WI67PRO Review

I love this guitar and can't find a better one. I play everything from metal to classical to blues and it meets all my expectations.

Features:	10
Sound:	10
Action:	10
Reliability:	10
Impression:	10
Overall rating:	8.4
Reviewer rating:	10
Users rating:	6.8
Votes:	12

overall: 10

Reviewed by: El_Lobo_1, on february 08, 2011

Price paid: $ 1000

Purchased from: S&S Audio

Features: First of all, I would like to start out by saying that the neck was wonderfully well made. It wasn't too fat and wasn't too thin. I'm guessing it was made in 2005, in Korea, because that was the year I bought it in. I would've like 24 frets but the 22 that were on there works just fine. The two Seymour Duncan pickups played metal just as well as clean music. // 10

Sound: The VCC controls was an awesome feature on this guitar. It allows a Stratocaster style sound and a full humbucker sound at different levels of the VCC controls. When I used the distortion, it flowed through the amp wonderfully and still did so when I used the clean channels. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar I bought was made to perfection. Everything was done right and I found no mistakes in it. The action was very well made and it impressed me. My guitar fitted me just perfectly, also the finish was my favorite feature. The Orange sunburst color was so beautiful and cool. // 10

Reliability & Durability: After 5 years of owning it, I've only had to have the frets replaced and I need to replace the hardware, which is oxidizing. The controls could use tightening but this guitar is a tough one. It'd the most reliable I've ever had and I put my whole trust into it. My Washburn looks exactly like the way it did when I first bought it. // 10

Impression: I love this guitar and can't find a better one. I play everything from metal to classical to blues and it meets all my expectations. I have no complaints with this guitar expect I wish they had not discontinued it. There's no other guitar I could ever want to replace it, although I would enjoy a whammy bar. // 10

Comments

[rv_phoenix]

You have to love this guitar, man. It's a fine piece of art. But a 10 overall will bring over you a hoard of metal lovers, claiming that its semi-hollowbody isn't suitable for metal, hence the 10 is too much.
... I mean: at 1000 USD, it isn't the best guitar in the world. Love shouldn't be a treshold for your critical spirit, if you decide to write a review.
P.S. Whammy bars don't go well with semi-hollowbodies. Only the ugly Bigsby tremolo system will do the trick, but it would distroy the looks of your work of art. And, believe me, you don't actually need a whammy bar, when you play on such a fine axe.

[saint_berzerker]

Well, I'd say at least this guy's 10's have more merit than 99.9% of the other reviews on here. Sounds like he's had it for years and has really put it to the test. While 10's in all categories seems a bit much, this is still a good review.

[Zeletros]

"I play everything from metal to classical to blues and it meets all my expectations." I got tired of hearing that. And by the waym semi-hollowbody isn't suitable for metal, and only 22 frets and no whammy= 10/10 features?

[bustapr]

Zeletros wrote:

"I play everything from metal to classical to blues and it meets all my expectations." I got tired of hearing that. And by the waym semi-hollowbody isn't suitable for metal, and only 22 frets and no whammy= 10/10 features?

isnt the best for metal but its playable and would have a unique sound, a hollowbody doesnt require 24 frets, 22 is just as good, no annoyingly hard to tune/string whammy that would uglify the guitar = as close to 10 as you can get.

[Zeletros]

bustapr wrote:

Zeletros wrote:

"I play everything from metal to classical to blues and it meets all my expectations." I got tired of hearing that. And by the waym semi-hollowbody isn't suitable for metal, and only 22 frets and no whammy= 10/10 features?

isnt the best for metal but its playable and would have a unique sound, a hollowbody doesnt require 24 frets, 22 is just as good, no annoyingly hard to tune/string whammy that would uglify the guitar = as close to 10 as you can get.

24 frets and whammy just gives you more to play with. And I'd want to see you dive bomb without whammy and without breaking your guitar neck

[bustapr]

Zeletros wrote:

bustapr wrote:

Zeletros wrote:

"I play everything from metal to classical to blues and it meets all my expectations." I got tired of hearing that. And by the waym semi-hollowbody isn't suitable for metal, and only 22 frets and no whammy= 10/10 features?

isnt the best for metal but its playable and would have a unique sound, a hollowbody doesnt require 24 frets, 22 is just as good, no annoyingly hard to tune/string whammy that would uglify the guitar = as close to 10 as you can get.

24 frets and whammy just gives you more to play with. And I'd want to see you dive bomb without whammy and without breaking your guitar neck

your forgetting the purpose of a hollowbody guitar...

[grapist]

and you're forgetting that he gave a 10/10 for features. and no whammy and only 22 frets is just less features hence it can not be 10/10 which is would ultimately mean that it has everything included.
and you're forgetting that he said he plays metal, and a 10/10 for a hollowbody is a bit much.

[rv_phoenix]

grapist wrote:

and you're forgetting that he gave a 10/10 for features. and no whammy and only 22 frets is just less features hence it can not be 10/10 which is would ultimately mean that it has everything included.
and you're forgetting that he said he plays metal, and a 10/10 for a hollowbody is a bit much.

