Washburn HB35

MY GUITAR IS A HOLLOW BODY WASHBURN HB35 FROM 1988 JAPANESE, AND I BUYED BY $320 DLLS, THE FINISHED ARE GREAT AND AMAZING BODY

THE SOUND IS VERY VERY NICE, CLEAN IS THE BEST SOUND , AND WITH DISTORION IS GOOD, NO IS PERFECT, BUT WHAT YOU WANT OF A HOLLOW BODY GUITAR?

THIS GUITAR IS VERY PLAYABLE AND THE HUMBUCKERS INCREDIBLES, IS A GUITAR DELUXE THE MULTIPLY BINDING IN THE BODY, IN THE FRETBOARD, AND IN THE F HOLES ARE INCREDIBLE, THIS PRICE IS THE BEST FOR THIS GUITAR

WITH 16 YEARS OLD THIS GUITAR IS BETTER WITH THE TIME, THE LAQUER FINISH IS A MIRROR AND IS VERY BEAUTIFUL

THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT IS VERY NICE, BECAUSE I SEND AN EMAIL TO FIND INFORMATION OF THIS GUITAR, AND THE SAME DAY I HAD THE INFORMATION WITH PICTURES,AND ALL THE MATERIALS OF THIS GUITAR

I DONT HAVE MANY EXPERIENCE IN THE ARTISTIC WORLD, BUT I KNOW I WANT, AND THIS GUITAR IS PERFECT, I HAVE A GIBSON CUSTOM LES PAUL 68 , A JACKSON WARRIOR, AND A EPIPHONE ELECTROACOUSTIC GUITAR, THE DIFERENCE OF THIS GUITARS AND THE WASHBURN WAS THE PRICE

Exelent finish, beautiful wood, Groover gold tuners, laminated top and back, gold hardware, amazing! It really doesnt compare at all with an ES-335.

WOOFFF!! jajajaja, it has an amazing sound, Ive been playing for 8 years now and it is by far the best sounding guitar ever, even with my tube screamer on, the open chords sound natural and well balanced, and if I set it up clean, choosing the neck pickup and bringing my tone 3/4 down, I can get the best acoustic sound ever!... I play oasis, beatles, rolling stones (sounds wonderful with open G tunning), yardbirds, coldplay, radiohead, and the blues, this just fits amazingly to all my preferences.

The action is a little low, but its alright, one thing that concerned me was that since the begining the paint from the hardware started to fall (exept from the tuners), but my experience with gold hardware is that it happens fairly often. It is really like heaven to play this guitar because I havnt changed anything since it arrived, (except that i putted some .12 strings), and it just plays exelent.

the first day i had it on my stand my cat jumped over it and it fell................ I coudnt breath...... I joined forces with my brother to pick it up and there it was,, affortunately nothing had happened... It is well structured I guess but I would be really careful

never tried it,, lifetime warranty.

Damn good guitar, if you are thinking of buying it Im happy to tell you to do it now! you wont regret

My HB-35 was built in Korea in 1997 to a very high standard and is a variant of the 335. It is a semi-hollow body with two humbuckers, a 3-way selector switch, a volume and tone control for each pickup and the scale is a typical 24 3/4.

The guitar is made from flamed sycamore and flamed maple for the body, a maple neck with a lot of birdseye character and a rosewood fretboard with 22 med.jumbo frets. It has a stop tailpiece and a "Nashville"-type bridge. All the harware is gold including Grover branded tuners.

I bought mine used and it came with a TKL HSC. The pickups are Washburns' own and they are good, especially the bridge. This guitar is a lot heavier than the Chinese-crafted Tursers, Ibanez's and Aslin-Dane's.

The guitar has a very full sound, but it can chime when called upon. I have used it with a 59 Bassman I constructed, a Vibro-Champ, a Custom Vibrolux Reverb, V-series 5212 and a Laney VC30 2x10.

It sounds best throught the Champ and the Bassman. The neck pickup can get muddy and overbearing with some amps and depending on control settings. I plan to change the neck pickup to a "57" Classic and may try Seth Lover's from Duncan in the near future.
The stock bridge pickup gets a "9", while the neck gets a "7" and overall it rates and "8" for now. I expect new pickups to get this guitar close to a "10" rating.

