badboy1984 Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Just got this bass today, altho it was a long term borrow but potentially could be mine if I want to buy it. Any info on this bass? apart from MIJ. The preamp is 18v which require 2x 9v battery and it seems two of the knob does nothing in passive mode? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Hmmm, I can kind of understand why the previous owner "customised" it on the back :-) P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Nice! What brand of tapes is it wearing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Westone Thunder 1A fretless, made in Japan by Matsumoku in 1986, worth about £150- £175, a bit of acetone should sort the back out. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) 1986 Westone Thunder 1A. Version III which was lighter in weight, had a high mass bridge, Magnabass pickup (as opposed to open split coil like a P Bass) and a coil tap on one of the knobs. Should be, when passive, volume and tone. Active you have volume, bass boost/treble cut - bass cut/treble boost and a passive tone as well. Nice - I have one and think it sounds and plays a heck of a lot nicer than a lot of the other cheap fretless models like the Squier VM Jazz, which gets a lot of love generally. I like that this is unlined. Set of Status black nylon flats, hmm, really great tone. Edited December 13, 2014 by Paul S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted December 13, 2014 Author Share Posted December 13, 2014 I really like the bass. Not my hass atm so not going to sort the back out yet. String wise i got a set of roto flats on but 8 think the tension is too much for my taste on this bass. I think i need to put black nylon flats on when i have money. Lovely fretless to play on after a quick tried. The side dots actually is in the right place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 The acetone is polish remover right? Do it put it in some cloth and just rub it on the paint area on the back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 [quote name='badboy1984' timestamp='1418639159' post='2631833'] The acetone is polish remover right? Do it put it in some cloth and just rub it on the paint area on the back? [/quote] Nail polish remover is diluted acetone but should still work. It won't harm the body finish but probably best to keep it away from plastic parts. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 The battery counter part and the pots counter part is plastic i think, I need to double check. If so, i guess is best not to put it on that part i guess? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Most Thunder 1A basses have the coil tap as a separate switch so if there's a coil tap on this one it's probably a push/pull on the volume pot. Looking down at the bass as you play it the leftmost pot should be the volume, the middle pot should be the passive tone (which is basically a conventional treble cut - this also works in active mode) and the rightmost pot should be the active tone which ought to have a centre détente. You turn the active EQ on using the small switch. The active tone seems to be a parametric type control offering a fixed boost with a sweep frequency, one way it boosts in the treble frequencies, the other way it boosts in the bass frequencies - the passive and active tone pots work together so you can have some unusual combinations of the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 [quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1418649663' post='2631953'] Most Thunder 1A basses have the coil tap as a separate switch so if there's a coil tap on this one it's probably a push/pull on the volume pot. Looking down at the bass as you play it the leftmost pot should be the volume, the middle pot should be the passive tone (which is basically a conventional treble cut - this also works in active mode) and the rightmost pot should be the active tone which ought to have a centre détente. You turn the active EQ on using the small switch. The active tone seems to be a parametric type control offering a fixed boost with a sweep frequency, one way it boosts in the treble frequencies, the other way it boosts in the bass frequencies - the passive and active tone pots work together so you can have some unusual combinations of the two. [/quote] You are damn right about the controls. I kinda worked it out already apart from the push/pull coil tap which I haven't try it yet. Will give it a try tonight. Got some new rotosound tru bass black nylon strings on its way to string on these. I absolutely love this bass, best fretless i've play so far for the price. I think I will buy this bass off the owner since he don't really care about it for the last 5 years, or I may even get it for free lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 [quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1418649663' post='2631953'] Most Thunder 1A basses have the coil tap as a separate switch so if there's a coil tap on this one it's probably a push/pull on the volume pot. [/quote] Indeed, it is on the volume pot. Version 3 had this change along with the other slight spec changes - Magnabass pup, high mass bridge, longer fretboard (fretted models have the same 22fret neck as the Thunder Jet) and lighter body weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 (edited) By looking at the photo, altho the condition is not mint but is recentable. A few chipped on the paint and that paint artwork on the back. How much do you think I should paid the owner if he ask for the money? I don't like keeping hold of things for nothing because i do want to remove that paint work on the back but can't do that without legally owning the bass first, just incase that means something to the owner. Edited December 15, 2014 by badboy1984 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 I don't think anyone could give you a definitive answer as it depends how much it is worth *to you*. There is one in good nick on eBay at the moment without the painting on the back that has a bid of £40 with 4 days left. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westone-Thunder-1-A-fretless-bass-guitar-/321612782237?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4ae19d9a9d"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westone-Thunder-1-A-fretless-bass-guitar-/321612782237?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4ae19d9a9d[/url] Maybe watch that and see how much it fetches then adjust the price downwards as yours will take a bit of work to get the paint off the back - by however much you value your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 [quote name='badboy1984' timestamp='1418646538' post='2631928'] The battery counter part and the pots counter part is plastic i think, I need to double check. If so, i guess is best not to put it on that part i guess? [/quote] Test a bit on the inside of one of the covers to see if it damages the plastic - it's quite possible it'll be OK. Why not ask the owner how much they want for it? Thunder 1s usually go for around £150, give or take. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 Yeah that sound about right, i might even offer £100 consider the cosmetic of the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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