New $25 Guitar Day

[VBCheeseGrater]

Stopped by our local "Cash Converters" when i saw the sign "CLOSING!!!"...roamed around for awhile, there was actually alot of good stuff left (for anyone in hampton roads, it's the little creek location)

I spotted the Washburn BT-2 - cheap guitar, but under all the tetnus shot level filth, i could see the frets looked pretty good, and smooth down the edges, so decided to give it a shot.....

I originally offered $30, then came to my senses and said, nah, i don't want it, so he hit me with $25 and i said ta heck with it. Got it home, got the decade old strings off, cleaned it up, restrung, full setup and this thing is a decent player now. Has a real nice clean tone and is comfortable for farting around ... or more perhaps...it's better than my first few guitars in the early 90's that's for sure


The pickup selector was broken off, so I screwed one end of a small screw into a knob i had lying around, dremeled off the head of the screw, and then cemented the other end of screw into the hole in the broken shaft. Was not looking to invest for a new switch on this thing and you'd never know functionally.

Also, it has Grover 18-1 tuners on it, guess someone modded it? Tuners worth more than the whole axe!

I also scored an original peavey bandit for $50. Distortion is hot steaming garbage on this thing (nothing like the 90's bandits, more like the old hybrid peavey classics) but the cleans are pretty darn impressive, sound closer to a nice tube amp even though it's fully SS...very warm. Reverb works, channel switching, has the usual scratchy pots but i'll take care of that.



All in all for $75 not a bad haul...not that i needed more cheap gear but I justified it myself "you can sell and make a few bucks"....yeah right.

 

[gunch]

Some had Grovers and some didn't, Washburn in the 90's used pretty good third party hardware on some of their import guitars (Wilkinson trems, etc)

Maverick is pretty solid design, comfy, straight string pull over the nut, have practically 0 resale value. Might not be a matsumoku washy but could serve as a good modding platform.

 

[exo]

For 25 bucks, you definitely scored.

 

[lewis]

things I personally would do to this:

All new gold hardware including Locking tuners with white pearloid buttons.
Possibly colour match the headstock white.
Remove pickup rings and possibly rout to fit soapbar pickups
add white EMG soapbars
darken fretboard.
white graptech nut

 

[exo]

things I personally would do to this:

All new gold hardware including Locking tuners with white pearloid buttons.
Possibly colour match the headstock white.
Remove pickup rings and possibly rout to fit soapbar pickups
add white EMG soapbars
darken fretboard.
white graptech nut

That'd look pretty amazing.

 

[NickS]

That's right there with my recent $100 Washburn acquisition! Mine also has Grover 18:1 tuners. You definitely scored for $25!!

 

[Supernaut]

Great score for $25

 

[M3CHK1LLA]

not bad...

you could re-gift it worst case

 

[lewis]

That'd look pretty amazing.

something similar:

(Ignore it being Halo)

 

[VBCheeseGrater]

Thanks guys good to know about those tuners - interesting that they would spring for grovers unless they are some "DX" series made by chinese sweatshops for grover or something

Yeah resale value on these is just horrible. washburn is like the forgotten 90's brand - at the pawn shop on my phone i saw one on reverb in good shape for $50, that's when i said no thanks for $30, but glad i took it at $25 as it's a player and also got me back playing guitar more often again (despite the fact i have a $1400 strat, and 3 ibanezes that i love) , which is worth $25 by itself.

As for modding, always a possibility, but for now i'm limiting the investment to $25

Also, I did have my daughter and son in mind when i bought this too, if they ever get the bug (i've nudged them, but neither caught on yet) and need a full size electric, this can easily go to them - good point @M3CHK1LLA