Washburn HB35S

Won't comment on this as enough has been said already.

OK - the standard pups are junk - not enough 'oomph' and made it sound muddy. Not enough depth for blues and not enough bite for rock. A real shame. If you can get one for ??75 or $150 off ebay then put in SD's and it should be better - but see QC warning below. Incomparable to my J6.

Another problem. Guitar was poorly finished - probs re fret and neck alignment. Heard that there may have been inconsisent QC before the guitars left the building. DON'T BUY ONE WITHOUT TRYING IT FIRST!

Seemed ok

No opinion

Not made anymore. Always sceptical why a major guitar company stops making a model - gotta ask yourself 'if it was that good, why stop it?'. In love with another Washburn (J6) which is a stunner and much better quality than this - if you want a semi, go for a J6. Sold mine on ebay.

I bought my guitar in 1999 and have already submitted a review in this forum. It is a stunning looking instrument with the sycamore maple in natural finish the maple neck and the mother of pearl inlays. Everyone says wow! when they see her. BUT the standard pickups suck. The neck is muddy and the bridge nasally and in between a sort of OK sound - but a poor variety of tones. When I bought an American ash strat also natural finish the Washburn got neglected since the strat was more versatile. I prefer the feel of the Washburn so decided to replace the pickups. I like the sound of single coils so I bought a pair of Gibson P94 pickups which fitted without modifications in the humbucker position. They look stunning as I chose the gold and creme ones which match the gold hardware.

The instrument was absolutely transformed 1000% improvement. The bridge is fat and bright ideal for blues and with distortion it rocks like Nirvana. The neck is warm and with full of overtones. The best part is you can turn down the volume without loosing your tone and play rhythm and then crank it up for a searing lead.With these pickups you can play any type of music you like. A very very worthwile modification - now the Strat is neglected!

A guitar tech changed the pickups and setup the instrument it is now absolutely perfect and plays like a dream. After 8 years of playing, it still looks perfect - cannot fault the wood or the finish as its not worn at all

The gold plating has worn off the bridge and tailpiece so the hardware gets a bad rating with the exeption of the tuners which are very good quality and maintain tuning very well.

Have not needed to

Been playing for 10 years now, mostly gospel and rock and have my two blondes which keep me happy. The Washburn is Jennifer (Jlo)with the big dierrier and the Strat is Pamela - Californian blonde

I really didn't have a lot of info on this guitar when I bought it back in 1997. I just really liked the Mother of Pearl style inlays and the binding. Mine had a beautiful "tear-drop" tiger-striped suburst finish on the front and back with all gold hardware, including Grover tuners. I think I picked it up brand new for $400 with a hardshell case.

I bought it exclusively to play jazz and it did quite well, although I will always go back to the Strats and Teles to play blues. The neck pick up was a little too beefy to play rock, and the bridge pickup had way too much high end for blues. I had some problems with feedback, but I don't think that was the fault of the guitar. A very rich and full sound for jazz, and much cheaper than it's Gibson counterparts.

I had some things adjusted because the action was a little high when I bought it. After some fine tuning, and new set of Ernie Ball Super Slinky's it would scream. Going to a smaller string, I did lose the fat jazz tone, so I switched back to 11's. The neck was always flawless and played like crazy.

I toured with this guitar for 4 years while I was in the forementioned jazz band and it did quite well. Some of the volume and tone knobs went loose and I did lose the use of pickup selector switch. No real big problems. After a while I did use it as my back-up guitar for some rock gigs. The finish on most of the hardware wore off after a couple years, however that gave it an even more vintage look.

Never dealt with customer support

I've been playing for 13 years and have beat the hell out of all my guitars. I think with constant use, this guitar would have fallen apart. It doesn't have the same build quality as any of my Fenders, and if I brought the Washburn to a gig, I wouldn't have felt confindent bringing it for very long. In the right situation though, this guitar could bring years of service to the right individual. The biggest problem I had was trying to sell it. After not using this guitar for 5 years, I decided to sell it and could not find one guitar store that had ever heard of it, or seen one before. It is not even registered in anyone's used databases. I ended up probably getting ripped off when I sold it for $175, but money in the pocket is better than a dusty guitar.

I dont know when it was made.I gave 100.00 for it in a bar i was playing in. Case and all. It looks brand new with the natural finish.

I play country and classic rock and roll. I have two amps I use allthe time, a Fender stage 160 and a fender 60 watt. NO NOISE. I can getany sound I want. I like the light weight for standing on stage 4 hrs.

I had the action lowerer as far as possible.

I am careful with it and it seems to hold up well. Hardware seems to be wearing well. I use it every week without a backup.

