|
|
• Washburn WI-64 |
At first I wanted to write only about WI-64. But WI-64DL seemed to be very close to it, so it was included, too. And then I added other Idol models. Although there are descriptions of all Idols, this MAIN page is about WI-64, since I have one (well, WI-64DL is also here:)). |
Specifications
Body
Neck
- 22 frets
- 24 3/4 "
- mahogany set neck*
- fingerboard radius 14"
- rosewood fingerboard
- 2.7 mm fretwire
- small dot inlays
- Buzz Feiten Tuning System™
* Official Wasburn web page says that the guitar has a maple neck. But some reviews at Harmony Central says it's mahogany. Also a review (well, Washburn official page refers to this review, so it's rather trustworthy) at Guitar Player says the following about WI-64DL model: "Neck: Set construction, rosewood on mahogany".
Hardware
- tune-o-matic bridge
- chrome hardware
- metal covered bridge and neck humbuckers
- 3-way toggle switch
- Grover tuners
- 2 volume knobs (bridge/neck)
- 2 Voice Contour Control (VCC) knobs (bridge/neck)
Additional info
When I bought my guitar, WI-64 was in two colours: Blonde (WI64BLD) and Transparent Red (WI64TR) (although I'd heard that one could buy a black guitar, I didn't manage to see it - not only on the net but in real life, too). Now a couple of colors were added (Platinum Matte (WI64PM), Black (WI64B)).
There's also an already mentioned WI-64DL model which has a quilted maple top and gold hardware. There are three available transparent colours for this one: purple, green, blue. Also, Vintage Sunburst color is available. Actually, there is at least one more colour version (see photos) and I saw it with my eyes! It's some sort of sunburst.
Not long ago I learned some more about WI-64DL version (from the "Guitar One" review that you can find on the official Washburn page). Well, at least I didn't know this little detail. So, the "maple top" is just a thin veneer. So it's really only a matter of your choice if you want it. That is, I don't think it would add anything to the sound, making it closer to Les Paul. So, it's up to you what you think will look cool. E.g., I don't like any of the DL colours (purple, blue, green). But red colour is cool! It reminds me of Hetfield's (James Hetfield, MetallicA) red SG (you can see it in 'Turn the Page' video).
What is VCC? With the turn of the knob you morph your humbs to singles. Well, sounds impressive but there are people who don't like the feature because it damages sound greatly (as they say). But there are ones who says it's cool. So it's up to you.
The Idol family
The Idol family is pretty big, you know. And Washburn makes additions to it. So here's what we have now:
WI-24
WI-44
WI-64PLAB
WI-65
WI-66V
WI-68
Modifications
Some people are not satisfied with the work of VCC. So I've made a page that describes a possible modification that makes VCC knob to work as a usual tone knob. The modification was made by Bernhard Betancourt (thank you very much!). He also made a scheme of a VCC wiring.
Read about my Dunlop Straplok strap retainer. I installed it 'cause my strap slipped of the upper strap-button a couple of times. I was lucky enough to catch the guitar before it's headstock hit the floor:) So it's very important to buy some kind of strap retainer.
Photos
Here are some photos you can find on the web.
WI-64:
WI-64DL:
And here are the photos of my guitar (they are huge - hold the mouse pointer over it to see the size):
New photos that I've made. In fact, I've got a lot of pics during my last 'photo session', but now I'm thinking of the best way to use these ones. So here are only a few (later will be added some more):
| |
|
|
