W1_Pro Posted February 8, 2021 Posted February 8, 2021 (edited) I'm not sure if this is the best place for this thread. Maybe it should be in 'repairs and technical' so mods, if it needs to be moved, please feel free. Righty ho. Thats the housekeeping out of the way. A few years ago, on a whim, I bought a 1979 Washburn Scavenger. I believe these were the entry level tier of the Washburn bass range at that time, with the more esoteric versions being the Vulture, and the Eagle. Both wonderful machines, but it must be said, very rarely seen in this country. The impetus to buy the bass came from an old mate of mine, who had an Eagle guitar. Quite frankly an unbelievablely good instrument, so I'd sort of had this in the back of my mind for years. Then this came up- on ebay iirc- and the die was cast. Here is a picture taken the day after I bought it. I thought that the zebra stripe pattern might be a nicely ironic post modern comment on contemporary musical mores, but it just made me look like an over the hill refugee from a Poison tribute band. However, it played nicely and sounded absolutely great. I think the pickup is a dimarzio, but if it isn't, it sounds just as good as one. It languished in a case for a couple of years then I developed a need for a bass I can leave in my office, and not worry too much who messes about with it, and I thought: "Aha, the Washburn". So I retrieved it from it's case and decided that it would definitely benefit from a new look. I thought I might strip it and do a rattlecan nitro spray job in black. So far so good. The stripping went well, even though there was about half an inch of paint on it. Once it was down to the wood I was quite amazed at what I found. A lovely mahogany body with an ash (I think) top. So I modified plan A, bought a bottle of tru oil and got to work. Using the slurry and buff method I went through many grades of wet & dry, ending up on 000 wire wool and the end result you see below. A lovely looking bass with top notch hardware- albeit unbranded - which plays and sounds great. It is as heavy as a small star though, which is the only drawback I can find... Oh yes, one really nice touch...The original hair metal paint job was slightly iffy in a couple of spots, just bleed through I think, given the complex pattern, but as such the neckplate is stamped 'reject'. If this is a Washburn reject, I'll take the lot. Edited February 8, 2021 by W1_Pro 7 Quote
Andyjr1515 Posted February 9, 2021 Posted February 9, 2021 (edited) Looks great, @W1_Pro ! Always had a soft spot for Washburns. And yes - this fits nicely in this section Hope all well with you and yours Edited February 9, 2021 by Andyjr1515 Quote
W1_Pro Posted February 9, 2021 Author Posted February 9, 2021 On 09/02/2021 at 07:39, Andyjr1515 said: Looks great, @W1_Pro ! Always had a soft spot for Washburns. And yes - this fits nicely in this section Hope all well with you and yours Expand All good here Andy, if a little quiet! I've been following your work on here avidly. Your great strength (also, you might argue your biggest weakness😂) is that you take on jobs most 'normal' luthiers would run a mile from, and then pull them off with great aplomb. I'm thinking of that Vox neck you sorted out, unbelievable job. As to the Washburn, I'm really pleased with it. I was playing it this morning thinking "this cost £110...WHAT a result". They are such underrated instuments. Nicely understated but beautifully made. ATB old chap. 1 Quote
Pea Turgh Posted February 9, 2021 Posted February 9, 2021 A great save! Can’t help thinking there’s a possible weight saving there by reducing the body a little; 1 Quote
JohnDaBass Posted February 9, 2021 Posted February 9, 2021 Great job, looks absolutely handsome. Well done giving a well loved bass a fresh, new lease of life. Are Pups DiMarzio? 1 Quote
W1_Pro Posted February 9, 2021 Author Posted February 9, 2021 On 09/02/2021 at 09:33, JohnDaBass said: Great job, looks absolutely handsome. Well done giving a well loved bass a fresh, new lease of life. Are Pups DiMarzio? Expand Thanks John. I think it is a Dimarzio, iirc reading somewhere that Washburns of this era had them fitted as standard, but ultimately for the definitive ruling we'll need someone who's a bit more knowledgable than me. Maybe @Bassassin? It does look nice, eh? The mahogany is just lovely. A really nice piece of wood. ATB Stuart Quote
Andyjr1515 Posted February 9, 2021 Posted February 9, 2021 On 09/02/2021 at 09:40, W1_Pro said: Thanks John. I think it is a Dimarzio, iirc reading somewhere that Washburns of this era had them fitted as standard, but ultimately for the definitive ruling we'll need someone who's a bit more knowledgable than me. Maybe @Bassassin? It does look nice, eh? The mahogany is just lovely. A really nice piece of wood. ATB Stuart Expand They look like DiMarzios to me... 1 Quote
JohnDaBass Posted February 9, 2021 Posted February 9, 2021 On 09/02/2021 at 09:40, W1_Pro said: Thanks John. I think it is a Dimarzio, iirc reading somewhere that Washburns of this era had them fitted as standard, but ultimately for the definitive ruling we'll need someone who's a bit more knowledgable than me. Maybe @Bassassin? It does look nice, eh? The mahogany is just lovely. A really nice piece of wood. ATB Stuart Expand The next step maybe to swap out the DiMarzio Pups for the Split P DiMarzio Pups. I have enjoyed some very satisfying success with the Split P Pups. They are effectively 2 Humbucking pickups and are more powerful and have a huge range of tones on offer. Food for thought maybe? 1 Quote
W1_Pro Posted February 9, 2021 Author Posted February 9, 2021 (edited) On 09/02/2021 at 12:09, JohnDaBass said: The next step maybe to swap out the DiMarzio Pups for the Split P DiMarzio Pups. I have enjoyed some very satisfying success with the Split P Pups. They are effectively 2 Humbucking pickups and are more powerful and have a huge range of tones on offer. Food for thought maybe? Expand Thats a great idea. They are the 'rail' pickups that Dimarzio build I think? I have a couple of those on the BC Rich NJ Mockingbird that @Andyjr1515 sorted out for me. An awesome device indeed. Edited February 9, 2021 by W1_Pro 1 Quote
Andyjr1515 Posted February 9, 2021 Posted February 9, 2021 On 09/02/2021 at 12:35, W1_Pro said: I have a couple of those on the BC Rich NJ Mockingbird that @Andyjr1515 sorted out for me Expand And what a pleasure that was. If I had to choose the favourite bass I've ever held in my hands, it would be - without doubt, that one. Couldn't tell you why. It just felt magical. 1 Quote
BassTool Posted February 9, 2021 Posted February 9, 2021 On 09/02/2021 at 13:51, Andyjr1515 said: And what a pleasure that was. If I had to choose the favourite bass I've ever held in my hands, it would be - without doubt, that one. Couldn't tell you why. It just felt magical. Expand Now that. Is surely saying something 😯 1 Quote
W1_Pro Posted February 10, 2021 Author Posted February 10, 2021 On 09/02/2021 at 21:41, BassTool said: Now that. Is surely saying something 😯 Expand Thats kind of what I thought.... High praise indeed! 2 Quote
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