damn this is one beautiful guitar if it wasn't so much fun to play I'd just hang it on the wall as a piece of art work. I give it a 9.5 only because of the bookmatched flamed top could have been better, so round it up.

Oh yeah its gig worthy, you know the gold hardware is going to wear but thats all it comes in, I have had Washburns in the past and the finish on the wood holds up well, this one has solid strap buttons and I use a planet wave locking strap any way, it is a bit neck heavy where they have buttons but not too bad. Gig without a back up, for reliability sure but who gigs without a back up?

Never dealt with em.

Been Playing 25+ years, now just recreationally, besides the above mentioned gear I have a Jimmy Vaugh signature strat with Dimarzio virtual vintage pickups, a Brawley Strat Bodied dual humbucker job with Dimarzio Evolution and PAF pickups and A Gibson SG Classic with P90s.
I would definitely purchase another!!!!!
I always wanted a ES335 but who knew the price would rocket up the way they have! I compared this to the Ibanez AS80 and the ES333. This is a beautifully crafted great sounding guitar with loads of extras thats half the price that Gibson charges for that stripped down 335 they call a 333 (does any one really like that faded paint job?) even if you change the pickups you're still 4 0r 500 better off than the 333 with a much better guitar, I don't care where its made. (I am not anti-Gibson I love the SG I own, but their prices are brutal)Thsi guitar has a bit wider cutaways and the neck is very nice! The Buzz Feiten tuning system takes a bit of getting used to but when the guitar is tuned it does sound sweet all up and down the neck. (yo Buzz quit trying to shroud your system in mystery, you can find the proper settings all over the internet including, I believe here on Harmony Central, patents are accessable to the public you know!)
Bottom Line If you jones for a Semi-hollow body you can't do better than this guitar, just don't pay list!!!!!!!!!!!

Came with the washburn case made for it.

This guitar has great sound. There is a little rattle in mine on the low E.

I got a deal on a great Vintage Greenburst with the pearl inlays and gold hardware

It is a great guitar to pick up and play during gigs but it is heavy and makes my shoulder a little tired.

This is a great guitar i would recomend anyone who is interested in buying a semihollowbody and not willing to pay the money for a Gibson to look at one of these.

This HB35 is from the early 1990's. Has Grover styled tuners. All the hardware is gold. Nice mother-of-pearl inlaids. Two humbuckers.
Natural finish, real sharp looking guitar.

The only reason I didn't rate it a 10 in this category is because the gold plating is not very thick on the hardware and there is a lot of nickle color showing through the bridge and pickup covers. Not a big deal though.

I play primarily classic rock, a little jazz and a little blues. Seems to fill the bill for all. I play it through a 1967 Fender Princeton Reverb amp. Its the only guitar I own where I make good use of the tone controls, they actually work pretty well. But when I occassionally play some heavier rock, I have to run it through my Digitech RP2000, with my own tampering to get the sound I want.

Bought the guitar used and had to have it set up because the original guy had super thin strings on it and when I put on a little heavier gauge had some fret buzz. After the setup, its perfect, set up nice and low with no buzz.

The finish is really nice on pretty durable. They must use a fairly hard clear on these guitars.

I have had many many guitars and I love the feel of this one. Its well balanced. In fact, its a Gibson 335 copy and I like this one better.

Have had no problem with it. Stays in tune nicely.

Have no idea.

I've been playing over 20 years and like I said before, have had many different guitars, this one is great. Still keep a strat for the crazier stuff.
Kind of hesitated before I bought this guitar, never had much experience with Washburns, glad I went ahead and bought this. I seem to be playing a lot more.

My HB35 was built in 1994 probably in Korea. Thank God since it's a blues guitar it doesn't have a floyd rose. Hollow-body, nice finish, mine is sun burst, 22 frets.

PERFECT!!I play from Blues to Grunge and HB35 does it all. I play in a Peavey Rage 158(some love it, some hate it...) And with some distortion the sound goes really "Grungish", change the pickup and out comes the blues!!Very responsive guitar too, so tapping isn't a problem if that is your intention.

I'm not really a luthier expert but the guitar sure looks fine to me. The only problem I see it that the micro-tune system needs a lot of adjusting to make it perfect...and its awfully tough to do so...and that sucks

I wouldn't gig without a backup even if Jesus had made the guitar...I bought my guitar from my teacher and he hadn't used it for 2 years because of LER and yet the harware was only slightly rusty...amusing

American made Washburn HB-35 it has no serial number but seems to have been made in the sixties. Probably around 1965, so it's one of the first HB-35's. 22 fret arched top guitar with a red finish. Two humbucker pickups. This guitar looks very nice.

Usually I like to play with a deep distortion and when I play this guitar over my Fender Bandmaster it sounds wonderfully heavy. Turn up the volume and you can do almost anything with it!

Don't know how the guitar was set up at the factory, it is very old and the guy I bought it from had two left hands. He managed to fuck it up nicely. Fortunately I know a very well guitar tech who adjusted it like it should be. I am sure though that the guitar was GREAT when it left the factory.

Though the guitar looks 'vulnerable' this guitar can handle a lot. I would use it on stage, but I don't think there is ANY guitar in the world that I would use on a gig without a backup. Who thought up these questions?

I contacted Washburn to ask if they could age it, but never heard from them again.

I had this one for about a year, along with a Fender Stratocaster, A Gibson Marauder and several other guitars. Couldn't miss this one though, the other guitars really don't sound like it. This guitar completes my collection

HB-35 Can't remember year early 90's.Maple Body 3way sel, 2 std hum pickups, vol and tone, maple neck, natural maple finish, thin neck, hard case, Use w/Fender Bassman 1971 Tube w/Sunn 2-12. Purchased new for approx 500.00 @ HOG in Roch.NY.

I'm not a real good player - self taught. Recreation mostly. Sound is a little dead compared to an Ibanez Blazer I once had. The pickups could stand to be upgraded to SD's or similar. Depending upon pickup settings I can get a good rockabilly twang out of it ala Brian Setzer. I play chords mostly so feedback is not something I strive for. I mostly run straight thru the Fender w/the bright switch ON. Great sound if you want to blow your ears out.

Great action and finish. I love to work w/wood and the finish is what sold me on the product. Any guitar with that quality construction couldn't play that bad! Machine heads are not the best quality - also the pickups. I break strings a bit so I think some work on the bridge is needed. Gold plating on hardware is rubbing off although who cares? Hold intonation well.

No problems - I take care of my guitar and don't beat it. Great durable finish. Will probaably replace pickups and machine heads if I keep it long enough. Frets are wearing a little also. Age and amount of playing.

E-mailed Washburn - no response.

My only guitar - have owned Harmony (great) Ibanez (Good) and This Washburn (great+)

look the others, maybe from korea

very jazzy, and its fat full sound, im playing trough a fender pro junior and it sounds terific!!

when i bought it, the neck was brocken, and the guitar dont worked, but i spent about 150$, well, now it works very fine(but the neck look unfortunately terrible)

this is my only jazzguitar, and it plays, sounds like no other!

bravo!