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piebaldpython
May 27th, 2009, 08:29 AM
I bought my first electric a while ago and just now have gotten around to testing it out. The Washburn HB-32 semi-hollowbody (335 clone)

http://www.washburn.com/electrics/hollow-bodies/

Made out of mahogany in a "distressed" (read: relic) appearance. It differs from the HB-30 and HB-35 in that those are maple tops. Decent looking and nice feeling guitar. The binding is good and the frets are well done with no sharp edges to be found anywhere. Tuners seem to do the job and it tunes up promptly with a tuner. Good intonation. String spacing is a bit narrower than I am used to but not really a problem.

Two open humbucker pups. Volume and tone controls for each pup. Toggle switch to change between pups. My peeve here is that being a NOOB to the darkside, it isn't clear when I use the toggle (the LP toggle), which pup I am engaging. No instruction sheet, no nothing. When the toggle is pointing down, which pup is engaged? It's not like on a Strat or a Tele where the pup selector is in parallel line to the pups. Likewise, I didn't know which volume went to which pup. Frustrating at the time. Decent action for fretting.

I ran it through my brand-new Behringer GM110 V-Tone amp (the amp will be a separate review).

I was able to get some real nice blues lead and chord sounds out of the guitar. Though I feel that the tone is more a result of the kick-*** amp than the guitar. This isn't a knock of the git, more a praise of the amp.

I didn't do much monkeying around with the controls on the git as I didn't know what was what and I was getting annoyed. Familiarity will no doubt make me happier. ahah

I got this as a blues/slide guitar and I am very pleased with it. Good action, nice smooth neck/fingerboard and it feels nice and balanced on my left leg (I play right handed).

It's a good 335 clone and a good git for blues/jazz/classic rock applications. Comes with a well-padded gig bag and 8 ft cord. Haven't tried it out yet for slide.

t_ross33
May 27th, 2009, 09:09 AM
Welcome to the dark side! :beer:

The Washburn HB's are great bang for the buck guitars for those seeking a 335 style guitar. I love my HB-30. The mahogany body should make for a smoother, jazzier tone I would guess. Make no mistake, the tones you are getting are largely due to the guitar - it's a tone monster :AOK:

One thing about the HB series guitars, and most Washburn electrics that I have tried is the pickups are quite "hot" compared to my other guitars and volume and tone adjustments are needed when switching between guitars, especially in a live setting (our drummer also runs our sound from the stage and hates when I pick up my HB because he has to make quick volume adjustments to the mix on the fly - :rotflmao: ).

The neck/fretwork on these guitars make a nice low action possible. If you are going to dedicate it to slide work, I would recommend installing a different nut and raising the action.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention "PICS AND CLIPS OR IT DON'T EXIST" - :rotflmao:

P.S. In LP-fashion, the pickup selector is UP for neck, CENTER for both, DOWN for bridge... unless yours is wired funny.

piebaldpython
May 27th, 2009, 10:07 AM
Welcome to the dark side! :beer:
P.S. In LP-fashion, the pickup selector is UP for neck, CENTER for both, DOWN for bridge... unless yours is wired funny.

Thanks for the pup selector info. What about the volume/tone controls? Do the top ones go to the neck and bottom to the bridge?

It is a nice playing git. Sound, of course, is a function of pup and amp. To clarify, the git pups did their job well and changes I made thru the amp were amp related (I will review the amp later). Meaning, that if the pups sucked, then any amp changes wouldn't have mattered. The pups have to be good straight-away because, God knows, I had no clue how to dial anything in on the guitar. :rotflmao:

This is a very nice bluesy git and should be fun and I can't wait to play tonite. As to slide, I will fret and slide; so it won't be a SLIDE ONLY git.
That's what lap steels are for. :AOK: