WASHBURN'S M-SERIES BASSES The Washburn M-series has become something of an enigma. It gained the majority of its notoriety due to Peter Steele of Type O Negative. There is very little information on this limited run of instruments, so much so that I've read about inquires to Washburn turning up nothing, as those originally involved with it are likely no longer with the company. To make locking down details even more difficult, a lot of the input on the forums contradicts itself. The M-series of basses were built exclusively between 2001 and 2003 at Washburn's custom shop in Chicago. They can actually be seen in the 2002-2003 Washburn catalog, showcasing the M10 and M12, and the literature confirms that they were only made in the USA. The M10 came with two jazz style pickups that may have been Quarter-Pounds (given you can't see the pole pieces) and two potentiometers. The M12 came with one precision and one jazz pickup and two potentiometers. The one description I've seen stated that they had a volume (blend?) and a tone knob, but this was customizable. The catalog shows them loaded with Seymour Duncans, and I speculate that they were predominantly wired for passive operation. But different electronics were certainly an option. Many of the ones I've run accross have been repainted to mimic Peter's bass. I have read that these made-to-order basses had a starting MSRP of $1,600 direct from Washburn. "M10" has become the most common name used to refer to the entirety of M-series basses, despite each particular instrument's configuration.