Whammy bars and 24 frets are not a pre-condition for a 10 for features. Or, in other words, guitars with whammy bars and 24 frets are not necessarily better or better provided than those without. Each guitar has its own 'necessities', to whom we relate the features.
For instance, a good semi-hollowbody (like this one) must have a piece of massive wood into its body, all along it, right under the pickups, extended from the neck to the end of the guitar, in order to get a high mark for features. Because this feature is compulsory if you want to get a good sound, without that feedback that characterizes bad semi-hollowbodies.
Whammy bars are a valuable extra if installed Strats or, for other reasons, on guitars with high output humbuckers, suitable for metal.
As for the 24 frets, IMHO, they are just an optional feature: don't forget Jimi Hendrix had only 21 of them, and, Lord, he played well... Most of world's great guitarists play on instruments with 22, even 21 frets. (As for me, the bedroom hero I tend to be, 24 frets are useless because of my big fingers.)
But you've noticed, like many fellows above, this guy's perculiar taste: he plays metal (too), on a guitar designed for jazz, blues or progressive rock. If he likes it and, more important, if he does it well, there's nothing to complain about. I only expressed my serious doubts that this superbly crafted instrument is THE supreme guitar on Earth. 'Cos I know at least 30 custom workshops, all over the world, who make guitars 10 times better than this one.

[Tizlls]

Another point for the frets issue, I play nothing but metal and i use frets 0-15, rarely any others because the only metal that uses higher is emocore like Alesana, and soloists, even then, you could find the same noise on a fret on a different string, also, the sound would be fine, using the right amp this would give out a very unique crunchy sound

[Charlie4]

Beautiful looking guitar no doubt but if it really
is worth all 10's then that is probably the lowest priced all-10 guitar I've heard of (1000 bucks?). People who say you need 24 frets and and a whammy bar for metal/shredding obviously haven't heard of Yngwie Malmsteem. Lastly, feedback on a semi-Hollowbody is not a sign of bad guitar, even George Benson tapes the F-hole shut, Hollowbody guitars produce feedback, that's just how it is.

[qwertyguitar34]

after all the arguments Ive seen here, there are some I agree with and some I don't. but why can we call stop dishin out on the guy for having a fave guitar. If you love your guitar and you have a squier, you can rate it however you wish. lets just all agree: the guitar looks nice and being a washburn, it will probably be exceptional.face it you gibsun and fender fanboys, there are other guitars that will deliver some good quality sound. maybe not 10/10 in my point, but hey, I haven't played one before.

[Hells.Mascot]

Wait, guys. You're forgetting that you're forgetting... that.

[Tizlls]

i hate gibson and fender D:

[rv_phoenix]

Charlie4 wrote:

Beautiful looking guitar no doubt but if it really
is worth all 10's then that is probably the lowest priced all-10 guitar I've heard of (1000 bucks?). People who say you need 24 frets and and a whammy bar for metal/shredding obviously haven't heard of Yngwie Malmsteem. Lastly, feedback on a semi-Hollowbody is not a sign of bad guitar, even George Benson tapes the F-hole shut, Hollowbody guitars produce feedback, that's just how it is.

... But there is good feedback and bad feedback. "Bad" means excessive, out-of-control feedback, which kills your harmonics and turns your sound into a cacophony. This guitar above is nor a hollowbody, but a semi-hollowbody, the central part of its body being actually solid, so the feedback comes from the resonance box, shaped as flat resonance, and not from behind the pups.
I guess you already knew that, but I wanted to state it clearly for those who don't. Hollowbodies are not very famous among youngsters, as you've probably noticed.

[El_Lobo_1]

yea sorry for writing a biased review lol I love my guitar, it suits me perfectly so I rated it perfectly ... I'm curious if you all know why it was discontinued? I can't find much about it. It was given to me right after my grandfather died in '05. He left my grandma a good bit of money and wanted her to get me a good guitar of my own. I was like 14 at the time

[rv_phoenix]

El_Lobo_1 wrote:

yea sorry for writing a biased review lol I love my guitar, it suits me perfectly so I rated it perfectly ... I'm curious if you all know why it was discontinued? I can't find much about it. It was given to me right after my grandfather died in '05. He left my grandma a good bit of money and wanted her to get me a good guitar of my own. I was like 14 at the time

I don't know for sure and only a Washburn employee could tell you the official reason for abandoning this beautiful instrument. But I suppose it didn't sell well, since most hollowbodies and semi-hollowbodies adress to very experienced players... and there aren't many of this kind nowadays. Yours is truly a special guitar, since its shape and features aren't squared directly to the jazz-blues players, the common buyers of a hollow or semi-hollowbody axe. It's a niche product, and these products usually sell poorly. Washburn isn't such a big make, in terms of market share, to afford keeping in production an expensive guitar, complicated to manufacture, but which sells poorly.
Don't worry, however: if discontinued, its price must have raised already.
As for the comments, we didn't mean to say it's a bad guitar, quite the contrary. But a 10 overall is for the supreme guitar on earth. A 1000 USD Washburn will never be such a guitar for anyone of us, still it might be for you. Play well and enjoy the charm of a special axe, my friend!

[3339]

I just got my hands on a 2005 Korean made WI-67PRO for $250 and it came with an awesome padded gig bag. All you doubters can doubt away but this is about my 15th Washburn Idol and it is incredible. In my mind its a 10 period. I got a WI-64 in 2000 and fell in love with the Idols. I still have 3 WI-64s all Korean, a WI-45 from Indonesia and this new WI-67PRO. They are light and amazing. Too bad Washburn almost went bankrupt and was bought out by the Canadian distributor. The Idol as we know it may not live much longer.