I havent dealt with company yet.

I have been playing 30 yrs. I also have a Fender telecaster and a Dean acoustic elec.

I am guessing this was made in the early 90s. The guitar was made before the Buzz Feiten tuning system was added. It is amber with a black burst edge, gold hardware.

I bought the guitar as a project. Fortunately the guitar body was in near perfect shape and the neck nice and straight, no signs of use. I replaced the tuners with new Grovers and the pickups with a Duncan Seth Lover neck and a Duncan 59 Bridge. New pots also. I tried to replace the bridge with a new Tuneomatic, more for cosmetic purposes, and found that the bridge size was different than the 2 standard sizes available. Washburn could not even supply me with the parts.

The guitar sounds fantastic after everything was professionally installed and the guitar set up. I can describe it as sweet with lots of body and character. Before, the stock Washburn pickups were dark and noisy. The Duncans make all thse difference in the world. I should probably point out that the incentive to do this project came from reading these reviews. I got the guitar on E bay and the parts off of the net. I have $650.00 invested and have a guitar that looks and sounds as good as or better than a high end Gibson 335.

Excellent low action with light elixer strings. No buzzing and the neck is just the right 335 size. With all the new gold harware the guitar looks brand new. I can find no fualt with the original Washburn fit and finish. Maybe the wood isn't so highly flamed as others but so what, this guitar is to play.

Hard to say as have only had for a month but it has to be at least 12 years old and has held up fine. The gold finish on the original hardware (bridge and tailpiece) is wearing but not bad for 12 years old.

Washburn was fine, they just didn't have the parts.

If I lost this guitar I would definitely build another. Probably the best part is setting out to have built the guitar in the first place and having made all the mods sucessfully and having a finished product better than what you can buy new. My other guitars are a Brian Moore I2 ( a fantastic guitar), 2 Carvins basses and a Schecter C-1. My amp is Fender Pro Reverb.

Not going to repeat what you can read at Washburn and from others. Mine is just a HB-35S made in October 1995 in Korea under contract with Samick. The diference from a new one is that back in 95 they were tiger stripped, now they are flammed.

This is a bluesy jazzy guitar. I use it for blues. I read that some don't like the pickups but I think they are just fine if you buy it for the right music - that is blues or jazz. It can really get many nice tones by adjusting the volumes. Try both pickups on then roll back the bridge pickup. Then put the vol back to full and roll back the neck volume. You will be amazed on how the tone and attack can change. I use this in a Deluxe Revern with only a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive with the clean half on. It sound RIGHT as is. Compared with let's say a EPI Sheraton II, it is warmer, sweeter, and a little more compressed. I use Gibson Reissue Pure nickel Light 10-46 and they seem perfect for this guitar. So many clowns use bright steel wrap strings and don't understand why many guitars sound as they do. The STRINGS are part of the sound!

I bought this used so I can't tell you how it comes from the factory but the action is very low with no buzzes even with bends. Seems like with the same strings on my EPI Sheraton II and even lowering the action to match, this guitar seem much easier to play. Actually is is extremely easy to play regardless of price.

It may be the shape and crowing of the frets which are different on a Washburn.

The guitar was well made and feels like a more expensive guitar. It has real Grover tuners unlike an EPI Sheraton II.

All similar guitars with gold plating (EPI Sheraton II, Ibanez AS-120, Washburn HB-35S) have the same problem, the gold wears off. Actually it look more vintage and cool that way. It this bothers you don't buy a guitar with gold as it will happen, especially if you have acidic hands and rust strings quickly.

I have a Transluent Red tiger stripe model. But I have found in various guitars the same color that the paint has more of a chance of finish cracks than natural. I like natural more anyway, but this guitar is just stunning. The new ones are not tiger stripped.

If you look at the guitar and compare it to the Epiphone Sheraton II, Dot, and Ibanez you can easily see they came from the same shop by the way the are assembled. The hardware is either exactly the same or very similar. However the wood the actual guitar is made of is different, I feel the HB-35S has the best wood for blues use.

The tiger strip is matched equal to an espensive Gibson.

well I bought it when it was over 8 years old from a cold part of the country. I did see some finish cracks in the lower horn and one on the neck, along with some wear and little finish cracks below the binding. However, the guitar did hold up well but it appears the guy who owned it only played open chords by the wear I see. Based on what I see I would not worry much about breaking down, it seem well made. I believe they have the same cheap pots as EPI (compares with a real Gibson) that will need a cleaning down the road.

I called Washburn and surprising I got someone on the phone quickly and they were very friendly and helpfull. They have a toll-free number.

