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Westone Rebuild

Westone Thunder 1-T Rebuild pt 1…The Background


Many years ago I built a guitar from scratch, making my own body and using a Stratocaster copy neck.

My first home-made guitar
My first home-made guitar

It played ok, and was “of its time” but after that initial flurry of sawdust and bad wiring I didn’t really dabble in guitars apart from changing the odd pickup and general maintenance.

Over the years however, I have been a prolific builder of model cars, which has given me the ability to paint and modify stuff, and also a quite enviable collection of small tools and useful bits and pieces.

Just recently I have fallen in love with guitars again. I have never stopped playing (guitar and bass), but my son has become an avid and proficient player and enthusiast, which has re-awakened my interest in guitars and collecting.

So one day while surfing around Ebay I found a knackered old Westone Thunder 1T guitar being sold as a project. It was in very poor condition, with many missing bits.

As the buyer says in his own words..

“This guitar needs a total overhaul…It was working 10 years. There are  missing screws, nut, jack socket, 2 tuner ferrules and 2 broken switches. It is covered in scatches and dings. The neck looks straight (see photo). I do not know if the electrics work but they did, this was my sons first guitar, and was soon upgraded.”

The front
The back
The back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I won the auction for £46 plus £15 postage and the guitar was with me within 4 days.

Next post I’ll tell you all about the work ahead in detail, and my ideas for the rebuild.

Thanks for reading!

One reply on “Westone Thunder 1-T Rebuild pt 1…The Background”

“this was my sons first guitar, and was soon upgraded.”
That’s funny…
I just “upgraded” my main right-hand guitar – a Gibson SG Standard – to one of these. 😉
That expensive piece of branded rubbish never lived up to the sound of my friend’s Thunder 1A that we both used back in the ’80s, and the 1T has the same; as well as a black paint job and a tremolo arm indicated by its “T” moniker.
£150 winning bid on eBay.
I’m so happy to have received this today. 🙂
The Gibson is being looked after by said friend. He seems happy to do so.