Post by Tony Ravenscroft on Jan 31, 2024 11:23:56 GMT -6
Here's the basic guideline: If Washburn produced a guitar, and the letters L-Y-O-N appear anywhere, it's an "entry level" (beginner) guitar, and not a full-on Washburn.
Probably. Sort of. More or less.
I am so old that I remember when it was easy to find a well-played USA Strat for less than $200. Nowadays, a NEW Affinity will cost you more. It seems as though every time a "rookie" guitar line takes root, quality often begins a bit rocky but then gets better and better until it rivals its parent brand AND is notably less costly -- here in 2024, I have no qualms saying that anyone who believes they want an American Fender would be better off buying a Mexico Fender even without comparing the prices!!! For starters, BOTH will need an initial setup by someone who knows what they're doing: the instruments from California (Corona) are marginally less good than the instruments from Ensenada (literally like 40 miles away, over the border) because the Mexico workers ar just that bit more engaged in their work, and it shows in the fit-and-finish. The hardware is about as good, and some of the pickups are actually better.
Back to Washburn Guitars. Brief version: though Washburn has launched surprisingly few straight-up counterfeits / clones / tributes, they recognized the demand.
Unlike everyone else, they leapt in at the deep end, with 1992's Legacy Series, a mere two models: a standard Strat (LS-93, $1299.90) and a Stephen's Extended Cutaway version (LS-103, $1599.90), both with Seymour Duncan s-s-s, and hardware variously by Wilkinson, Schaller, Gotoh, and Sperzel. The next year, these were rebranded as the Silverado Series, and matched up with two straight up Telecasters as the Laredo Series, LT-82 ($799.90) and LT-92 ($999.90).
Under Rudy Schlacher, Washburns were almost always produced in small batches (as I've discussed in other threads) of a few hundred. This didn't align well with the potentially lucrative markets of chain retailers (Guitar Center, etc.), big-boxes (Walmart), and department stores (Sears), who were interested in featuring the suddenly prestigious Washburn brand, though not the innovations the company was becoming known for, and wanted to order thousands at a time.
So, 1994 saw the Lyon Series, five generic clones: WE-1 (s-s-s Strat, $320), WE-2 (h-s-s Strat, $330), WE-3 (Tele, $360), WB-10 (Precision, $370), WB-20 (Jazz, $400).
Probably. Sort of. More or less.
I am so old that I remember when it was easy to find a well-played USA Strat for less than $200. Nowadays, a NEW Affinity will cost you more. It seems as though every time a "rookie" guitar line takes root, quality often begins a bit rocky but then gets better and better until it rivals its parent brand AND is notably less costly -- here in 2024, I have no qualms saying that anyone who believes they want an American Fender would be better off buying a Mexico Fender even without comparing the prices!!! For starters, BOTH will need an initial setup by someone who knows what they're doing: the instruments from California (Corona) are marginally less good than the instruments from Ensenada (literally like 40 miles away, over the border) because the Mexico workers ar just that bit more engaged in their work, and it shows in the fit-and-finish. The hardware is about as good, and some of the pickups are actually better.
Back to Washburn Guitars. Brief version: though Washburn has launched surprisingly few straight-up counterfeits / clones / tributes, they recognized the demand.
Unlike everyone else, they leapt in at the deep end, with 1992's Legacy Series, a mere two models: a standard Strat (LS-93, $1299.90) and a Stephen's Extended Cutaway version (LS-103, $1599.90), both with Seymour Duncan s-s-s, and hardware variously by Wilkinson, Schaller, Gotoh, and Sperzel. The next year, these were rebranded as the Silverado Series, and matched up with two straight up Telecasters as the Laredo Series, LT-82 ($799.90) and LT-92 ($999.90).
Under Rudy Schlacher, Washburns were almost always produced in small batches (as I've discussed in other threads) of a few hundred. This didn't align well with the potentially lucrative markets of chain retailers (Guitar Center, etc.), big-boxes (Walmart), and department stores (Sears), who were interested in featuring the suddenly prestigious Washburn brand, though not the innovations the company was becoming known for, and wanted to order thousands at a time.
So, 1994 saw the Lyon Series, five generic clones: WE-1 (s-s-s Strat, $320), WE-2 (h-s-s Strat, $330), WE-3 (Tele, $360), WB-10 (Precision, $370), WB-20 (Jazz, $400).
