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Electra/Westone club

#301
Ottobasskirk said:
Thanks Wolfmancharlie. The knobs are clear, numbered 1 - 10. Are these original? And some of the screws are tarnished so I am wondering if they are brass? Since the serial number is 4010145 I am assuming it is a 1984. Does 145 mean that this was the 145th bass made that year? 401? 1984 January? How long do the 9v batteries last? My newer Fender Jaguar Modified HB bass has over 6 months with the same battery. I think I read somewhere that these basses eat up batteries. This bass is heavy. I am thinking this bass is a real keeper. I opened up the back and got a chuckle about the old electronics. The assemblage looked like some of my early amateur electronics projects. I am hearing that some guys are replacing the pickups. But aren"t these pickups unbalanced and that is part of there unique sound? I am going to restore this one. Who knows, maybe I'll learn how to play fretless.
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You have found yourself a Keeper here. As far as the serial number , made in Jan,1984. The 145 could be the number of bass made that month but not sure. A little sketchy on that. The knobs are not original, and would be extremely hard to find 3 of the originals. They were black ribbed plastic, smaller on the bottom rising up to about 15/16th on top,flat on top with a dot marker. The screws were probably black or zinc plated originally .if you use Copper top batteries and unplug the bass ,when not in use, they should last about a year, again depends on the amount of use. As far as replacing the pickups on these , people are nuts. Westone basses and guitars used high quality pups. There are guys on TB that buy brand new 1200.00 dollar basses and change the pups out ,doesn't make any sense to me. That is the reason they sound so good, and the aged wood and the great necks, I could go on and on. The toggles were originally black also. Page 7 on this thread has another of these and maybe you could pm this TBer for more info on the controls. Pics please. If you wNt a number let me know. Welcome to Westone.
 
#302
wolfmancharlie said:
You have found yourself a Keeper here. As far as the serial number , made in Jan,1984. The 145 could be the number of bass made that month but not sure. A little sketchy on that. The knobs are not original, and would be extremely hard to find 3 of the originals. They were black ribbed plastic, smaller on the bottom rising up to about 15/16th on top,flat on top with a dot marker. The screws were probably black or zinc plated originally .if you use Copper top batteries and unplug the bass ,when not in use, they should last about a year, again depends on the amount of use. As far as replacing the pickups on these , people are nuts. Westone basses and guitars used high quality pups. There are guys on TB that buy brand new 1200.00 dollar basses and change the pups out ,doesn't make any sense to me. That is the reason they sound so good, and the aged wood and the great necks, I could go on and on. The toggles were originally black also. Page 7 on this thread has another of these and maybe you could pm this TBer for more info on the controls. Pics please. If you wNt a number let me know. Welcome to Westone.
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Sure, I would like a number (why do I want a number?). I will post some pics as soon as possible. I have the original case that is in real bad shape, I am going to try and glue it back together. I am not sure if I want to recover it or not. I have seen episodes of the "Antiques Roadshow" where people have refinished their furniture and have devalued the antique by as much as 90%. What do you think? Recover it or just let it hang loose with the rips and threads. The inside shows some wear and tear with a hole worn in the top of the case.
 
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#303
Ottobasskirk said:
Sure, I would like a number (why do I want a number?). I will post some pics as soon as possible. I have the original case that is in real bad shape, I am going to try and glue it back together. I am not sure if I want to recover it or not. I have seen episodes of the "Antiques Roadshow" where people have refinished their furniture and have devalued the antique by as much as 90%. What do you think? Recover it or just let it hang loose with the rips and threads. The inside shows some wear and tear with a hole worn in the top of the case.
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As far as the case,if it is the original case for this bass, I think I would fix her up as much as I could . I don't think it would do anything but help. Disclaimer: I am not a dealer so maybe someone else could chime in on this. The original Westone cases are hard to come by so it may be worth mor money in good shape. That one is special as it has a spot for the extra neck.you are lucky to find one.
 
#304
wolfmancharlie said:
As far as the case,if it is the original case for this bass, I think I would fix her up as much as I could . I don't think it would do anything but help. Disclaimer: I am not a dealer so maybe someone else could chime in on this. The original Westone cases are hard to come by so it may be worth mor money in good shape. That one is special as it has a spot for the extra neck.you are lucky to find one.
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And you may have number 50. It is a good number. By the way there is a Westone forum on the internet and sometimes they know where you can get replacement knobs. Worth a shot.
 