The guitar was purchased used, so I can't speak to the original set-up. I adjusted the pickup heigth by ear. The gold finish on the hardware is tarnished as expected.

The top is perfectly bookmatched, the finish and binding are excellent and the ornate MOP inlays on the neck and fretboard are fantastic as well.

This guitar is very giggable, although I would never go with out a backup. The hardware is very well made and will last, but the gold will not. I have not seen a guitar with gold hardware that has been used that has remained free of tarnish and probably never will.

The finish is a poly and will last beyond my years. I have added Dunlop straplocks as I am doing to all my guitars. I never want to see the result of a set neck hollow/semi-hollow guitar after a fall!!

I purchased from Third-Eye Music from Tom and he deserves a big thanks. He has been more than accomodating when I stop by to play his new arrivals. It's used so no warranty to deal with, but I did send e-mail for a copy of the manual and warranty and got them within a few weeks. Thanks Washburn. Rating here is for the dealer and Wasburn combined.

I have been playing more off than on for 30 years. I used to play only Strats a only played as a back-up rythym guitarist since I was the vocalist. As a rythym guitarist I am more than decent. But I have been working on fills, leads and alternative chord voicings. SOON I hope to be a complete player.

I love the woody warmth of tone this guitar brings with it. The neck is a V shape and may be the most comfortable I have ever played, although it took a little time to adjust.

I grew up playing Strats or Strat copies and later played a RIC 12. I did not realize how many different guitars and tones were out there. The RIC was limiting my ability to expand and learn. I am now getting close to finding my "tone". The HB-35 is an excellent instrument and is just beautiful to look at and I can't wait to see what new pickups do for her. I think this guitar was the first to fully exploit the Koreans' ability to make a world class instrument.

My HB-35 is a newer 2002 Korean made model, with the Buzz Feiten tuning system and high ratio Grover tuners. I bought it used from an acoustic player who thought he wanted to try electric. He played it twice and decided it wasn't for him, so I got it virtually new. As the other reviewers have noted, this guitar is a sycamore and maple bodied 335 style guitar, with mahogany neck, rosewood 22-fret fretboard, dual "generic" gold covered humbuckers, gold hardware, tune-o-matic bridge and tail piece, 2 vol/2 tone controls, and ornate inlays. The flame striping on the natural finished Sycamore is very nice. Not as dramatic as AAAA topped maple perhaps, but stylish and striking. It is a classic ES-335 type instrument. The only feature it could have stock that would add value for this type of guitar is push/pull coil taps. (See discussion in Sound, below, as to the pickup and switching mods I made to the guitar). However, since very few 335-style guitars come with this feature, it has everything that this model/style of guitar should have. Considering it is the only production 335 semi-hollow style guitar to come with Buzz Feiten system, I am giving it a 10 for this added feature.

My main guitar is a custom designed Tom Anderson Hollow T Classic with H/S/S wiring. My other electric is a McInturff Royale. I play through a Mesa Boogie Road King head and a pair of 2x12 Avatar cabinets loaded with Celestions. My small rack includes a Korg digital tuner in one FX loop and a Lexicon MPX-200 in the other FX loop. I sometimes will use a Dunlop Wah pedal and/or a Samson Airline wireless unit. I currently play in a cover band and have to cop a wide range of styles and tones, from 80's rock to No Doubt, to Motown and occasionally the smoky jazz torch song. While the Anderson covers the Strat and Tele tones perfectly, I need a dual hum guitar for more rock and thicker tones. I have tried a variety of guitars trying to find a sound between Les Paul and ES-335, including PRS, Baker and McInturff, but hadn't found enough air and open-ness, so I wanted a traditional semi-hollow 335-style guitar.

