Formed in Chicago, Illinois, Washburn has been building stringed instruments since 1883 and has built guitars, mandolins, banjos, ukuleles, and more throughout the years.
Originally, Washburn was a creation of the Lyon & Healy Harp company. In 1928, Washburn was sold to the Tonk Brothers, but quickly went bankrupt and Regal purchased the assets in 1930. By 1940 the Washburn business was minor. In 1972, the line was resurrected and applied to instruments made in Japan. Several other ownership changes have taken place and the current owners are JAM Industries.
