NiaaiN Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Hi all, I am a beginner and got a Wesley b350 off someone. I quite like the sound of it. It's not been looked after all that well, but I am trying to put it back into shape. Just wondered if anyone here plays a Wesley or has ever heard of the make and what you make of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 They are very cheap, entry-level basses. There's nothing much wrong with them as somewhere to start with playing bass, but you'll be ready to move on to something better quite quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iconic Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 They made some cool looking clear perspex bass's....local guy has one...sounds good to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 [quote name='NiaaiN' timestamp='1375788717' post='2165542'] Hi all, I am a beginner and got a Wesley b350 off someone. I quite like the sound of it. It's not been looked after all that well, but I am trying to put it back into shape. Just wondered if anyone here plays a Wesley or has ever heard of the make and what you make of it? [/quote] I had a Wesley musicman bass, and a Wesley telecaster off eBay, new for around £80 each, to practice my wiring and modifying skills before I let myself go on my Fenders. Pretty basic (pardon the pun), starter instrument, Chinese fare, not bad though. For the price they were both good value and good for knocking around the house or a backup but nothing you would choose to keep for long I would say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamfist Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I had a Wesley Jaguar-style bass quite a while back. Not only did it look extremely cool but it had a lovely neck which played incredibly nicely. It had cheapo, cheapo pickups in though. Also, having 2 x MM pickups and being a passive bass, it had little twang or brightness available. If I knew then, what I know now I would have definitely put some money into a pre-amp and maybe tweaked it with new pickups etc, because the basis of the bass, nice body, cool looks, lovely neck were all there. One of the ones I regret selling. Definitely. Only got about £70 or something like that for it too, as they are worth virtually nothing secondhand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 (edited) [quote name='iconic' timestamp='1375818911' post='2166187'] They made some cool looking clear perspex bass's....local guy has one...sounds good to me. [/quote] I had a purple acrylic bass which was my first fretless bass. It suited me much better in both sound and playability than the Squier VMJ fretless that I later bought to supposedly replace it. The acrylic instruments seem to have held their value much better than the more conventional wood bodied ones. I recently sold mine for quite a bit more than I originally paid for it. Edited August 6, 2013 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoham Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I bought a blue acrylic bodied 5 string from ebay about six years ago (ish!). Was my first and only five string. Cost me £45 iin an auction (rrp was about £140). Really didn't like anything about it how it felt or sounded, though it did look good in a 'unique' sort of way. Had it six months, then sold it for exactly what I paid for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iconic Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Ohh.....different colours in the plastic....didnt know that...must resist fleabay... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Weren't they called Wesley Crunge for a while? Mostly fairly typical Chinese clones of various Fenders. Might benefit from a pickup and pots upgrade but you could end up spending more than it's worth unless you buy used decent pickups and are comfortable fitting them yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyellowcar Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 My brother picked one up as his first bass on eBay, it was ok, quite a bit of rattle from the hardware but saw him through the first six or twelve months of playing. Ok place to start, but echoing others it won't be long before you're after something better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 +1 on the comments above. I had one as a travel bass when I was driving up and down the country and I didn't want to risk damage to my main bass. If you're doing one up, be careful how much you spend. Costs of parts can stack up fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnyboy Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 This is for sale on Gumtree , asking for £150 [b] [font=inherit][size=1]Wesley clear transparent 5 string bass - awesome![/size][/font] [color=#666666][font=inherit][size=1]£150[/size][/font][/color] [color=#666666][font=inherit][size=1]Roath, Cardiff[/size][/font][/color][/b] [url="http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/wesley-clear-transparent-5-string-bass-awesome/1029988056"]http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/wesley-clear-transparent-5-string-bass-awesome/1029988056[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1375822721' post='2166253'] I recently sold mine for quite a bit more than I originally paid for it. [/quote] Careful now. It had better not have been on here. Down with that sort of thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I had a Wesley guitar (Honeydripper) when I was restarting playing after 25 years off - it was poo. Even an Indian-built Sunn Mustang P Bass felt like luxury after it. (Actually, apart from the pups, the Sunn wasn't half bad....) G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1377464939' post='2187923'] If you're doing one up, be careful how much you spend. Costs of parts can stack up fast. [/quote] IMO unless the parts are actually failing there's not need to replace them. The BBT bridge and the machine heads on mine were perfectly functional and I actually preferred the sound of the pickups to the "Duncan Designed" ones on the Squier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1377592846' post='2189028'] Careful now. It had better not have been on here. Down with that sort of thing! [/quote] No of course not. When I originally bought it I found the eBay listing through a post on BassWorld ridiculing the bass. I thought it was just the bass I needed to find out if I was going to get on with a fretless bass. When I came to sell it again, I couldn't see any point in listing here when all I was going to attract were people pointing and laughing, so I put it back up eBay where it sold to a very nice person in France who was happy to outbid a whole host of others to secure the bass for themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 A couple of years back Waynepunkdude had a purple Perspex 5er that he lent out to all and sundry to try out a 5er if they wanted. I believe it travelled the length and breadth of the country. I had a bash on it - shame they are so heavy as they look really cool I think - often wondered what one would look like with an LED making the whole thing light up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ba55me15ter Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I've got a Wesley P-bass I picked up for nowt in a deal as the body looked cracked, but it turned out only the very thick laquer finish was damaged (and it looks kinda cool anyway). It's actually very playable - very much superior to the beginner basses we had back in the 80's! It probably helps that I now know how to do a decent set-up myself. I played it at a blues jam a couple of years ago for a hoot - nowt wrong with it, so it's now my sling-it-in-the-car back-up bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iconic Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 [quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1377592716' post='2189024'] This is for sale on Gumtree , asking for £150 [b] [font=inherit][size=1]Wesley clear transparent 5 string bass - awesome![/size][/font] [color=#666666][font=inherit][size=1]£150[/size][/font][/color] [color=#666666][font=inherit][size=1]Roath, Cardiff[/size][/font][/color][/b] [url="http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/wesley-clear-transparent-5-string-bass-awesome/1029988056"]http://www.gumtree.c...some/1029988056[/url] [/quote] on fleabay too £80 start [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wesley-clear-transparent-5-string-bass-awesome-/281156710633?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item41763ef0e9"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wesley-clear-transparent-5-string-bass-awesome-/281156710633?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item41763ef0e9[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 [quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1377599985' post='2189149'] ... often wondered what one would look like with an LED making the whole thing light up. [/quote] Bit like this, I expect - my friend Phil's handywork: http://www.ashbysoft.com/wiki/moin.cgi/IlluminatedGuitar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 [quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1377620671' post='2189526'] Bit like this, I expect - my friend Phil's handywork: [url="http://www.ashbysoft.com/wiki/moin.cgi/IlluminatedGuitar"]http://www.ashbysoft...luminatedGuitar[/url] [/quote] That's cool. Although the strat's large combined pickup and control cavity lends itself very well to this. Getting a J-style bass to work would be much more challenging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I had a Wesley Monarch, shaped like a Streamer, more or less. It was actually a pretty good bass despite the pickups being a little quiet. It sounded good and a basic set up was all it needed. Cheap? Yes, but that Monarch was a pretty decent bass. I don't know about other models, but the MOnarch was nice. I should have kept it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlapbassSteve Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I sorta know John Wesley through FB, bought a flying V monarch bass off him a few years back. Stunning bass, really nice setup straight out of the factory(story is JW himself personally used to set up every bass!) -for what I paid I couldn't have possibly gone wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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