Washburn with Buzz Feiten locking bass tremolo system

http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-WASHBURN-ELECTRIC-BASS-GUITARw-LOCKING-TREMOLO-NEW-/260669709930?pt=Guitar&hash=item3cb1201e6a

I have been digging on the web to try and find some more information about this, but I haven't been able to find anything else about it. It was a chore to be able to capture the images up close, but here they are:





Does anyone have any information about this?

its a bantam model. washburn doesnt even have the bantams on their website anymore (and thats recent). i guess they stopped production. the last 4 years they made the bantams, it was the models without the trem.

i been looking for one for about 2 years now (that i'm not gonna spend a grand on) ... no luck. at this point, i'de even take a tremless one and put a kahler on it (a hybrid would fit great ... i cheked).

the trem is from some funky weird serbian company that i'de heard. strange, since the bantam models were made by washburn in chicago. doesnt or didnt or wouldnt washburn have the rights to produce this design for their basses??? the trem systems got good reviews as the entire bass did. i guess its a combination between having a limited market and the nightmare for wasburn to fulfill the good customer service reputation with replacement parts or replacements for these trems.

customer service reputation ... it is awesome! the original tarus i had had fret buzz problems (worn frets). even without a receipt or a filled out warranty card sent in, they just asked if i was the original owner. i said yes and they sent me a shipping card. i sent it in and they just sent me a new one ... brand new ... nicer than the one i had.

i'de bet if you called wasburn and asked them for information about the bantam, the trem or availability ... they'de probably help you out. the bantam with the trem probably wouldnt be available (people bought them up and hoarded them), but i bet they have some NOS replacement trems sitting in a warehouse somewhere.

looking at the ebay posting ... i wonder how many of them he has.

i want one too. i'de buy it eric ... if you dont, i might. iddid take me 2 or 3 weeks to get the loot together.

Ah! I suspected it was actually the Bantam model, but I wasn't completely sure.

I wonder why the guy listed it as a Buzz Feiten unit?

i think because the bass is using the tuning system ... the trem is considered part of the Buzz Feiten tuning system. by my research, feiten does not make bridges or trems and the tuning system is designed to retro fit with most existing bridges (where intonation range is available) thus, any bridge could be labled Buzz Feiten tuning system.

perhaps the wasburn's trem was labled this way because its more marketable than the strange russian or check name with strange backwards K and Z characters in it.

i've never had a bass with a tuning system like this. it seems to me to be just another way to set up intonation. intonation drives me nutz and is never perfect (for a perfectionist like me ). perhaps this is a better way to go about intonation, but i cant obviously see how this would relieve some of the imperfections i've had. pressure on a string to the fret bends it to a certian degree ... more the further up the neck.

i'll try to do more research on the trem.

If I had the cash, I might be tempted to pull the trigger on this one, but I don't have the $400 to do so.

i only have $250 saved right now ... and i'm saving for a mesa m6 carbine head. i feel like i'll never get there!

except for this ebay posting, i have found next to nothing on the web about this bass. its like washburn denies ever had made it.

i'de like to own one someday. i have 2 washburn basses so i guess that makes me a washburn guy. i'm labled. eric is the yamaha guy, mike is the charvel / jackson guy and barklessdog is the gibson guy.

hows that feel everyone!?!?!?!

I was very interested in one of those before they were discontinued...keep on saving for that M6, Mike! Those lil things RUMBLE.

madmike wrote:

i have 2 washburn basses so i guess that makes me a washburn guy. i'm labled. eric is the yamaha guy, mike is the charvel / jackson guy and barklessdog is the gibson guy.

hows that feel everyone!?!?!?!

some stereotypes can be insulting, but on this stereotpye i'm in makes me happy

I could not agree more.

altho i will probably end up with one of these washburn basses, i think i'm gonna apply some serious effort in the future to be the warmoth guy instead of the washburn guy ... washburn is a real strange company. nice instruments ... just really strange people.

ha!

Shoot....I just realized....along your lines of thinking....that makes me the Rondo Guy!

More like a "poor boy"!

Once I have the money, it will either be my precious Yamaha BB series, or some wicked custom things built by Andy.

hey man ... i'm all about players out there with custom, homespun and rebuilt frankenbasses that make me wonder, "what the heck is THAT!" as i stated many times before ... i'm really not to happy with the mass produced consumer lines of bass that most popular manufacturers put out and i really dont see me paying retail for any of them.

example ........

http://adirondackguitar.com/electricbass/washburn/t24.htm

$750 retail when they first came out 5 years ago. i paid $350 for mine 2 years ago cause the dood in the small shop needed to move inventory for newer product. even now, in an effort to move inventory, they still want $430.

so is it "poor boy" or ... "frugal"?

In my case, it's definitely "poor boy"!

seriously guys, has anyone tried this tremolo? are they good? they come pretty cheap than kahler or hipshot
just found it on the bay, check it out! gold trem ,chrome trem ,black trem

i'm about to order the gold one for my red fretless bass

looks like a chinese hipshot knockoff, but hey if it works why not right?

amimbari wrote:

looks like a chinese hipshot knockoff, but hey if it works why not right?

got it!! its from CH Guitars the tremolo series was TK18 and produce under licensed of floyd rose, from the web:
"Bass Guitar trem Tremolo bridge System fine tuners TK18
Superb quality tremolo system for four string bass guitar.
Rear loading bridge for standard ball-end strings.
Light aluminium block, adjustable saddles and fine tuners.
Comes complete with posts and post bracket.
Also includes tremolo arm, gripper claw, springs, screws and allen key.
String spacing 19mm. Post spacing of 85mm.
Tremolo plate is 100mm x 60mm x 13mm.
Tremolo block is 85mm x 21mm x 34mm"

a closer look, its forward facing, so its should fit on my fretless (i was looking for used kahler 2400 but its damn rare)
but hey, this tremolo was already in this forum https://basstremfanatics.forumotion.net/t36-bach-musik

MadMike has one of those units, and the feedback was poor. He said that the knobs are not fine tuners, but are instead the string locks. He also said that it doesn't work too well, and it snaps strings really easily. I was going to give one of those a try, but after his evaluation, I've decided it would just be a lot of frustration. Just my two-cents. Hopefully, you have better luck with yours.

EricHaven wrote:

MadMike has one of those units, and the feedback was poor. He said that the knobs are not fine tuners, but are instead the string locks. He also said that it doesn't work too well, and it snaps strings really easily. I was going to give one of those a try, but after his evaluation, I've decided it would just be a lot of frustration. Just my two-cents. Hopefully, you have better luck with yours.

madmike, please confirm about this..