The HB-35 is a great sounding guitar- once you install better pickups. The stock pickups are fair, but lifeless. The neck pickup is muddy and doesn't have that rich resonance I crave for either clean jazz tones or overdriven "Santana-esque" sounds. From reading the reviews here, I knew going in that I would want different pickups. I installed a Duncan '59 in the neck position and a Dimarzio Virtual Vintage PAF in he bridge position. The guitar came to life and sounds simply amazing!!! I also had my tech install push/pull taps on the tone controls, for series/parallel switching of the pickups. While the cut may not be quite as slinky as single/dual taps, it is silent and there is no single coil hum. I prefer that trade off. So, the pickups are essentially silent. The guitar has a rich full neck tone- exactly what you want and expect from a 335. The bridge position is tight, clear adn strong, but not brittle. With the coils tapped, it is somewhat slinky adn looser feeling, giving a nice set of additional sounds. This added set of sounds is very usable and gives the guitar and added dimension.

At lead settings, I can get amazing sustain and controlled rollover into feedback. The guitar doesn't tend to howl or have uncontrolled feedback unless I use really high Recto gain settings, which I don't generally do.

Simply put, the key to great sound with this guitar is changing out the pickups. I found the exact sounds I wanted. Even my band members commented on the great tone of the guitar. Heck, when a drummer notices your tone, it must be working! So, if I were rating this guitar with stock pickups, it would be a 5 or a 6. With upgraded pickups, it is a 10. Since I am reviewing the guitar, I will go with the 6 rating as a stock instrument. However, I highly recommend this guitar with upgraded pickups as a complete bargain and a totally great instrument.

I was skeptical of the quality of a Korean instrument initially before I bought this guitar. My standards are fairly high and my guitars have mostly been high end, American guitars for the past 10 years, including Anderson, PRS, Baker and McInturff. However, I wasn't in a position to spend 2 grand on another guitar and went looking for something under $1000, expecting to compromise on quality.

I admit to being suprised. The quality of construction is very very good on this guitar. The neck joint is excellent, the frets are wonderful, the action is low, with no buzzing or bottoming out. It is a bender's dream. The finish is gorgeous. It feels great in your hands, very comfortable, like a well worn friend. The only construction flaw I can find is in the fretboard inlays. Some of the block inlays are not inlaid parallel to the frets or to each other. From a few feet away you can't tell, but if you look closely, they aren't aligned quite parallel. Considering this guitar lists for about $1,000 and I paid $500 for it, the quality of construction is amazing. My tech says that the bridge and tailpiece aren't of the best construction, and I will upgrade to Tonepros. Also, the three way switch came apart in shipment, but my tech put it back together. Again, considering this is a mid-priced instrument, they saved their money on the quality of the pickups and parts. However, they invested wisely in high quality Grover tuners and Buzz Feiten royalties for the nut/intonation "system", which I prefer. I have played Gibsons costing nearly triple which were not built as well. Considering the price point of this instrument, I was very suprised and pleased with the high quality of fit and finish. In my experience, this guitar is built as well or better than the high end 335's from Hamer, Gibson, etc... at a much lower price. So, considering value for cost, this is a 9.

I have used the guitar in 3 rehearsals and am gigging with it this weekend. I have nearly 30 years of stage experience and think I have a pretty good sense of "reliability." This guitar is reliable and durable. The finish will last. The gold hardware will last as well as any others out there, which means it will wear eventually in my sweaty palms. I replaced the strap buttons with Strap-Locks which I do on all my guitars as a cheap form of insurance. This is especially important on this guitar. Regardless of the quality of the button, the location of the strap button on the neck heel makes it inherintly likely that a strap will pull off. Strap-locks of some kind are essential on neck heel strap buttons. I would gig without a backup, but since I need two guitars on a gig anyway, I always have one.

I have no idea.

I have been playing for 30 years, with substantial stage and studio experience. In addition to a custom, luthier- built acoustic and a Taylor K20-c, I have my Anderson and McInturff electrics. I have owned a vintage 1959 Epi Sheraton (previously owend by Amos Garrett and Martin Mull), several Andersons, a PRS, Hamers, a Baker and various vintage 70's Ibanez guitars. I have been playing Mesa Boogie amps exclusively for 20 years.

