Talk:Washburn Guitars

message: I'm a luthier and presently rebuilding a Washburn "New 1897 Model" mandolin. I first called the present day Washburn and had some history explained. The original company went out of business during world war 2. US Music bought the rights to the name only, around 1976. There's your hiatus.
I've been assisted in history, dating and technique by George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville (and his employee Derek). When I contacted the present company and told them of my progress particularly talking to Gruhn, the customer service guy said "then you just spoke with the world's foremost expert on original Washburn instruments. If anyone has questions that's who to go to.
BTW, the New 1897 Model was named for the Chicago exposition which happened the same year as the instrument was introduced. They used that model name until about 1923. Although the numbering is uneven, there are details along with serial number that can be used to date Washburns. The one I'm working on was made between 1903 and 1905. It's called a "Cremetone" and one belonging to the Wright Brothers is one of the very few still in mint condition. It can be found on the web. That should give a few more hooks for anyone wanting to follow up. A fairly complete and detailed accounting of the 'old' Washburns is in a book you can see at http://elderly.com/books/items/49-101176.htm
Drmcclainphd (talk) 02:28, 27 August 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Additional Data 

message: The Voice Contour Control section reads like an advertisement. ImageRaiter (talk) 03:11, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Neutrality  

message: I've managed to begin piecing together some fragments that're scattered all OVER the Internet, but I would really appreciate any help in sourcing some points. For instance, I can establish Schlacher as the owner of Washburn Int'l until the end of 2002, but proving how he got to that position is difficult.
Please bear with me as I try to repurpose this white elephant! Weeb Dingle (talk) 01:26, 5 February 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: Still trying to push tabular data into place. Aside from that, I have located credible (published) sources with clearer information about both the demise of L&H's original Washburn, as well as the brand's resurrection and heyday (including Schlacher's position in the narrative). As I am not at all an expert on the old Washburn, I hope for someone to wander past here who'd like to add some meat to the bare bones I've constructed of the 1864-1940 section. Weeb Dingle (talk) 07:33, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: overhaul underway

message: Per the notation up top of this page, this article has been found wanting by WikiProject Chicago a.k.a. Chicago Project a.k.a. Wikipedia CHICAGO -- being new here, I'm sorta guessing that these three names refer to the same group.
On an Importance scale with slots Top, High,Mid,Low, NA, and ???, this article has been rated... Stub. So I hope for clarification.
Meantime, I believe the case could be made that this article could readily be made of Low importance, perhaps working up to Medium; this will take a Chicago guitar fan to bring up to speed, and I am not such. 
However, I can frame the case. Lyon and Healy came to Chicago to sell sheet music, launched multiple factories in the area, and opened a series of successful retail music establishments that remained to the late '70s. Their operations survived the Great Fire. They began building harps in 1889, and the brand continues today at 168 N. Ogden Ave, "once home to the recording studios of Orlando R. Marsh." Their old central, the Wabash Building, is owned by DePaul. Legend has it that L&H once claimed they were turning out 100,000 instruments per month (mostly Washburn).
https://chicagology.com/business/lyonhealy/
http://www.mechanicalmusicpress.com/registry/empress/empress_p01_lyon-healy.htm
http://www.mechanicalmusicpress.com/registry/empress/empress.htm
When Rudy Schlacher resurrected the Washburn brand, he kept it in Chicago; when he rolled Washburn into US Music, the USMC headquarters was set in Buffalo Grove. (If you want to see a REAL stub, have a look at the USMC "article.") Washburn maintained their stateside luthiery facility in Chicago from the 1980s to around 2009, where they built short-run, signature, and custom instruments, entertained big-name musicians, and worked on design and prototyping for their main lines.
But this article is about musical instruments, NOT Chicago. I'd suggest the best place for Chicago tales is Chicago, pointing to Washburn Guitars (perhaps with a Chicago-oriented section within) as relevant. I stand ready to assist!Weeb Dingle (talk) 17:33, 5 February 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: relevance to Chicago

