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Washburn Guitars

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A washburn

Washburn (full name: Washburn Guitars) was established in 1883 in Chicago, Illinois. Washburn is known for many innovations in guitar building and marketing: for example, it was the first guitar manufacturer to use artist endorsements and build a large-bodied acoustic guitar. They are all hand built (some in Indonesia however) and run the gamut in price from very low to several thousand dollars. The budget lines are marketed as Lyon by Washburn and Oscar Schmidt by Washburn.

Washburn is a part of U.S. Music Corporation.

History

The Washburn guitar company started making guitars in 1833 in Chicago. The factory would later be involved and located near a musical movement in Chicago in the 1920s. The movement was a “Delta Blues” movement, which came as a result of an influx of African Americans to the area. This type of blues would change the way blues music was played, and would also change rock and roll. This blues movement helped in the success of Washburn guitars.Washburn guitars were very popular during the 1920s. The musicians played the guitars as well as making them by hand. The Washburn guitar and the blues movement that it was involved with are associated with Maxwell Street. This street is only a few blocks from the factory, and where Washburn guitars were first embraced. Today, Washburn guitars have embraced the image from its origins and the blues movement. Many famous and successful artists play Washburn instruments, and endorse Washburn instruments. Musicians like the guitar players for Matisyahu, Sum41, Avril Lavigne, CKY, and The Allman Brothers are all endorsed by Washburn. Washburn makes electric guitars, acoustic guitars, electric basses, acoustic basses, banjos, mandolins, travel guitars, and amplifiers. The company also makes accessories including guitar cases, clothing, and other parts like tuners, pick ups, and straps. Washburn is mostly known for its electric guitars and acoustic guitars. The company makes eight different styles or “Series” of both electric and acoustic guitars [1].

Guitars

Electric:

  • Hollowbodies – well suited for Jazz because of its lighter and more resonant sound.
  • Ian Series – very artistic guitars made of mahogany and maple wood.
  • Idol Series – a newer addition to Washburn guitars.
  • Maya Series – designed by Dan Donegan based on the Disturbed’s CD "The Sickness".
  • Paul Stanley Series – guitars designed by Paul Stanley.
  • N Series – guitars that make a pure rock sound.
  • X Series – rock and roll guitars.
  • Anarchy Graphic Series – guitars featuring the anarchy symbol.

Acoustic:

  • USA – guitars made in the Mudelein, IL factory.
  • Jumbos – better and louder projection.
  • Dreadnoughts – good value acoustic guitars.
  • Folk Style – best quality for sound recording.
  • Classical – mellower tone, as a result of nylon strings.
  • Acoustic / Electric – acoustic guitars that can be plugged into amplifiers as well.
  • Travel Acoustic – small, travel friendly guitars.
  • Paul Stanley Series – guitars designed by Paul Stanley.

Notable Washburn innovations

Over the years, Washburn designed (patented and trademarked) several prominent guitar construction features:

  • Buzz Feiten Tuning System — a corrected temperation tuning formula, which uses a compensated nut and saddle to correct the inherent intonation problems of the Western tuning formula. This system comes standard on all USA made Washburn guitars and basses and is featured on select imported models [2].
  • Stephen's Extended Cutaway — special modification of bolt-on neck joint, allowing very smooth and easy top fret access, which comes useful while playing fast leads.
  • Voice Contour Control - a special coil structure that allows a blend between a humbucker mode and a single-coil mode on the same pickup [3]

Endorsers

Washburn was the first company to use the mechanism of endorsements: instrument manufacturer and famous artist secure a contract that states:

  • Manufacturer provides custom-shop instrument that suits the artist best, for free (or even paying artist).
  • Artists promotes his usage of that instrument and advertises manufacturer company.

This process greatly promotes the whole industry. Beginning artists often try to copy the sound of their favourite artists and thus try to use the same equipment. Endorsements help both manufacturers and consumers: beginning artists get to know what kind of equipment their idol uses and can copy their sound easier, and companies raise sales.[citation needed]

The whole list of Washburn endorsers is very lengthy, most notable artists that have signature models are listed here:

The fictional character Wayne Campbell (played by Mike Myers) in the Saturday Night Live skit Wayne's World also played a Washburn.

Product lineup

Signature models

  • Nuno Bettencourt models are flagshipped by the American hand-made N4. The N4 guitar is a small reverse headstock super-strat which features the unique Stephen's Extended Cutaway neck joint for easy access to the higher frets. It also contains Bill Lawrence and Seymour Duncan pickups, and a Floyd Rose licensed tremolo. The production budget models of this guitar which are machine built in Korea are known as the N1 and N2 which feature standard bolt-on necks and lower grade pickups and tremolo systems. The N3 (discontinued) was also produced in Korea and sported the Stephen's Extended Cutaway but used lower grade pickups. Nuno has also endorsed several Washburn acoustic models.
  • Dan Donegan Signature Model (2003): Maya Series for Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan, named after his daughter. There are currently two models of this guitar, both using Seymour Duncan pickups.

See also

  1. ^ http://www.washburn.com/about/history/index.aspx
  2. ^ http://www.washburn.com/products/buzz/
  3. ^ http://www.washburn.com/products/buzz/vcc.aspx
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