Westone bass guitars - what do people think of them?

[Rubbersoul]

It lay ignored and unloved for years and it was a mess. So I took everything apart not knowing if it would even be playable when I put it back together because there was a big crack through the headstock. So I thought I’d get medieval with it and set it on fire, cleaned all the electrics and fixed the crack as best I could. Plays better now than it ever did! Still a bit neck divey but a good leather strap sorted that.

[rmorris]

1 hour ago, Rubbersoul said:

... because there was a big crack through the headstock. So I thought I’d get medieval with it and set it on fire, 

 

What did you do to fix the crack ? A good wood glue/filler, properly applied, should be stronger than the wood itself.

[King Tut]

I've had a few Thunders of various incarnations. Great basses but that short top horn always threw the ergonomics off for me when played on a strap. Felt like my left arm needed to be a couple of inches longer, so they always ended up getting moved on!

[Stub Mandrel]

I will take my Thunder 1 to rehearsal tonight.

[Wilco]

3 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I will take my Thunder 1 to rehearsal tonight.

Top stuff.

Taking my Thunder 3 to rehearsal tomorrow night.

[Rubbersoul]

19 hours ago, rmorris said:

 

What did you do to fix the crack ? A good wood glue/filler, properly applied, should be stronger than the wood itself.

I filled it with good wood glue and clamped it. But the clamp was crap and slipped without me realising and the gap didn’t tighten up properly but set about a mm apart in places. Solid as a rock but not right, which probably was the reason I had to set the E saddle so far back for intonation. Adds to the mojo lol.

[Stub Mandrel]

Well, the Thunder 1 went down a storm  and was really pleasant to play. It sounds 'more precision than a precision'. First time I've played it in  a band context, would be more than happy to use it live, although not a very broad sonic pallet, even with the tone rolled back it still sounded quite rich, and I missed my bridge pickup honk.

[rmorris]

12 hours ago, Rubbersoul said:

I filled it with good wood glue and clamped it. But the clamp was crap and slipped without me realising and the gap didn’t tighten up properly but set about a mm apart in places. Solid as a rock but not right, which probably was the reason I had to set the E saddle so far back for intonation. Adds to the mojo lol.

 

Yes - mojo indeed.

It shouldn't affect the intonation setting on the bridge assuming the strings run properly from bridge saddles to nut.

[Wilco]

First rehearsal with a new band. 70’s Disco covers so plenty of notes to get through! Thunder 3 performed superbly well. It drew some very positive comments about looks & sound. Would gig this bass very happily without any second thoughts at all. 🙂

 

 

[ubit]

I still have my Westone Spectrum. It gigged with me for many  gigs back in the 80's and it's still in my spare room/music room. We just had the bathroom done which explains the dust over everything that I haven't got around to clearing yet

[ubit]

It's strange that people are quoting £200 for a Spectrum. Way back when I bought the Spectrum I was skint and spotted it in a music shop in Edinburgh. My girlfriend at the time was a student at art school and I had to borrow £200 from her to buy it back then. It was a massive step up from my Hondo II P copy that I had been using. 

[Stub Mandrel]

Over the last four rehearsals with the covers band I've taken along a Fender Flea Jazz, Fender Performer, Squier Jaguar SS and tonight my lowly Westone Thunder.

 

The guitarist came up to me at the end and said "that's a fantastic bass, that's by far the best tone you've had".

[Newfoundfreedom]

On 12/08/2021 at 01:59, Geek99 said:

I had a Westone spectrum guitar in white, 2 x humbuckers and it was definitely okay. (I know, a guitar, I mean WTF was I thinking?) 🤨

 

 @cathal
you have to remember that in the 80s CNC machining was in its infancy and instruments were more variable in workmanship as humans did more of it. It might be a good one 

 

if it were me, I’d pay the asking price but with a setup, fret dress and new strings thrown in 
 

 

 

The thread is 12 years old!

 

I suspect the bass has been sold by now. 

Edited September 2, 2021 by Newfoundfreedom

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

 

The thread is 12 years old!

 

I suspect the bass has been sold by now. 

 

Yes, someone ressurected it... but the question is stll interesting as another 12 years has changed the perspective and I think  Westone/Matsumokos basses from the 80s are being more appreciated.

[Rumple]

This old thread needs an ancient pic of an extremely nervous me playing a Thunder IIa (I think) at the 100 Club in the late 80's.

[Russ]

4 hours ago, Rumple said:

This old thread needs an ancient pic of an extremely nervous me playing a Thunder IIa (I think) at the 100 Club in the late 80's.

 

Digging the Westone, the bass face, the Marshall bass combo, the pink Tele and the curly cables.

And untuck that T-shirt! 

[ubit]

2 minutes ago, Russ said:

And untuck that T-shirt! 

 

 

Not to mention lower your bass to below belt level

[Russ]

5 minutes ago, ubit said:

 

 

Not to mention lower your bass to below belt level

You had to wear those up high. I think it was the rules at the time.

Plus, tucking the bass into your armpit mitigates neck dive.

[ubit]

23 minutes ago, Russ said:

You had to wear those up high. I think it was the rules at the time.

Plus, tucking the bass into your armpit mitigates neck dive.

 

 

I saw a band back in the 80's playing locally and the bass player was resting his chin on his bass. I vowed to wear mine low from then on.

[Stub Mandrel]

26 minutes ago, Russ said:

You had to wear those up high. I think it was the rules at the time.

 

Not for me!

[Rumple]

40 minutes ago, Russ said:

 

Digging the Westone, the bass face, the Marshall bass combo, the pink Tele and the curly cables.

And untuck that T-shirt! 

Thanks, the Marshall belonged to the main acts bass player 🙂 I promise I stopped tucking my t-shirt in by the 90's 😂 The pink Tele was a refinished 70's one and I wish I'd bought it when it came up for sale a few years later.

[Russ]

1 minute ago, Rumple said:

Thanks, the Marshall belonged to the main acts bass player 🙂 I promise I stopped tucking my t-shirt in by the 90's 😂 The pink Tele was a refinished 70's one and I wish I'd bought it when it came up for sale a few years later.

I miss Marshall's bass gear. They made a lot of cr@p over the years, but, when they made something good, it was VERY good.

 

The DBS and VBA ranges were amazing, and the MB range wasn't bad, but had a few reliability issues. 

[Wilco]

On 31/08/2021 at 23:49, Wilco said:

First rehearsal with a new band. 70’s Disco covers so plenty of notes to get through! Thunder 3 performed superbly well. It drew some very positive comments about looks & sound. Would gig this bass very happily without any second thoughts at all. 🙂

 

 

Due to relative lack of use thanks to the sodding pandemic, I’m rotating my basses for rehearsals at the moment. The Thunder 1A was the choice tonight;-

 

 

Obviously not as tonally wide as the Thunder 3 above, but it still got great comments. Both those have DR Sunbeams on & through that rig, they genuinely sound well beyond their respective price points. Bargains! 

 

[MacDaddy]

9 hours ago, Wilco said:

Due to relative lack of use thanks to the sodding pandemic, I’m rotating my basses for rehearsals at the moment. The Thunder 1A was the choice tonight;-

 

 

Obviously not as tonally wide as the Thunder 3 above, but it still got great comments. Both those have DR Sunbeams on & through that rig, they genuinely sound well beyond their respective price points. Bargains! 

 

 

The Thunder 1A was the bass I started on. It was the college bass.

[Sparky Mark]

Just found my 1983 Westone catalogue which includes the 80s pointy Raider as well as the better known Concord and Thunder basses.