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Westone Thunder Bass


deaky

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On 19/09/2018 at 23:58, jazzmanb said:

Had a Thunder 111a fretless .It was all neck 

Short top horn makes hard work bottom of the play board 

Agree with this. Big stretch to the first fret which makes them uncomfortable for me. Otherwise cracking basses.

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On 09/06/2018 at 05:59, deaky said:

Hi 

What’s folks opinions on the 80s Japanese Westone basses? Any good? 

I have a chance of picking up a Thunder 1A so any feedback on this model would be much appreciated. 

 

Thanks

 

Deak

 

I had one for a while, the neck-through model.

It was very well made, and sounded great. It also looked a bit different, which was nice.

However, I let it go after only a few months. Why? That thing weighed like the Moon, and the neck dive on it was really annoying.

 

I would recommend trying before buying or staying away.

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Henry 'King Thumb' Thomas had a nice one... I think it's a neck-though like the one to which Mcnach refers.

Rockschool-Launches-Version-4-Bass-Syllabus-Featuring-Henry-Thomas-and-Dave-Marks-300x197.jpg

Remember Rockschool?

I'd be cautious of paying too much for the romantic notion of some hidden gem. They were good in the day but entry-level basses have come so far in recent years that unless you have terminal nostalgia, you'd be better with a modern cheapie...

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  • 3 months later...

I just picked what appears to be a Thunder 1A. One P pick up, two to be and one volume control,  with 2 switches. The control knobs are black plastic with numbers, not brass though. The serial number puts it at mid 1983. 

It's a bit tatty cosmetically but the electronics look tidy and the neck is good. 

Any ideas why the knobs are plastic? Replacement brass ones are really ££££ 

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19 minutes ago, ProjeKtWEREWOLF said:

I just picked what appears to be a Thunder 1A. One P pick up, two to be and one volume control,  with 2 switches. The control knobs are black plastic with numbers, not brass though. The serial number puts it at mid 1983. 

It's a bit tatty cosmetically but the electronics look tidy and the neck is good. 

Any ideas why the knobs are plastic? Replacement brass ones are really ££££ 

You lucky werewolf! :)

Original had knurled brass knobs with a grub screw - yours has most prob had plastic put on when someone knicked the brass ones for another project, or maybe just preferred the look.

You know the rules - pics or it didn't happen! ;)

Love my Thunder 1A :)

_20180811_090004_1533974460580_1538494399226_1538494463981.png

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Flickr photo

 

57 minutes ago, Teebs said:

You lucky werewolf! :)

Original had knurled brass knobs with a grub screw - yours has most prob had plastic put on when someone knicked the brass ones for another project, or maybe just preferred the look.

You know the rules - pics or it didn't happen! ;)

Love my Thunder 1A :)

_20180811_090004_1533974460580_1538494399226_1538494463981.png

Nice colour. 

I will post a pic asap. That's what I reckoned about the knobs; they're pretty pricy. 

The best thing is that it was FREE!!!!!! 😎 

Edited by ProjeKtWEREWOLF
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46274434614_243aea8162_c.jpgWestone Thunder 1A bass (1983) by Hywel Cross, on Flickr

 

1 hour ago, Teebs said:

 

 

 

The truss rod cover is the correct shape, but is white and has no logo. Weird. Maybe the previous owner reversed it? I will pull it off when I change the strings. 

Edited by ProjeKtWEREWOLF
Photo
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8 hours ago, ProjeKtWEREWOLF said:

46274434614_243aea8162_c.jpgWestone Thunder 1A bass (1983) by Hywel Cross, on Flickr

 

 

The truss rod cover is the correct shape, but is white and has no logo. Weird. Maybe the previous owner reversed it? I will pull it off when I change the strings. 

Nice bass!

As you say, it'll be difficult to replace the knobs with something that matches the original - they were brass finish (rather than gold) & quite a broad diameter.

If you don't like the look of the plastic ones, you could get something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VS004-Vintage-Control-Telecaster-Guitars/dp/B01M3S6L3E/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549432720&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=Guitar+knobs+brass+flat+top&dpPl=1&dpID=41jIB-3-NFL&ref=plSrch

- not too expensive.

I'm not sure about the truss rod cover, you might be right about it having been reversed, although mine is solid black.

Enjoy your Thunder projeKtWEREWOLF! :)

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Update. The truss rod cover was reversed for some reason.  I will need new screws.