#307
Here are some photos of my new/old bass. I love it. It is so much faster than my Fender Juguar Jazz Bass. More flexibility with tones, easier to play, and most important, it has character.
 

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#309
What about Japan made "Masada Performance Bass"?

Mine is a bolt neck P bass style except the body is ash wings, narrow walnut strips and then a maple center block.

It looks so similar to many Japan basses i wondered if it could be from the same factory as Westone/Electra.
 
#310
DavidEdenAria said:
What about Japan made "Masada Performance Bass"?

Mine is a bolt neck P bass style except the body is ash wings, narrow walnut strips and then a maple center block.

It looks so similar to many Japan basses i wondered if it could be from the same factory as Westone/Electra.
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I think I would need a few pics of your bass to make even a guess. TB has a couple of them with no history involved. I went to the Westone Forums but didn't find out anything yet. So if you get a chance, some pics ,neck plate , headstock f&b, body, you know .
 
#311
It's been a long time since I gigged my Spectrum GT, my Ric has been my main player, but last night I subbed for a guy in another band and since I didn't need my pedalboard or anything fancy I decided it was high time to bring the Westone back out. Straight through the Ampeg pf500 rig with fresh rounds on it sounds awesome. In fact, this bass through a good amp sounds best with no overdrive or other effects at all, whereas a Ric is pretty much born for overdrive. Difference between the Ric single coils and the Westone hot-wound humbuckers I guess. I should have some pics shortly.

Not like it hasn't been getting love, though. I take it open mics and jazz jams all the time.

In fact, last time I took it to an open mic this other bassist sees it and says, "Wow, is that a real Westone?". Turns out he used to have a different model and regrets selling it. I also got a reaction like this at a recent jazz jam. Lot of people who remember the 80s remember these.
 
#313
I've never saw a Thunder II this nice before or knew they came with XLR and LEDs on some.
Thunder II again.jpg
Thunder II back.jpg
Thunder II.jpg

Just stunning and nearly 30 years old too.

Made a start on the Concord. Pups work, pickguard cut, neck needs a shim but had a real lazy day and did nothing. I've not even picked up a bass
so tomorrow I better apply myself, though continuing the lazy thread the Concord's going straight to jack.
 
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#315
XLR is for the desk and I've PM'd the owner about the LED.

The Concord is alive.
Westone-Concord.jpg
Westone-Body.jpg

Can't tell whether it's the lack of pots,the new copper shielding or the strings but it's sounding amazing. Need to get screws for the pups and I think a surround for the pups
will improve the looks 100%. I forgot how good medium scale is. Original bridge and tuners are in the box with the pots if I decide to swap them.Leather for the pick guard
wasn't easy to source,well not on a Sunday morning, so it's faux I'm afraid.
 
#317
kodiakblair said:
I've never saw a Thunder II this nice before or knew they came with XLR and LEDs on some.View attachment 471268 View attachment 471269 View attachment 471270
Just stunning and nearly 30 years old too.

Made a start on the Concord. Pups work, pickguard cut, neck needs a shim but had a real lazy day and did nothing. I've not even picked up a bass
so tomorrow I better apply myself, though continuing the lazy thread the Concord's going straight to jack.
Click to expand...
Beautiful example of a Thunder II . Love the wood grain.
 
#318
kodiakblair said:
XLR is for the desk and I've PM'd the owner about the LED.

The Concord is alive.View attachment 471499 View attachment 471500
Can't tell whether it's the lack of pots,the new copper shielding or the strings but it's sounding amazing. Need to get screws for the pups and I think a surround for the pups
will improve the looks 100%. I forgot how good medium scale is. Original bridge and tuners are in the box with the pots if I decide to swap them.Leather for the pick guard
wasn't easy to source,well not on a Sunday morning, so it's faux I'm afraid.
Click to expand...
I love to see the Concord brought back to life.looking good. Thanks for letting us in on the journey. Wolfman smiles :-)) Peace.
 
#320
Looking for some info guys

There's a Lass with a Super Headless FS, dual control only no phase switch and active on/off switch. 2 Magnabass V pickups.

I'm after either a wiring diagram or a photo of the control cavity. The RC model is no good it uses the same wiring as the Thunder.

Hope somebody can help.
 

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