Westone Thunder love….

[Wilco]

So I’ve recently bought some PA gear, & had to free up some space at home to store it in. One of the ‘casualties’ of making that space was my Thunder 1A. It was a very nice example & it had a proper but worn Westone case.

 

I only listed it a couple of weeks ago & I first put it on the usual FB Groups with every intention of putting on here too.

 

However I was gobsmacked by the amount of likes & positive comments received on those FB group posts. There was loads in a short space of time & they kept on coming. The bass was ‘on hold’ within a day & I had 7 other solid “can I buy it” messages come in. They only stopped when I edited the ad to ‘on hold’. 
 

The price I put it up for & got was £295, but I think if I’d gone £350 - £400 it would’ve easily sold judging by the demand. Hindsight is a wonderful thing 😆.

 

Anyways long story short, the Westone name is a bit ‘cult’ obviously, but great to see that the brand still appears to have such a strong following - and by players younger than the brands 80’s heyday too!! 
 

(I still have two Thunder III’s & they are going no-where!!)

 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by Wilco

[Maude]

Thunders do seem to be hot property at the moment, and I'll admit I was also quietly on the lookout for a decent one for a while too. I was given a Kay/Cort neck through in a similar 80s style with the Powersound pickups so that will kind of scratch that itch for a while. 

At the mo I think anything sub £300 is a very good price for a Thunder 1a,even though more so if in condition with original case. 

The IIIs are making serious money. 

[Munurmunuh]

14 minutes ago, Maude said:

Thunders do seem to be hot property at the moment

 

The guitars too, or just the basses?

 

(asking on behalf someone who hasn't played his Thunder I-A with any seriousness since he was 16)

[Maude]

9 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

The guitars too, or just the basses?

 

(asking on behalf someone who hasn't played his Thunder I-A with any seriousness since he was 16)

 

Don't know, I don't get involved with those funny little six string toys much. 😉

 

I'd guess the guitars get similar love from that side of the camp though. 

[Munurmunuh]

8 minutes ago, Maude said:

I'd guess the guitars get similar love from that side of the camp though. 

 

Active guitars.....a bit weird......

 

I bought it because it has the lowest action ever seen on guitar, and spent years hating the electronics (and the natural finish) But 008 strings, a bridge humbucker and a 15 year old boy are going to get by ok, despite all that coil-splitting, phase-reversing bass-cutting nonsense.

[kodiakblair]

1 hour ago, Ricky Rioli said:

The guitars too, or just the basses?

The young lad I bought my Thunder III from is a guitar player (The Jackdaws,  Hull area).

 

He's your typical Fender/Gibson type but he's also on the lookout for a Westone Prestige 🙂

[Boodang]

My first bass. Nearly 40 years old and still plays great, an awesome fretless which I'll never sell.

[Boodang]

Actually sold a Westone Thunder 1a here on BC the other week. Took about 4 months to get any interest and in the end it went for £200. Obviously buyers on FB have more taste than those on BC!

[Munurmunuh]

 

 

Very neatly made instruments. Gently used, mine was about the same price as a new Marlin Sidewinder. 

[Dazed]

Always remember Westones from my childhood and them being in most of the mail order catalogs - which is where my 1st bass came from, thank you Mum

and Dad 😂. Unfortunately not a Westone but some short scale thing with terrible pickups. 
 

Then an older boy at school played a school concert with his Westone, which at the time blew me away as he was so good. I never really rated them back then because of where I thought they came from. Obviously I was young and wrong as they do seem popular now whereas whatever it was I had has long disappeared, and probably for the best 😂 

[Bassassin]

It's interesting - Thunder 1As are still very common basses, there are always plenty in circulation and it's always seemed that tends to keep prices down compared with other, less common comparable 80s MIJ basses. Ebay tends to be a good barometer, and having had a quick look, it still is. Sold item prices go from £135 at the bottom end up to £380 - those are very much outliers and the median's about £200 or so. 10-15 years ago the average ballpark was about £150 so they're not exactly appreciating fast. There are always sellers with ambitious pricing, and occasionally someone will bite  - I'd say £295 for a 1A is very much the lucky side of average.

 

The guitars tend to go for a bit more, interestingly,the average seeming to be getting near the £300 mark. This is galling, considering my own very nice Thunder 1 only fetched £150 when I flipped it. Was a great guitar & I probably should have hung on to it. Having said that, it cost me £6 from the local car boot, so I can't moan too much.

 

 

[itsmedunc]

Great basses. I played a Thunder iii primarily for over 20 years. Sold it, instant regret. I've now got a Thunder iI MKii (think it's MK2). It's basically the same as a Thunder iii with a different logo on the headstock. 

I nearly sold it a while back as it's getting a tad too heavy. Decided to keep it though. They are lovely to record with.

Edited February 13, 2022 by itsmedunc

[Paul S]

I went through a phase where I couldn't get enough of them.  Marvellous things, guitars and basses.  I find them way too heavy now, which is a shame.

 

Here a brief snapshot trio  

[bartelby]

Thunder Jet!! 😍

[Paul S]

34 minutes ago, bartelby said:

Thunder Jet!! 😍

 

Yes!  Fabulous thing.  Lighter in weight and an extra fret!  What more do you need  It's possible that one might pop up in my current weight range, too.

[kodiakblair]

3 hours ago, bartelby said:

Thunder Jet!! 😍

Nice wee bass.

 

Had the pleasure of owning one sold on here a few year back.

[Paul S]

I remember that one, @Andyjr1515did the top.

[itsmedunc]

1 hour ago, Paul S said:

I remember that one, @Andyjr1515did the top.

I had that one too and sold it on here!

[pbelly]

Never tire of sharing pics of my Thunder II.  Cracking instrument. Had it since about '91.

[Andyjr1515]

7 hours ago, Paul S said:

I remember that one, @Andyjr1515did the top.

Me too! 

 

It's like meeting an old friend 

 

[Andyjr1515]

8 hours ago, kodiakblair said:

Nice wee bass.

 

Had the pleasure of owning one sold on here a few year back.

 

 

5 hours ago, itsmedunc said:

I had that one too and sold it on here!

Just looked it up.  It was @allighatt0r who originally commissioned it.  Over 7 years ago!   I was but a lad...

[Maude]

5 hours ago, pbelly said:

Never tire of sharing pics of my Thunder II.  Cracking instrument. Had it since about '91.

 

I love the look of this bass. 

 

This was the look that inspired my Kay resto. 

[pbelly]

1 hour ago, Maude said:

 

I love the look of this bass. 

 

This was the look that inspired my Kay resto. 

Ooh, any pics?

 

[Maude]

3 minutes ago, pbelly said:

Ooh, any pics?

 

I said 'inspired by', that doesn't mean it turned out looking anything like it. 😄

 

It's not finished yet but here's the thread if it's of interest. 

I don't know why it's put that picture there, that's not mine. 🤔😁

 

[bassbiscuits]

I had two natural Thunder 1As years back (my third and fourth bass I think, back in the late 80s/early 90s). I remember them being decent rather than spectacular, but then I think they only cost me £80 each including a case so can’t complain!