I have been playing 40 years and own a lot of very expesnive guitars, along with some cheap ones. Washburn HB-35S are worth every penny at the new price without a doubt. When comparing note that most of the time the Washburn price is WITH its case unlike the EPIs. And the case I have is a perfect fit.

Like most of the guitars made in the world, it was made by Samick (EPI, Ibanez,etc). However, the level of quality depends on the company doing the contacting out, Washburn in this case. Washburn apparently wants a quality guitar and it is. Compared with a Sheriton II, is a warmer, a little more compressed and can be jazzy where the Sheraton II is rawer and more percussive. The HB-35S feels and plays as a more expensive guitar and a step up in quality. I love the neck and and the over all look and sound. It is more refined than an EPI. I would buy a new one if this one was lost. Buying a HB-35S you are getting your money's worth abd then some.

This guitar is beautiful & draws many comments. It actually is more analogous to a Gibson 355 (less varitone & stereo). Other reviews here detail it's construction so I won't reiterate. I will say this.... I am picky and have a very good eye so I will hit a few negatives. The foremost complaint is that this guitar would be so much better if only there were a coil tap at least on the neck pickup.Also, I hate the Pickup switch location. I know it's like a Les Paul but I hate to go two places to do my business. If you put push-pull pots in for anything, switching would mean fanning the whole face of the guitar. Locating the switch a la 335 would be nice but what do you do with the nice hole in the upper bout?

This is the #1 complaint. The neck pickup or center position (both pups)has a hi-mid spike that is like an ice pick in the forehead. I have a Mesa MKIII and a Yamaha G12-80. I didn't notice the problem until I started playing out recently, but at clean settings the balance is very poor. I think the bridge pickup alone is OK. I am either going to sell this guitar or replace the pickups. I have been told that no one makes a push-pull pot that will fit in this guitar ( (for coil tap)I would like to hear if anyone has any experience in this realm.

Still a beautiful guitar so don't get me wrong here: Gibson would probably want 5,000 for this, while Washburn retails it @ a modest 1,099. I paid 820.00 w/case. It plays great ( I've had 4 335's and they have nothing on this guitar) It feels as good as any guitar I've held. It does have a balance problem, a little neck heavy, but a cotton or suede backed strap provides enough resistance to offset this small drawback. the routing for the neck inlay is machine done of course so there is some excess filler- along with the usual round edges caused by the bit diameter exceeding the acute angles of some of the inlay. there looks to be a grease pencil mark on the back of my neck ( under the lacquer)and some of the red was not scraped from the binding. The neck adjustments and the slotting of bridge & nut were perfect but it may have been done in the store rather than factory cause it was just too good to be production line, but I may be wrong. I don't like the gold screws in the pickup mounting frames. It just looks so "hardware" I will replace them with black just to smooth the appearance. Gibson has the right idea here, cheaper too! I have to rate this with price in mind.... for the money it's a 10

This category is a 10.... excepting the thin gold on the pickups ( which are coming out anyway)

I've been playing 35 years. I have a Mesa MKIII, Yamaha G112-80, Ibanez 2640/AR1200 dbl.neckl6/12, Warmouth Strat, Taylor 710 & a few other lesser items & effects. I worke din music stores for years so I've seen alot of equipment come & go. ( who can forget when Norlin owned Gibson.....AT LEAST WORKING MUSICIANS COULD AFFORD THEM....) I may replace this guitar if I can get the tone fixed, but if pickup replacement doesn't solve it's problem, who'd want another? I love the appearance, feel & vibe of this guitar. The red is beautiful. I haven't seen anyone else comment on it's peaky sound so maybe I have an exception.Try one, you decide because it is a great guitar.

I come from darkest Africa, South Africa as a matter of fact where quality guitars are very expensive and hard to come by. I bought my guitar in 1999 - but it had been in the shop for a while. The finish is natural sycamore birdseye, which looks stunning with the rosewood neck and pearl inlays. The overall appearance exceeds the more exotic Gibsons and Epiphones that I have seen. I have to agree with the gold finish though, it is poor. The finish on the tailpiece is worn through. I have kept the pickups standard and mostly use both of them together - blending the desired sound via the volume controls. The Grover tuning heads are superb and maintain tune very well

This guitar really suites the type of music I play. I play for a church group - folk, country style - no heavy metal!
The guitar blends in beautifully with the acoustics guitars and adds an impessive amount of bass to the overall sound
Being an Electronics engineer, I have build my own valve amplifier which is loosely based on the VOX AC 15 and I also use a ZOOM 507 reverb effect.
This is the only guitar I need as it can give me all the sounds I need

Overall the finish is very good. The action had to be set up, but that was easy with the Tune-O-matic.
I had fret buzz on fret 3 which was sorted out for me.
Now the action is a dream - I have small hands but with the slim neck, bar chords are no problem

I use the guitar every week and I believe it will last a good number of decades. The gold finish is poor - but the alloy material is not unattractive. The strap buttons are small - I had to add supporting straps to ensure that I dont drop it.
What backup guitar?

