From Guitar World Magazine, December 2004.

NAUGHTY AND NICE
Washburn X Series X50 PRO solidboody and Idol Series WI67 PRO semihollow and electrics

Washburn became famous a century ago as a crafter of fine acoustic guitars. In recent years, however, the guitar maker has received as much praise for its multifaceted electric creations, which have become the instruments of choice for cutting-edge players as diverse as Dimebag Darrell and Jennifer Batten.

My two test guitars, Washburn’s solidbody X50 PRO and semihollow WI67 PRO, serve different masters, yet both embody the company’s traditional leanings and forward thinking. The X50 achieves this balance of old and new by incorporating the company’s patented intonation-correcting Buzz Feiten Tuning System in a guitar that has sexy looks and built-for-speed design, yet feels as well crafted as a handmade custom ax. The WI67 does so by updating a classic semiacoustic design with modern features, like the Feiten system and Washburn’s exclusive Voice Contour Control (VCC) tone system (more on this below). Happily, each model carries a respectably modest price tag, allowing even intermediate players to enjoy the features and designs usually reserved for pro-level ax slingers.

X50 PRO

As serious guitarists develop their level of proficiency and ear for tone, they eventually outgrow their first electric guitar. For many, the next step may well be the X50 PRO, a sexy-hot speed machine with features and performance far beyond its reasonable price. The seductive mahogany body is cut into a modified Soloist shape with a flat back and no belly relief. Its horns are spread sinfully wide, allowing players to reach for high registers and make the X50 PRO scream into the night, without inducing fret-hand stress. The bound and arched quilted maple top is book-matched and sprayed with a Quilted Wine Burst finish that mixes crimson red with transparent black. The guitar’s strings pull through the body and over a chrome Tune-O-Matic bridge, terminating at mini Grover 18:1 tuners.

The contoured heel of the set mahogany neck dips into the body like a seamless neck-through design, and a slashing “X” inlay both halves the bound rosewood fretboard and indicates this guitar’s adult rating. The neck, which is medium-thin and wide, is an ideal platform for sweeping, and its mild taper caters to players that live above the 12th fret. Thanks to the Buzz Feiten Tuning System, the X50 PRO’s intonation is scary accurate at all points on the neck.

The two Seymour Duncan pickups are made for hot and classic tones. Controls include a three-way selector, master volume and tone knobs. The push-pull tone pot splits both pickups into single-coils.

Performance

The X50 PRO may be built from solid mahogany and maple, but my test model was lightweight, yet loud, and displayed many of the open tone qualities associated with alder or ash. These tones allowed the guitar to spin up a twister of Texas blues in single-coil mode, and they lifted the guitar above the band when driven with full humbucking power. Blasting the X50 through my Rectifier, a gnarly lowmid accent dominated the guitar’s personality. This led me to discover lead nirvana with the neck pickup and use the bridgeposition Duncan Custom Custom for sharpsounding rhythm tracks.

WI67 PRO

While semihollow electrics are an obvious choice for jazz flyers, recent trends and improvements in antifeedback technology are making them more attractive to hard-rock guitarists. The latest member of Washburn’s award-winning Idol Series, the WI67 PRO builds its foundation of seasoned tone on a semihollow mahogany body that features an easy-rolling shape, a trigger-curved lower cutaway and a large f-hole. Perfectly bound in cream plastic, the AAA Tobacco Burst quilted-maple top has a mild arch that elevates the picking hand to a comfortable position. Continuing the smoky theme is a complement of black chrome hardware: a Tune-O-Matic and stoptail bridge, T-style strap buttons and full-size kidney bean Grover tuners with an 18:1 ratio.

Set into the body with a low-profile heel, the 24 3/4–inch-scale mahogany neck is covered in the same sienna brown finish as the guitar’s back and sides. The flat hill of the Ushape profile and 22 welldressed jumbo frets let players glide through scales with minimal left-hand pressure. If you have an eye for neovintage details, you’ll enjoy the return of the pearl wing inlays on the bound rosewood fingerboard.

A three-way toggle lets players select from two Seymour Duncan humbuckers, each with its own volume and Voice Contour Control (VCC) tone knobs. Exclusive to Washburn, the VCC tone system is a passive tone circuit that lets players alter the sound of the pickups from single-coil to humbucking tone through special pots and ingenious wiring.

Performance

I tested the WI67 PRO using Cardas 2x24M cable and my Victoria Victorilux amp. Tones ranged from exceptionally sweet and clean to mildly driven. By simply manipulating the VCC control, I was able to create jackhammer single-coil country-style string pops at one extreme and buttery semidistorted tones at the other. With the volume and drive pushed higher, the bridge-position Duncan Custom Custom created lots of nasty grind, while the Duncan ’59 neck pickup combined with the semihollow body, heavy distortion and the VCC control to produce woody tones that recalled the sounds of early Santana and Eric Johnson.

The Bottom Line

The superb quality of these two Washburns once again demonstrates that the gap between guitars produced overseas and those made domestically is closing. The semihollow WI67 PRO, with its modern Ushape neck and innovative VCC tone circuit, could serve you comfortably and handily through several sets of wide-ranging rock tunes. As for its slinky sister ax, the X50 PRO, it’s a guitar for serious rock and fusion artists that desire the handling and hot tones of a New York custom guitar but don’t want to pay the hefty price tag.