message: I will eventually be dragging some of the tabular data off, in order to reduce clutter. If anyone sees this and is really, really bored, feel free to run with it.
And anyone who wants to leap in and paste reference tags can certainly have at THAT as well.Weeb Dingle (talk) 23:29, 5 February 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: The first project is under way, tables being built, data on main page slated for demolition.Weeb Dingle (talk) 04:40, 7 February 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: Mostly complete. Still need to flesh out sections on mandolin and banjo models; before anyone asks, YES, they belong here, as these were products of the company Washburn Guitars. Weeb Dingle (talk) 08:33, 9 June 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: references & lists: instrument models & endorsers & bears, oh my

message: I had one credible statement that Rudy Schleicher founded The Sound Post (Evanston). Now I have two that it was founded ~1972 by Fritz Tasch. per Grand Piano Haus and per CBS-TV Chicago. That both Schleicher and Tasch are immigrant German violin makers suggests partnership, but the names never occur together in online documents. Weeb Dingle (talk) 14:41, 12 February 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: conflicting tales

message: per Honky-tonk#Etymology -- One theory is that the "tonk" portion of the name may have come from the brand name of piano made by William Tonk & Bros., an American manufacturer of large upright pianos (established 1881), which made a piano with the decal "Ernest A. Tonk". The Tonk brothers, William and Max, established the Tonk Bros. Manufacturing Company in 1873...
 Weeb Dingle (talk) 06:24, 28 February 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: Tonk Brothers

message: A few guitars are described as having "Bill Lawrence" pickups, with redirect to Bill Lawrence (guitar maker). This is entirely untrue: Lawrence and his eponymous company parted ways in 1984. Therefore, I've modified the references to "Bill Lawrence pickups" in this article.  Weeb Dingle (talk) 23:53, 11 March 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: Bill Lawrence

message: Statements have been added linking Washburn to Yamaki, Daion, etc., with no verifying references offered. I take these under advisement, but they are tenuous and may have to go unless the editor who brought them has substantiation. 
At best, Matsumoku (hardly a well-curated article, btw) does say that Washburn Guitars contracted Matsumoku to build some of its electric guitars and basses from 1979 through 1984, however Yamaki was the manufacturer for the Washburn Wing series which share many components with Yamaki-made Daion guitars. There is, of course, no citation offered to support this convoluted statement.  Weeb Dingle (talk) 08:49, 9 June 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: As well, I cut claims that the archtop J-14 and J-15 were USA-made. No source is offered. I will, however, attempt to find MSRPs to validate the "most expensive" claim. Weeb Dingle (talk) 21:53, 24 August 2017 (UTC)

text: A credible fan source says that the "A models" (1978-1979) were produced in part by Matsumoku as well as another unidentified vendor, and that the "B models" (1979-1981) and some acoustics came from Yamaki. Weeb Dingle (talk) 14:50, 25 August 2018 (UTC)

text: Some late-1970s Washburn-branded acoustic guitars were made in Japan by luthier Sadao Yairi and his son Hiroshi. (Their shop built instruments under a variety of labels, and took contract work for brands including Alvarez, which also had a long-standing relationship with Kazuo Yairi, Sadao's nephew.) 
as being entirely unproven. The claim is based on a Premier Guitar interview with Jim Smith, who elsewhere says he was mis-heard, and regrets the confusion. Another credible source MUST be found before reverting this. Weeb Dingle (talk) 14:05, 14 October 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  addition of MIJ claims 

message: I was reading random gear articles at the Reverb.com site, and happened to find "Guitar Brands That Came Back From The Dead" (published Hallowe'en week). Of the five featured brands, #3 is Washburn… and I was delighted to recognize significant portions lifted almost directly from Washburn Guitars. It's nice to have had a hand in building something worth stealing! However, I might have to pipe up and twit the author (one Gary Cooper) for not citing Wikipedia at all.Weeb Dingle (talk) 15:31, 23 November 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  pilfered & proud