When I went looking for a 335, I realized that there were Gibson and Hamer versions costing in the $2,000+ range. Some low end Epi's and others that had sketchy reputations, but not many in the $750-$1,000 range at all, let alone with good reviews. Ibanez and other Japanese models were available in that price range but didn't seem to have the quality of the vintage models. I thought about finding another original Ibanez AS-200, but even they were in the $1100 range, and I just didn't feel like spending that much. Even the Gibsons, at their inflated prices, are not known for their quality. Everything I read about the HB-35 was that it was well built for its price and a great guitar, especially at its price point. I wholeheartedly agree!

If you want a 335-style guitar, this is a fantastic guitar. Its quality and construction would be justified even at double the price. I have seen these new on the internet for about $690, which is a fantastic bargain. I have even thought about selling the McInturff, buying a second one of these, and pocketing the extra money. I can't believe this guitar is as good as it is at its price. However, don't forget to add in the cost of pickups upgrades. This baby rocks!

First; i think that this is a very well maked guitar
it's well selected wood make this guitar really a strong
one, and the tune o matic bridge have a good finish
that make a good afination system, i'm not sure since
when was made my guitar, it's from korea. something
really to admire is the weight; really light in comparison
to the HB30, and have beautiful mother pearl finish on the
frets.

Ooohh this is the best of the HB35!!!! it's sound is
to sweet and have a beautiful resonance that remaind
me to BB KING, when i tested this guitar i falled in
love, i can't explain it, by the way the acoustic make
a good job for practice. and really i recomend it! for
play blues and Jazz is your best choice.

This guitar have a very good taste, the finish is amazing!
the pickups are very well set. all the hardware is gold
and the pegs help for have a good afination! is impressive
the quality of everything on the guitar.

I have just to years with the guitar but seem to be
very strong and resistent, i thing that with the appropiate
care this can last a long long time.

I have been playing for 4 years and never played with
a guitar like this before! is the best buy i had made
and combine everything for the price! please keep this
serie alive! GET OUT AND BUY ONE RIGHT NOW!!!

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!

My HB-35 was purchased new in 1997. I believe it was made in Korea... but I'm not sure of that. I has the standard feature set of any of the HB-35s (no need to repeat what the other reviewers have already entered...) It has all the features I would expect from a fine insturment, namely independent control for each pickup as well as pickup selection. I replaced the stock sadles with some of the graph-tech teflon models and what a difference that made! I break a lot fewer strings than before and I actually gained some sustain. I'm considering replacing the nut as well, but other than that this guitar comes with all you need.

I play a mix of jazz, funk rock and experimental stuff. This guitar suites all these styles exceptionally. I mess around with playing metal sometimes and it is really no good at that, but if you want a metal guitar you'd be looking at the #insert favortie thrasher guitar company# reviews ;-) The sound is very full (I get lots of complements from other players about that) - ultimately it is a jazz guitar and sounds as such, but it is quite adaptable.

I pretty much had to replace the sadles, because I was going though several strings a night - but other than that the workmanship is excelent. There are a few imperfections in the fretboard inlays, but that gives e guitar a bit of visual character, and you can't even see it from more than about two feet away.

I've been using this beauty fairly intensly for practice, gigging and a variety of jamming settings for over three years and with e the exception of some of the laquer coming off of the bridge where I rest my right hand she still looks and plays like new. I still have an old electric as a backup, but I have not need to use it since I replaced the sadles.

I've only contacted Washburn once to find out specifics of the model number and the response came within 30 minutes (via email.) Nothing has needed repair since I've owned it (more points for reliability :-)

I've been playing for about 12 years and this is my second electric (other is an Ibanez.) Even with it's imperfections (really the sadles are the only problem, but your probably tired of hear about that :-P ) I love this guitar, and would replace it with the same model in a heartbeat if anything happened to it. It sounds great playing through anything (even direct to the PA!) Now all Washburn needs to do is come out with a seven string version and I'd be set.

Washburns take on the 335 theme. Built around '92/3. According to factory spec. it has a sycamore body, glued in maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. The body has a solid core, however, that is clearly not sycamore (think maple) but more like mahogany or merbau. Top and back are laminated, arched sycamore. Black finish (out of prod.), gold hardware, 5-ply binding around top and fingerboard, 1-ply around back and f-holes. Abalone block markers. 2x stock humbuckers, 3-way switching, 2x vol, 2x tone configuration. Tunomatic bridge and stop-tailpiece. Tuners are unbranded, die-cast types that look a heck of a lot like Shallers. 22 frets, short scale (never measured this, but guess it 'll be 24.75") Very smooth and comfortable neckshape. Not thin, not chunky, just right. Nice balance seated, maybe a bit neckheavy strapped, but not too much. Beautiful guitar.

