The current Washburn instrument company has a 48 year history, not 130 years and that 48 year history is almost entirely as a stencil logo for imported instruments, excluding instruments made by their R&D/’custom shop’, which opened its doors in Chicago in 1991.Description: Rosewood Back/Sides Model. The current company’s claims are false advertising, in fact. It is this ‘Washburn’, George Washburn’, ‘GWL’ that exists today. The name was resurrected by a distributor in 1974 (not a trademark purchase, as the companies trademark was expired).

Contrary to what the current owners of the brand claim, there is also no association between the modern ‘Washburn’/’GWL’ brands and the original Washburn company/brand name, which ended in 1940. There was no ‘George Washburn’ in reality, making any claims that a ‘George Washburn’ founded a musical instrument company at any time spurious, especially when made up dates are included.

‘George Washburn’ is actually the first and middle names of George Washburn Lyon, of Lyon and Healey and they began using it as a brand name for stringed instruments around 1888 (not 1883). “George Washburn first starting making guitars in 1883 in Chicago Illinois.” – False That claim ranks up there with another ‘history’ I read online years ago that claimed ‘George Washburn’ began in the industry as a designer with the Harmony instrument factory in 1926. One of the more ‘interesting’ brand histories, as in mostly fiction if you go by what is available online, including the current Washburn Company ‘history’, which is blatantly false.

Washburn serial lookup