As you may already know, I am searching for a guitar to take The Hound pickup. I have been offered a single pickup Westone, somewhat Tele shaped with what is described as a 'good' neck and a humbucker pickup. I did not see the guitar yet so am wondering if anyone here has any knowledge/experience of these instruments.
A quick Google tells me that they are Japanese/Korean made instruments from the 1980s.
My ideal find would be a single cut Junior or a PRS. More so if the PRS had a good top and the much derided 'birds'. My budget might not stretch that far. In the meantime the Westone might not be in that class but I have to start somewhere....
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
Comments
A nephew has the Thunder - very solid guitar. I sold the Rainbow in the early 00s - it did have a narrow neck, but it sounded gorgeous.
The one you're looking at sounds like a Clipper? Don't really know much about them - they were late 80s, I was a strat guy by then (Thunder was my backup on stage, the Rainbow my slide guitar tuned to G)
Is it this model?
Some were made in Japan, later ones (1987) were Korean.
Generally Westones are good.
Houses are built to lesser standards of construction.
Your guitar might be the Paduak if not the Clipper
Hard to say where it all went wrong - they did try to go more upmarket so batting out of their comfort zone - not so much the quality wasn't there, more big competition from other major brands - Also budget guitars went from Japan to Korea and Taiwan to keep prices down, later to China and Westone did not respond, so eventually got priced out of the budget end of the market by other models/brands - Dare say other factors came into play
Well worth buying today at the right price - good hardware - well built
That Hawkwind/ Dave Brock endorsement can't have helped?
What did "Westone" in for me was the "as new" JV Squier strat that appeared in my local shop in 83 or so...
Those first couple of years of Westone were stunning. I nearly bought a Paduak, too - but then they announced the Concorde and I was getting ready for a blue one of those... when the Squier appeared, the guy did me a deal with the valve amp I was buying... and I suddenly had a "real" sunburst strat with rosewood board.
I tried some people's Westone's later, and they just didn't feel as good.
recall the Paduak was a touch ugly or as some one once said Nik Nak Paduak
and a Westone Spectrum
http://www.guitars4you.co.uk/guitars/5569-westone-cutlass-used-white/ - and a Westone Cutlass built by Status Bass and designed by Sid Poole - recently sold mine
if it's the Clipper the neck will be outrageously good whether Japanese or Korean, very slim mind .
It's also not a humbucker but 2 single coils and switchable between either coil or both, and quite frankly awful.
I had a Japanese clipper for all of 3 days and sold it to my mate(otherwise known as my Westone depository , he's taken 20+ of my Westones ) I just hated the lack of body and arm contours .
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/61134/sarge/p1
Oh yes, I'd forgotten the Spectrum - that's when they seemed to be going in a different direction, to me anyway, and the logo changed as well around then, didn't it? I loved the original Westone lettering.
I'd not heard of the Cutlass. Although (reading the blurb), I had heard of Sid Poole.
I think they forgot their niche and moved into areas that were too crowded.
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/61134/sarge/p1
i want one at some point
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/61134/sarge/p1