Guitar
guitarz.blogspot.com:
We've looked at several Westone guitars previously here at Guitarz. As we've mentioned before, Westone was the house-brand of Japan's Matsumoku factory with guitars being produced from 1981-1988. The Westone name was later used for the Westone "Prestige" series with guitars being made in the UK, and even later in the 1990s the Westone name was applied to Chinese and Korean-made instruments.
What I have not been sure about, however, is the origin of the Westone name. I had assumed the story started with Matsumoku in the 1980s, but pictured above we see a generic-looking Japanese solidbody electric guitar from the 1960s (this particular example being circa 1964) and which clearly shows the Westone name on the headstock. Evidence that the name was around a lot earlier than the 1980s.
I can only surmise that the brandname was resurrected by Matsumoku in the 1980s from an earlier brandname appearing on certain Japanese-made guitars. The seller of the above-pictured instrument (recently was offered for sale on eBay) has commented that this particular model was also available under the Kent brandname.
So, if anyone out there knows more about these early 1960s-era Westones, please do let us know. The only literature that I can find about this name states that it was a "new" brand of the Matusumoku company as of 1981, but clearly this is not true.
G L Wilson
© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!
- Electra Westone X-700jb Futura Bass, Made In Japan Circa 1984
guitarz.blogspot.com: Ah, you know we're big fans of Japanese-made guitars here at Guitarz, particularly those from the now legendary Matsumoku factory (could they ever do any wrong?), so I can't help myself showing this Electra Westone X-700JB...
- Another One From Matsumoku: The Westbury Deluxe
guitarz.blogspot.com: Gideon writes: I've been following the blog for a while and its hands down one of my favourite places on the web. Thought you might be interested in one of mine, which I don't believe has graced the pages of Guitarz yet....
- 1980s Westone Thunder Iii Guitar With S/h/s Pickup Formation
guitarz.blogspot.com: Here's another from Japanese guitar-maker Matsumoku's own Westone brandname, the top of the line in the Thunder series, the Westone Thunder III guitar. It's one of the few production model guitars that I know of to feature...
- Westone Spectrum Mx From 1985 In Red Cellophane Finish
guitarz.blogspot.com: Here's another "Spectrum"-named guitar from Japan, this one bringing proof that Haryama weren't the only Japanese guitar makers in the 1980s producing cellophane finishes. This Westone Spectrum MX is a Matsumoku-made guitar...
- Quest Manhattan M-3x - Another 1980s Guitar From Legendary Japanese Makers Matsumoku
guitarz.blogspot.com: Here is a Quest Manhattan M-3X, looking as if it fused together design references from Rickenbacker and the Ibanez Iceman. Alongside Aria, Vantage, Westone and others, Quest was another brandname used on guitars made by the highly...
Guitar
Japanese-made Westone guitar from 1964? I'd aways thought they were from the 1980s
guitarz.blogspot.com:
What I have not been sure about, however, is the origin of the Westone name. I had assumed the story started with Matsumoku in the 1980s, but pictured above we see a generic-looking Japanese solidbody electric guitar from the 1960s (this particular example being circa 1964) and which clearly shows the Westone name on the headstock. Evidence that the name was around a lot earlier than the 1980s.
I can only surmise that the brandname was resurrected by Matsumoku in the 1980s from an earlier brandname appearing on certain Japanese-made guitars. The seller of the above-pictured instrument (recently was offered for sale on eBay) has commented that this particular model was also available under the Kent brandname.
So, if anyone out there knows more about these early 1960s-era Westones, please do let us know. The only literature that I can find about this name states that it was a "new" brand of the Matusumoku company as of 1981, but clearly this is not true.
G L Wilson
© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!
- Electra Westone X-700jb Futura Bass, Made In Japan Circa 1984
guitarz.blogspot.com: Ah, you know we're big fans of Japanese-made guitars here at Guitarz, particularly those from the now legendary Matsumoku factory (could they ever do any wrong?), so I can't help myself showing this Electra Westone X-700JB...
- Another One From Matsumoku: The Westbury Deluxe
guitarz.blogspot.com: Gideon writes: I've been following the blog for a while and its hands down one of my favourite places on the web. Thought you might be interested in one of mine, which I don't believe has graced the pages of Guitarz yet....
- 1980s Westone Thunder Iii Guitar With S/h/s Pickup Formation
guitarz.blogspot.com: Here's another from Japanese guitar-maker Matsumoku's own Westone brandname, the top of the line in the Thunder series, the Westone Thunder III guitar. It's one of the few production model guitars that I know of to feature...
- Westone Spectrum Mx From 1985 In Red Cellophane Finish
guitarz.blogspot.com: Here's another "Spectrum"-named guitar from Japan, this one bringing proof that Haryama weren't the only Japanese guitar makers in the 1980s producing cellophane finishes. This Westone Spectrum MX is a Matsumoku-made guitar...
- Quest Manhattan M-3x - Another 1980s Guitar From Legendary Japanese Makers Matsumoku
guitarz.blogspot.com: Here is a Quest Manhattan M-3X, looking as if it fused together design references from Rickenbacker and the Ibanez Iceman. Alongside Aria, Vantage, Westone and others, Quest was another brandname used on guitars made by the highly...