Washburn HB35S

I think the prior reviewer said made in USA,but to my knowledge this Washburn HB35S semi-hollowbody guitar is Korean made.That's not a bad thing anymore.I have 8 guitars,all American made excluding the HB35S,which is my only current import.My other guitars include a USA Washburn Maverick,Carvin Custom Shop,Hamer Studio,Hamer P-90 Special,Zolla BZ-2,Fender Custom Shop Strat and a Martin DM w/Fishman.All nice to great guitars,but the HB35S takes no backseat to those guitars.It is one my favorites and is quite beautiful also.I believe it was made in 95 or 96.The Washburn is finished in natural Sycamore w/ a nice flamed grain.The neck is Maple w/ a Rosewood fingerboard.The sides are Maple also.Gold hardware is standard as are the nice Grover tuners.Even though the stock pickups sounded fine,I upgraded to a pair of Duncan Seth Lover humbuckers in gold.They match perfectly.The frets seem like medium jumbo that are not very tall.The pearl block fretboard inlays are a classy touch also.The white body and fretboard binding are also top notch.This guitar is really well made,much better than my old 71 Gibson 335 that I had in the 80s.The HB35S sounds much better also.The hardshell case is sturdy and good looking to boot.The fretboard radius is quite flat,probably 15 w/ a 24.75 scale like Gibson.I believe the center block that runs from the set neck to the stop tailpiece is made of White Mahogany.The action is low and lighting fast with no fretbuzz noticed.

The HB35S is great for blues,classic rock,country,jazz and even certain types of metal!The tone is full but real cutting with a nice ringing quality.The Seth Lover pickups have great high end sparkle while at the same time they are nice and fat,especially the neck pickup.To get the most out of this axe I would highly reccomend a pickup upgrade to the Seth Lovers.Also Duncan 59's or a 59'/JB combo could also yield nice results.Too hot pickups could cause unwanted feedback and take away the delicate nature (I'm talking tone not construction here)and balance a nice 335 type guitar can give your playing.If you want to sound like Slayer, get a Jackson!The sustain on this guitar is long and sweet,especially thru my MesaBoogie MARK2C+.Great Scofield/Carlton vibes.This guitar is naturally somewhat brighter and cutting than the Gibson 335 due to the woods used (Sycamore/Maple compared to Mahogany/Maple),but I really dig the bite that goes along with the fullness.The in-between pickup sound is great for funk and "skanking" along with giving a very convincing country jangle tone.The neck pickup yields dark,smokey tones w/ a smooth richness ideal for blues or jazz comping.The bridge pickup packs nice detail and deffinition,great for rock and stinging Chicago blues.The Seth Lovers,though vintage in tone,have great sustain characteristics and output,prabably due to the Alnico2 magnets used.My only real complaint would be the guitar's tendency to feed back at stage volume.But that is par for the course for any brand of hollow/semi-hollow type of electric guitar.The HB35S is also abit heavy,but no more than my Gibson 335.

The HB35S has low,sweet action w/ nicely polished frets.The flamed Sycamore top is nicely matched as well.The fit and finish is second to none,every bit as good as my American made axes.I honestly found no flaws in the workmanship of this Washburn.Peel off the Korea sticker if you must (I did),because everybody that holds and plays this guitar does not believe it's an import!

The Washburn HB35S is built very solid,you can just feel it as one holds and plays it.I put Schaller strap-locks on the guitar that keeps it securely in place (highly reccomended).The finish feels quite durable and I feel it will hold-up real well in the years to come.I usually bring my Strat or one of my Hamers as a second guitar to cover some other styles and just to have another flavor to play with.I have used the HB35S as an only guitar at gigs and it covered all the tone basses with flying colors!It also really stays in tune as well.This guitar is so pretty that sometimes I like to polish it up and put it on a guitar stand.This guitar,of all of mine, gets by far the most "oohs and awes" from other players and people in the crowd,especially from the ladies.The gold hardware and pearl inlays on natural Sycamore is quite striking.

I've called twice (I have the US Maverick Studio also)and have spoken to polite and knowledgable people each time.I feel I would not have a problem w/ customer service if a problem came up.

I rate this guitar a solid 9,only because I believe there is no guitar that is totally perfect.If this guitar were lost, I would buy a new one.I've been playing 23 years and the Washburn HB35S rates with the best Ive owned.40+ guitars and counting!This guitar is a real "darkhorse" that gets little attention in the guitar media/community.If your looking for a nice 335 type guitar and don't want to shell out two to three grand for a Gibson,check the Washburn out.With the pickup upgrade, this guitar is one of the underrated buys in electric guitar.

Crafted in 95' or 96', USA. Semi-Acoustic (335 style). Double pickup, with volume and tone control for each, and a 3-way selector. Both pickups have been upgraded to SD 59's. Gorgeous flamed sycamore body with gold hardware. This guitar looks as good as it sounds, which is incredible.

I play jazz (standards & contemporary) and pop. This is, without a doubt, the finest jazz guitar I've ever encountered, including those with mega $$$ signs on the tag. I play it through a Fender Acoustasonic SFX (see the review), and the sound is superlative. The neck pickup generates an unbelievable richness and sustain that I've never found before.

I can't find anything that's out of place, misaligned, or poorly crafted.

This isn't a guitar to thrash with. It should be treated like it cost $5,000.00. It's not overly delicate by any means, (it's actually very heavy and solid feeling), but it's a beautiful musical instrument that should be treated with care. Only complaint is the forward strap pin. It turns the strap at an odd angle that can result in the strap pulling off. StrapLock replacements will cure the problem. Everything else is beautiful.

I've played guitar since the mid-60's (Egad!). I've played, and/or owned instruments costing many thousands of dollars and am convinced a dollar sign has very little to do with a musical instrument's quality or value. I'd much rather find a moderately priced "player's" guitar than spend an obscene amount on some "Collector's Issue" that most working musician's would never consider owning. The HB-35S was an incredible bargain, demonstrates the highest level of quality, and sounds/looks/feels like a thoroughbred.
I'm usually suspicious when I see a product rated with almost all "10's", but it wouldn't be right to downgrade this guitar. It's the guitar that many jazz players seek, but don't often find.
If lost or stolen, I'd replace it immediately with the same thing.