Washburn WC90 Classical Guitar Pack

[westad]

Hello! 

I was wondering what pack is this and why I cant find this pack and guitar model anywhere on your official web site?

Washburn WC90 Classical Guitar Pack

Can you provide me more info please?
Thank you in advance!

[vheissu]

Not saying it's definitely the case with this model, but when Washburn stop manufacturing a guitar they generally take it off the site even though you can still buy them new at plenty of stores. For example, the N1 isn't on the website any more, but a quick google search returns plenty of hits for it. So that could be the case.

[westad]

I bought it. It plays good except the "buzzy" sound of the B-string.

The bad thing is even though the brand Washburn is American, on the guitar I bought it says "Made in China". I guess we cannot get original American products here in South Eastern Europe.

[YerDugliness]

Other than custom shop pieces, it's been a LONG time since Washburn made their stuff in the U.S. Names like Gibson, Fender, even Breedlove (well, at least much of Breedlove's stuff) are still made in the U.S., but with the quality of the stuff coming out of the orient it's difficult for U.S. shops to match the quality AND the price.

That's not necessarily bad...some of the 80's and 90's stuff from Japan is fantastic lutherie and the newer stuff out of China is also very good...my Washburn C124SWK classical is ALMOST the equal of my handmade Hippner Hauser style classical at about 15% of the price...that's a great value!

You might be able to control the buzzing on that string by getting the fret dressed (if it's just one fret) or by replacing (or, perish the thought...shimming) the factory saddle. I replace all the plastic factory saddles with bone (it's a DIY job)...and the nuts, too...the saddle improves tone and the nut assures that there will never be a need to replace that piece again. Strings pulling through slots in the plastic nut can act like rat-tailed files and cause the slots to get deeper, causing buzzing like you described...so maybe that's the way to address the buzzing.

I'd suggest you take it to a luthier if there are any in your area...if not, then a music shop with a good tech guy can probably do the deed.

I'm betting on the nut as the cause of the buzzing....a replacement bone nut would be around $50, labor and all...that might be a significant portion of the price you paid for the guitar, but it might be worth it in the long run.

Cheers, and good luck getting rid of that buzz!

Dugly

[westad]

Thank you for your reply, and for the advices! I'll try to fix it. 

The buzzing noise is when I play the B string open.

[evenkeel]

If the buzzing is ONLY when you play the open b string it is very likely the nut.  Could be a slightly high first fret, by my guess is still the nut.

Here is a simple test.  Loosen the string and slip a small piece of paper into the slot between the string and the nut.  Put the string back in place and tuner 'er up.  If the buzz goes away then it's almost a guarantee the issue is the nut.  Replacing the nut is a job for a luthier.  In a pinch you can use tin foil in place of the paper or leave the paper in place.  But, long term you want to fix the problem properly.  Another workaround is to fill the slot with bone dust and drop in some super glue.  Let it harden and then recut the slot.  In order to do that you'd need special nut files which would cost more than taking it to a luthier.

[YerDugliness]

I wanted to replace the factory plastic nut on my Yamaha classical guitar and was living in a rather remote area where there were no shops or luthiers for hundreds of miles. What I did was glue two bone saddles together with SuperGlue (maybe it was epoxy) to get the assembly to be the right thickness for a "nut" and cut that assembly down into the size I needed for my Yamaha's neck width. I then used a small coping saw to cut the slots in the new "nut" assembly. Classical guitar strings are much more "homogenous" in size than Steel Strings, where each string as you go up in pitch is smaller than the one before it. It worked for me and I have played the guitar for decades since making that change...in fact, it is the one I leave at my vacation home so that I have a decent classical guitar when I go there to work on the old house.

It might be worth a try if you are handy with tools...but if not, you'll certainly need help with any nut replacement. I think I got lucky...but in the 25 years since I cobbled together that homemade assembly the guitar has performed flawlessly (not so much me, though...my playing has LOTS of "flaws").

Cheers !

Dugly