Used mostly with a KittyHawk M1 All-valve amp. Hardly use effects. Styles vary from blues, rock to jazz to whatever. This guitar sounds very, very warm, with a hint of acoustic hollowness. Less focused than my friends (Epi) LesPaul, very ballsy yet gentle (...) This guitar inspires more subtle playing than my Strat (which sees some real abuse evry now and then). The neck pu is round and fat, but not muddy. Roll off a bit of tone; nice Jazz sound. Dial in a bit more gain and you've got a rather nice blues sound, from smooth to dark and threatening, depending on amp settings. More gain enters rock-realm, with fat, round rock sounds and smooth sutaining solo notes. The Bridge pu I'm not too happy with. It sounds a bit whimpy, less acoustic and plunky to my ears. On high gain settings this pu does work well for solo's however. Bit of a Slash sound. This pu is very susceptible to squealing feedback! The pu mix is my favourite; the neck pu is dominant, but with a bit more twang from the bridge pu, and a pleasant hollowness that emphasizes the acoustic character.
This is definitely a guitar that covers a lot of bases; good jazz, great blues, but this to me is definitely is a (blues-)Rock guitar. There is terrific sustain, which can be enhanced by feedback. The hollowbody is pretty stable on high volumes. Feedback is nicely controllable. My only gripe is the weak and squealy bridge pu.

This guitar was bought second hand, but unchanged (and practically unplayed) by the previous owner. I suspect something happened to it before the original purchase, because; -the stupendously low price -a badly cut plastic nut that did not look original at all -a chip in the laquer on the back of the headstock -something that almost looked like a burnt/melted spot on the side of the headstock -a slightly damaged tuner -The potting (wax)of the pu's looked like it had more or less run out of the casing. The pickups are stuck to the cover, and the cover was fixed to the pu. ring, instead of the other way around. The bridge pu. is loose in it's case, and gets a bit microphonic every now and then. Needs to be repotted. The rest of the guitar was in perfect shape. I bought it with .009's, which I immediately replaced with .11's. The action rised just a bit, but not too much. It was too low as it was, after a month with .11's it was perfect for me. Apart from the nut (sloppy slots, all the same size, gripping the strings now and then) the setup was great. Frets were even, and well polished. As I said, this guitar had hardly been played. Intonation was spot on with the new strings, so I guess the guitar originally came with these. The inside looks neat and tidy. Nicely regular woods, too. Only a few tiny flaws in the edge and f-hole bindings - some spots aren't cleanly scraped. That's all. Nice laquer job. Hardly any filler around the fretboard markers, though they are (now I'm being picky) not quite parallel to the frets. I do feel the nut is positioned to far back ever so slightly, causing low position notes to go a bit sharp. I plan on correcting this when I'm installing a new nut.

It's surprisingly rugged (and heavy) for a semi-solid. The pu's are vulnerable as is, but they'll live. All hardware looks/feels positive and solid. Tuners are fine. This guitar cannot take a beating like a Strat or Tele, but somehow it inspires to treat it more sensitively. I would always use a backup guitar (or this one as a backup) because of strings breaking, not because I didn't trust a guitar. I trust this one. BUT I would not take it on an extensive tour with these pickups, nor without a decent case. (fortunately, I don't have any prospects of an extensive tour... ;-p)

Only seen their website, which is nice.

I've been playing for well over a decade, own several other guitars, played a lot of different ones I don't own, and this is definitely one of the best I ever touched. I guess the guy I bought it from got it cheap himself (probably 'cause she had had a little accident), and he absolutely hated it himself. With the nut uncorrected, .009's and a preference for singlecoils I can imagine this. But I love this guitar (and the price was ludicrous). I would buy it again, though I'm not sure if all these Washburns sound alike (i know Epi's don't). The recommended retail price is a bit high (something like a grand I beleive), but I think this guitar is worth it. I still feel guilty for getting it this cheap... I would consider replacing the bridge pickup. This is my favourite guitar to date, even with the tuning problem and weak br. pu.

