According to Washburn, its 200 PRO Series was ‘designed around the single premise to create a truly professional series of guitars offering the best value for money in today’s electric guitar market’. Hey, we’ll be the judge of that, Washburn dudes.

The 200 PRO Series Idol model is available fitted with Seymour Duncan ’59 and Custom humbuckers (neck and bridge respectively) at £379 or EMG85 (neck) and EMG81 (bridge) active humbuckers at £449. The one we’ve got has the EMG pickups.

The Idol’s doublecutaway thin body and twin humbucker line-up give it the feel of a modern take on a Gibson SG. There are a load of Idol models available including the aged WI64 Vintage guitar (£449), but our WI200 is designed to offer the maximum firepower for the least amount of money.

That’s why it features a bolt-on neck and Agathis body, instead of the set neck and mahogany body of some of the other Idol models.

Verdict

It’s main selling point is the EMG pickups. EMGs cost £90 each, so the £449 retail price of the WI200 PRO-E starts to look like a steal. Well, we’ve been digging and found this guitar selling online at £359, so it’s got to be the cheapest EMG-equipped guitar out there. Call us greedy but a set neck would’ve sweetened the deal. Still, we can’t complain.

4 Stars

Pros: looks cool, great pickups.
Cons: we’d prefer a set neck.

Buy: Washburn WI200 PRO-E is currently available from PMT Online.

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