46328287664_ef663ba590_n.jpgTruss rod cover of Westone Thunder 1A bass by Hywel Cross, on Flickr

I removed the strings and cleaned up the sticker (scraped it off with the edge of a CD, then used nail varnish remover).

47052134521_d4e8d1acdf_n.jpgWestone Thunder 1A bass starting to be stripped down for deep cleaning. by Hywel Cross, on Flickr

I will remove the bridge and give it a good clean. 

The electronics look to be in good nick. 

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29 minutes ago, ProjeKtWEREWOLF said:

Update. The truss rod cover was reversed for some reason.  I will need new screws.

46328287664_ef663ba590_n.jpgTruss rod cover of Westone Thunder 1A bass by Hywel Cross, on Flickr

I removed the strings and cleaned up the sticker (scraped it off with the edge of a CD, then used nail varnish remover).

47052134521_d4e8d1acdf_n.jpgWestone Thunder 1A bass starting to be stripped down for deep cleaning. by Hywel Cross, on Flickr

I will remove the bridge and give it a good clean. 

The electronics look to be in good nick. 

Looking good! 👍

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  • 5 months later...

Just picked one up and thought Id explore the thread for more info. Amazing that the going rate a year ago was £150, theyre all like £300-450 now!! I got mine for £200 and consider it a bargain as its in great nick. 

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On 26/07/2019 at 19:49, CalDeep said:

Just picked one up and thought Id explore the thread for more info. Amazing that the going rate a year ago was £150, theyre all like £300-450 now!! I got mine for £200 and consider it a bargain as its in great nick. 

A recent rush of nostalgia I think. They used to be almost given away. Shame because the really nice ones, the two pickup genuine neck through models, go for a heck of a lot!! 

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19 minutes ago, uk_lefty said:

A recent rush of nostalgia I think. They used to be almost given away. Shame because the really nice ones, the two pickup genuine neck through models, go for a heck of a lot!! 

That's a Thunder iii - the Thunder i is nothing like as nice.

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3 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

A recent rush of nostalgia I think. They used to be almost given away. Shame because the really nice ones, the two pickup genuine neck through models, go for a heck of a lot!! 

 

I had the neckthrough one, active. Very very nice, but it was as heavy as a small planet. Sold it to a Dutch guy who came over for a weekend in Edinburgh to pick it up and was over the moon with it. They didn't go for as much money back then...

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When a Thunder 1 came up on here, I grabbed it.

Back in the 80s it was the bass you got if you couldn't afford a precision and the rumour was they were better made (it may well have been true).

The one I got came up really nice, sounds fantastic ... and weighs a ton.

My brother had a 1A back in the day and now has a lefty Spectrum DX.

But who can say teh Thunder 1 isn't pretty?

78714718_Westone(1).thumb.JPG.3a64e34b68a6e4164b8d51dfb6869909.JPG

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9 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

My brother had a 1A back in the day and now has a lefty Spectrum DX.

I was tempted to get one of those that came up recently but looked like it needed sinking it cillit bang for a month so i decided against enraging the wife for unknown upside. Do they sound any good? I like the look with the black and red colour combo

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3 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

I was tempted to get one of those that came up recently but looked like it needed sinking it cillit bang for a month so i decided against enraging the wife for unknown upside. Do they sound any good? I like the look with the black and red colour combo

He likes it! I haven't really had much of a go with it, I struggle to get anything out of a lefty.

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They were great beginner instruments in the 80s, rated over Squiers. Seems to me though all you have to do is add the word "Matsumoku" to anything and it doubles its value. I love 80s basses and have a few hanging on my wall - buy but don't get ripped off.

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As a long-time Thunder III owner still hooked on the looks of these basses, I found a couple of solutions to the neck-dive issue.  The main one that served me well for many years is  4" wide suede-backed strap.

The other more recent one is replacing the stock tuners with Gotoh lightweight ones.  I now find the bass comfortable enough to play for a couple of hours without a break.

ps - I've added a couple of photos of my Thunder III to my original post on page 1 of this thread.

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  • 1 year later...
On 05/10/2018 at 14:20, King Tut said:

Agree with this. Big stretch to the first fret which makes them uncomfortable for me. Otherwise cracking basses.

Totally agree -- that's the main drawback. Great basses otherwise. As for the weight, nothing abnormal IMO considering they are ash basses with active electronics. 

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