1991 Washburn HB 35. This is Washburn's 335 style guitar. It has 22 frets, the body is Sycamore, the neck is Maple and the fretboard is rosewood. It's a hollowbody with 2 f holes. Two humbuckers, three way selector with the two volume, two tone combination. It has a tunomatic bridge and a stop tailpiece.
I bought this guitar used, after seeing an add on this service. The gentleman said that he had changed the pick-ups to SD 59's and replaced all the hardware. He gave me a screamin' good deal and shipped it. It arrived in a nice hard shell case and, with some trepidation, I opened it revealing the MOST BEAUTIFUL GUITAR I'd ever seen. Tobacco Sunburst, seven years old and not a scratch. The hardware WAS brand new and gorgeous. I changed strings immediately, and opened the pickups to verify that they were the SD's -- Sure enough, it was like he said.

Boy is this a neat guitar. Totally different than my strat (see Deluxe Powerhouse Strat review). I have played it now for over a month to make sure I have a good handle on the sound before I reviewed it.
Before I go into the sound, let me backtrack. When I was originally thinking about a 335 style guitar, I was looking at the Sheraton II from Epiphone, which has had some nice reviews. I make a habit of trying and retring any guitar I think of buying, so I have a decent idea and am not rushing a purchase. So, I was at this guitar store, as usual, but this time my wife was with me. I was trying the Sheraton and she says "I don't like it. Try this one." Low and behold, she hands me the Washburn. I plug in, and it sounds better, stronger, more body than the Sheraton. It also has a faster neck, which I like. Then I look at the tag and say "Can't afford it."
So, I'm reading the for guitar reviews, and everyone who pruchases the Epiphone hollow body's rave about upgrading pickup's to SD 59's.
Then I see this Washburn, with SD 59's, and the guy gives me a great price. I jumped, sight unseen. Risky, but worth it.
This guitar has a very rich, warm sound. It is a blues monster. I play it through a solid state Peavey Studio-Pro 112. I have to spend more time adjusting the sound from the guitar to suit my desires than I spend with my Strat, but it's worth it. Play around a little and it smokes. I REALLY want a good distorion pedal for this guitar (The Peavey amp has distortion, but it's not the greatest...) For blues, for the price, for the features, this guitar is a clear TEN!

As I said, I bought used. The action is great, I love the pickups. It is a beautiful guitar. I have compared it to the other moderately priced hollow body's in it's class, and I would not purchase them, period. This guitar rocks, when it comes to how well it is built.

This is a delicate guitar, one that I would not want to subject to a lot of abuse, because it so pretty. It is also VERY HEAVY compared to your strat style guitar. If I were a gigging musician, I would employ the same philosophy I have about all beautiful instruments: If it's meant to do something, then use it. Don't cry when it goes from pristine to less than pristine condition, just enjoy it. It would definitely hold up to gigs, but its beauty would suffer.

NA

I LOVE THIS GUITAR. It balances my strat SOOOOOO well. Totally different sound, totally different feel. What I really love about this guitar is that you feel like you are playing a vintage musical instrument. It has that romantic quality about it. It really is a piece of art. Now, would I buy one stock. No, not for the price. I think the stock pick-ups are weak. With the SD 59's, this guitar shines. Very warm, very bluesy. Not a rock monster, by any stretch. You could swing some jazz with it. Unlike my strat, you need to PLAY this guitar right on the frets. With my strat, I can play here and there and my tech. can really suffer without the sound suffering too much. With the Washburn, YOU MUST PLAY WITH GOOD TECH. If you are off just a little, the sound suffers. But when you pay attention to what you are doing, the sound is really magnificent. Just unbelievably warm, fat, etc. You can really add your own tone to this machine. Just a fun, fun guitar to play, and your technique improves because you are also forcing yourself not to slack. Good for someone like me who's new (1 year) and working daily to become better. However, stock for the price I would only give it a 6. With the SD's , and the price/condition, a total 10!