Not applicable

This is my dream guitar and it is irreplaceable - especially with our poor exchange rate.

This is an exceptionally well-crafted Korean semi-hollowbody. It has a beautiful flame sycamore top and back with maple sides and neck with split block inlays and a big, solid mahogany toneblock running the full length of the interior. Gold Grover tuners and an excellent tune-o-matic design stop tailpiece (See comments about pickups below). The stock case, which lists for $130, is kind of cheesy in my book. I bought a new SKB Epiphone Dot case for it for $69 which has a padded bottom that is a perfect angle for the neck rest location. The stock Washburn case is nice looking, though. I just had the feeling that it was designed for more models of guitar than just the HB-35 (possibly even different brands from the same Korean factory) and it didn't fit as well as an actual 335 case.

I hated the stock pickups. The bridge was okay, but the neck was so dark that it killed me. I fixed that within a month by getting a pair of Schaller Golden 50 humbuckers (the same pickups Trey Anastasio uses on his custom hollowbodies) from Stewart-MacDonald. I didn't pay the extra $14 each for the gold Schaller covers, so they are black open coil and it gives it a very distinctive look. Brutal. The sound is now an uncompromising 335 vibe. The electronics are dead quiet, but that's because I took my time wiring the new pickups, used good materials and insulated everything with shrink tubing.

The craftsmanship on this instrument would be considered just fine for a $1,500 guitar, much less a $600 guitar. It's a 1999 model bought NOS (new, old stock) from a dealer online in 2001. The action, fit and finish was superior right from the case. I did change the setup within a few days to accomodate the Fender Super Bullet 11's that I put on it. It comes from the factory with a wound-G set of Dean Markley's. It's a cool gauge, but I needed a bit more flex for my style.

I wouldn't be surprised if the gold plating was thin, just because of the class of guitar that it is. But, then again, I removed the stock pickups so I don't have to worry about them. There's no reason to believe that the Grovers are substandard, and the stop tailpiece is well-built otherwise, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. You really do have to inspect one of these to believe how well-made it is. Seriously.

I bought this from a guy 1,500 miles away, so I won't be running to him with any problems. I don't know about Washburn's service on imports. They are supposed to be good with their high-end acoustics, though. I think if anything needs repair, it will be on me to deal with it. I'm okay with that. It's a good guitar.

I bought this guitar out of pure lust. It's a sexy dog, no doubt about it. I'm actually a Fender Tele player, but have had a lot of trouble putting this one down since I put the Schaller pickups on it. It absolutely screams through my Tube Works 9100 1x12 combo and it would be really sad to pass on one of these just because of a hang up about Korean axes. The price shouldn't even be part of the equation (but we all know it is) ... it would be a good value at twice the cost.

Made in Korea mid 90's, Gibson-style 335 copy, but with the most gorgeous natural tiger stripe finish. Bound (even around the 'f' holes)gold hardware disappointing (gold finish doesn't come close to being in the same league as the woods used). Grover machine heads (very nice) twin humbuckers that are rather weak. Beautiful neck, great intonation, with some decent pickups would be a knock-out.

Ran through a 74 Vox AC30TB the sound is very warm (great for blues), I've heard that refitted with SD's it is fantastic & I can believe it. I don't use effects much these days, but the guitar has good definition between the pickups & the usual 3 way toggle switch.

Guitar was set-up perfectly from the get go, I've had it for 5 years or so & not had to adjust anything yet. The finish of this guitar (with the only exception being the cheap gold on the pickups) is unbelievable at the price & is nicer than any 'real' 335 that I've seen. The matching of the tiger grain needs to be seen to be believed.

The guitar seems quite solid, but any hollow body of this type you would need to be careful with, it's just too nice to dent !! Machine heads are great (Grovers) pickups have very poor finish (really don't belong on this guitar, god knows where they came from) gold on bridge poor too. Neck is fantastic, with a couple of SD's would be the best 335 on the market.

No problems at all so far, a superb quality instrument (with the exception of the above) at a silly price.

Have been playing a long time (might get good one day !!) still have my trusty Shergold Masquerador (bulletproof) & Vox AC30. Had to have this guitar when I saw it & I couldn't believe how cheap the price was. I'll probably keep it forever, I wish it could have had the SD's from the factory, but then you can't have it all.