N(old)BD

[Wilco]

So, I was a teen newbie bass player in the 80’s. Like many a young bassist of the era, I played a Westone at some point - a Thunder 1A in my case. Always had fond memories, so when this Thunder 3 came up for sale locally, I just had to have it. It was in a sorry state (it is 35 years old) - grimy fretboard, broken off screw on the battery cover & worst of all, & no sound from the front pick up, but I could see potential. I was told it had been in a case for most of its life & judging by the minimal fret wear, I can believe that.

With a bit of elbow grease from me, the skills of my local guitar shop (Kempsters), & Armstrong pickups, it is now fully functioning and a most welcome addition to my little collection.

Sounds epic through modern amplification and the neck is a joy - low action & perfectly set frets make it a breeze to play.

Yes, first fret feels a reach & it is weighty at 10.3lbs, but overall it’s superb. Very happy.

 

 

[Ramsay777]

Wow that looks incredible! Between the Thunder III and the Ibanez Musician I feel im GAS'ing for a neck-through 80s bass - despite having never even seen one in person let alone played one. The 80s was (just) before my time.

Really cool man.

[Lozz196]

That is a beauty

[BassApprentice]

Great find! Always a plethora of Westones for sale but I might keep my eyes peeled for a Thunder 3, looks very nice. 

[King Tut]

That looks lovely. My surname is Kempster. Where's the shop?

[Newfoundfreedom]

Great work. Looks like a brand new bass. 

[Wilco]

50 minutes ago, King Tut said:

That looks lovely. My surname is Kempster. Where's the shop?

Thank you - very pleased with how it turned out. The shop is in my hometown - Swindon. 

[P-Belly Evans]

Magnificent😍. My Thunder II was my only bass for nearly 20 years. I still play it regularly. Light 30 - 90 strings (to reduce weight😂😂). It's an monster with the super boomer jazz pickups. I will never part with it. Sadly dropped it badly once, just glad the headstock is still attached, but took some damage. Sadly can't even class as mojo, just 😭. Yours is mintier than mint looking... well done sir. 

[luckman67]

Beautiful looking bass 😎

[TheGreek]

So jealous.....

Another former 1A owner - it was my first bass so I wasn't aware that it was supposedly heavy. What I did know though was how much better it was than the badly produced Fenders available in the early 80s.

I've been looking for a 11a or 111a with a broken headstock which could be converted to a headless - the only thing I didn't like about basses of this era was the oversized headstocks.

Hope you enjoy your new bass.

[bassfan]

Wow. That’s a looker! 😃👍🏻

[Maude]

As I was reading your post detailing all the issues I thought to myself, here we go, another sorry looking 80s natural wood bass. Then I got to the pictures, WOW! It's a stunner, I mean really nice. I'm jealous. 

🙂

[stewblack]

Had two Thunders. Sold them both for peanuts (but they both needed a lot of tlc) and literally gas like a burst main every time I see one. 

This in particular. What a stunning example. 

[Paul S]

1 minute ago, stewblack said:

Had two Thunders. Sold them both for peanuts (but they both needed a lot of tlc) and literally gas like a burst main every time I see one. 

This in particular. What a stunning example. 

Absolutely. 

I've owned several Thunders.  3 or 4 1As, a 1, a fretless 1A (now that was nice), a couple of Thunderjets.  The 1As were wonderful but way too heavy.  Later ones were lighter but they changed the pickups and I wasn't so keen on the tone from them.  Thunderjets were the lightest (and arguably coolest) of all. 

All this talk of Westones is giving me GAS, damned Basschat!  I can just imagine a Thunderjet with an Entwistle PBXN 😍  I may have to seek one out....

[stewblack]

Thundergas!