Westone Thunder 1A Bass

Yesterday I just had a feeling, as I drove by a particular pawn shop for the millionth time without stopping, that I should go in this time. Inside was this sweet maple-bodied 9 lb battle axe

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6819457855_9f4d1e2206_z.jpg

I loved the sound and the feel and the whole vibe, took it home this morning

It has a three piece bolt on maple neck, the neck plate says Made in Japan, a Matsumoko Product. Appears to be a 1983 model, based on some Westone catalogs I found on the net.

It has a passive pickup but an active tone control which runs off two on board 9-volt batteries. One of the batteries in there had corroded its clip, so I need to replace that clip to verify the active control works. Maybe later tonight. Cool looking circuit though, an op amp and at least a dozen resistors and caps crammed in there. The passive tone control works as normal. Also has a series/parallel switch for the humbucker

The original tuners have been replaced with Schallers. They are nice replacements, but of course that puts a whacking on its value as a collectible. Luckily, I got it for playing rock and roll, and that's just what I'm gonna do. That and tinker with it

Big thanks to the collective savvy here, I spent a bit of time last night searching old threads for Westone info and saw they were well-thought-of by those who have played them. I sure think well of this one

Nice one, though I'm not keen on the body. However, this headstock deign (isn't it borrowed from Aria Pro's?) is the best one you can get from Westone.
And, of course, this bass kicks b**tt! I'll get a Westone bass one day...

A Westone was my first bass!! Don't remember the model name, and can't seem to find it online, but it was that same color too. It wasn't my favorite, but I'm glad you like yours. It probably didn't help that I had a bad amp to play it through, but I do remember it had a thin neck that I liked.

HNBD. Very nice score. I'd like to score me a Westone guitar or bass one of these days.

I'm not keen on the body

It is a little odd, but I like the lines and the sense of mass. That red finish is pure Hagar/Loverboy/Banarama 80s
I'm torn between keeping it period correct or trying a cool metal flake finish

it had a thin neck that I liked

I measured 1 9/16" width at the nut (3.96 cm). My Peavey is 1 1/2" (3.81 cm) and my SG copy is 1 5/8" (4.12 cm), which puts this one right in the middle. But the contour is beefier than either, especially at the shoulders

Can't wait to try it out at rehearsal tomorrow

It is a little odd, but I like the lines and the sense of mass. That red finish is pure Hagar/Loverboy/Banarama 80s
I'm torn between keeping it period correct or trying a cool metal flake finish
I would leave her the way she is. If the finish is in good shape, removing it and replacing with non-correct-colored one is always a crime! :wink:

Is that the stock bridge?

I got a Thunder 1 with a warped neck that I've taken some parts off (and put a new neck on) and the brass bridge and raging Dimarzio is going into a P bass!

Is that the stock bridge?

Ah, good eye! That and the nut are listed as brass in the catalog, and this bridge is not brass (though the nut is). Maybe it came from a p-bass, and maybe the pickup did too. It seems a previous owner was a big sweaty guy and corroded some things. The brass knobs are almost green

I've owned a couple of Weestone Thunder guitars over the years...nice.

One word of warning. In my Thunder 1A the batteries went flat very quickly, even if I didn't use the guitar much. So once you get the clip fixed, and if you then decide to use the bass with the batteries, you might need to make a habit of taking them out when you are not playing.

In the guitar, the active circuit added huge volume and gain to the sound, which was nice in a way but I generally used it passive.

Regarding whether the new tuners have affected the value, I doubt it as these Westones so far haven't really started to attract high prices. I can pick them up here for 100 pounds give or take a bit, so that's about 150 bucks.

Thanks for the heads up about the batteries, can't stand wasting them. I like it in passive mode, though I really want to hear that active circuit. It needs more than a new clip after all, I replaced the corroded one, but the circuit is still inoperative.

It is interesting to see members from Europe and the British Isles responding, I gather from a bit of reading this was a popular line of imports there. They are probably not as common in the US, or else they just blend into the stream of cheap instruments laying around the used shops

Put new strings on today, rehearsed with the band, then played our show
This bass is absolutely top notch

Yes they were more common here than in the US I believe. You don't see many of them around these days though - I hardly ever see any for sale in used shops. They come up on eBay now and again and nearly always go for a bargain price.

Those are great -- I snagged one off CL w/ the original case for $50 a few months ago, and it's easily the best $50 I've ever spent.
I'm not so keen on the active tone circuit -- too jaggy for me -- but passive it thumps like a good P bass.

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/qq123/devnulljp/guitars/westone/84137424.jpg
http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/qq123/devnulljp/guitars/westone/c2cc35dd.jpg

Incredible you got that spiffy a bass for $50. I paid $120 for the red one and it's case, a fair enough bargain
The observation that "it thumps like a good P bass" seems apt

I have a 1982 Thunder 1, only has passive pick-up. I paid $200 for mine back in '05. Its a great bass & don't know why value hasn't appreciated yet.

I bid you to stop talking about Westone basses and their awesomeness.
Don't you get it?
You're raising the prices, cause someone who wonders about buying them will find info on DPRI and will decide to pay more, thus increasing the overall pricing! :razz:
Besides, I don't have money right now to buy myself one. :wink:

I had a Thunder 1 guitar .It weighed a ton and was rarely played as I virtually gave up guitar playing and only came back to it a few years ago. .sounded good .I sold it 150 quid a few years back .