MusicRadar Verdict
A quality signature model that melds understated looks with a raft of quality features, this could be a versatile workhorse for any gigging guitarist.
Pros
- +
High-end features like the BF tuning system. Unpretentious looks. Great neck.
Cons
- -
Not the most imaginative signature.
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
You could accuse Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman of being a bit, well, boring. We've played a few Washburn Idols now and, at a glance, this one isn't much different.
No Monkey Grips or fluorescent finishes here. It all looks very… normal. Most guitarists use signature models to express their uniqueness. What was Joe thinking?
Hands on
Digging a little deeper, it seems that Trohman and Washburn have been a bit clever.
They've added some features that matter to gigging guitarists, without wasting time on expensive gimmicks.
"I've always liked a bare-boned guitar," says Joe. "You've got two pickups, two volumes, two tones, a pickup selector and that's it."
For less than £400 you get pro features like the Buzz Feiten tuning system and Grover tuners, making this an unpretentious guitar designed to play well, sound good and stay in tune.
In use
Let's say it first: this guitar is outrageously playable. Guitar necks are about personal preference, but string bending is a breeze on this model.
Live, Joe mostly uses a bridge humbucker, but we're glad he added a neck pickup and tone controls, because they make it much more versatile.
Not a Fall Out Boy fan? Not an issue. The squiggle on the headstock and the keyhole inlays are the only clues that you're playing a signature axe, and it's no reason to miss out on this six string.
As a typical mahogany-bodied guitar with two humbuckers, the WI26 is good at a variety of disciplines - blues, classic rock, jazz and metal.
And by choosing a classic design, Joe's made a bargain axe that should be bulletproof against changes in fashion.
"It's loud, in-your-face, and has more punch than a kangaroo at boxing practice": What is OTT compression - and how do you use it?
“It was the B-side that became one of the most important pieces of music ever - certainly one of the most sampled”: How breakbeat took over the music world
“Bono took me aside and asked if I was sure I wanted him to sing this line”: Bob Geldof remembers what the U2 singer said to him before he recorded his vocals on Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?
