The Electra Forums

Offered here is a November 1985 Westone Spectrum LX. The LX was one step away from the top o' the line setneck FX. It sports the same Bendmaster FT (floating tremolo) w/ fine tuners and locking nut, H/S/H pickups with the triple push/pull pot setup. Every part, component, screw and washer on this guitar is original and accounted for (no small feat!). The body has it's share of dings and scuffs, I'd rate it a soft 8 out of 10. Some minor buzzing in the upper frets, especially if you bend... the truss rod is free and moves, but I can't seem to eliminate it completely, maybe it needs a shim?? I've always been a bit shy of messing with necks, maybe one of you guys has the 'gift'. The Finish is 'Metallic Black', really black, with the blacked out hardware and pickups, it may not be the greatest Live performance guitar. In certain light (like flash photography) the finish turns to a dark blue:


When the Phoenix line was renamed Spectrum, the LX replaced the venerable X189, but with the more sophisticated FT trem and locking nut, it is a full on pro axe, capable of being whipped for hours without going out of tune.

Original Westone branded tuners and serial number:

Original MMK 45's, this late in production they are most likely the UnBalanced Coil (UBC) variety, frankly I can't tell, but I play pretty overdriven, and the nuances may get blurred! I can say that all the controls work great... tight and quiet.

I was going to call this thread 'Why Guitars get Parted Out', because honestly the parts are worth more than the sum in this instance. I can not bring myself to do it, it seems like a sin to take a nice axe and chop shop it. $285 quality packed and shipped to your door. Whoa, you say... that seems like a lot for a non-active Phoenix, a totally complete and unmolested Spectrum that is. I've been thinking a lot about this one, if you have the guts (and the conscience that will allow you to...) there is some scratch to be made here. The following is a possible breakdown if you chose to go that route:

Tuners..................................$25*
Locking Nut..........................$20
Neck Plate w/ screws............$10
Neck.....................................$25*
Body.....................................$25
Strap Buttons w/screws........$5
Back Covers..........................$25 (auction just ended that was actually $30 plus shipping)
Pickups.................................$110*
Wiring Harness.....................$10
Bendmaster FT......................$75**
Trem Bar...............................$5*
Reverse Tapered Knobs.........$36 ($12 each, rarer than hens teeth)
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Hypothetical Total $371

* Possibly More!
** Further parted out, you could make a killing, how many tremolos have we seen with missing string holders and fine tuner screws? I could see the Saddles going for $15 a piece, especially if you needed one.

The reasons why I wont take this on are a) I just can't in good conscience chop up a complete unmolested guitar and b) it represents a lot of work, and a ton of auctions. The seemingly high price is to maybe dissuade someone from breaking it up, and keep me from doing it also!

A couple final observations, this is one of the lightest all-Maple Electra's, oops, Westone's I've played, pretty comfy really. The neck is fairly clean, one nick on the back and minimal chips on the headstock. The Flash pictures are totally unflattering, it looks much better in person. Some noticeable grooves in the first few frets, intonation seems pretty good though, frets could use a dressing. I bought this from a guy who hadn't played it in YEARS... the coating of dust reminded me of 'Storage Wars'. Tell me if I'm totally crazy and what you think about this nice survivor. Cheers, Mike.

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Electra Guitar Videos ===> http://www.youtube.com/user/mjm33mjm?feature=watch

Kinda sad isn't it, but I think you're probably $100 low on parts total - I recently parted out a trem and got $18 to $26 each for the saddles and $20 for the base - it had a broken saddle already, so I didn't feel too bad (ok, I probably would have done it anyway.........) -- I've actually started looking for pawn shop guitars that have problems or missing/non-original parts to break up........but I haven't parted out any good all original ones yet, I have some scruples left (well, a tiny bit anyway LOL)

Shame... I have one and rate it quite highly; a very practical guitar to gig with simple controls and very good pickups.

Yeah, sadly, I reckon you're a bit shy on the parting out sums as well...

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"... and on the eighth day, God created New Zealanders.

Because even the Australians need heroes."

Good on you for keeping it whole. Have you checked the fret level for the buzz. A loose fret end can do that.

Well sir I salute you for not parting out a complete Axe. I hope this one finds a good home and with some TLC it should be around alot longer to be enjoyed. I am also one of those that just can't seem to part out a complete guitar. If there is just a body with broken neck or some absolute unrepairable part then maybe I could do it but I like to see ones like this find a new and happy home.

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Always give thanks for everyday, It may be your last so Rock On Semper Fi!!

Nice. Don't know much about the Westone line, but this looks like a great guitar for a great price. Not to mention there's one on my local CL for like $450, which makes this look even more like a steal. Best of luck with the sale!

P.s. I have a feeling this forum would be the best place to start the world's first ever "Keep Your Original Guitar In One Piece!" movement. Maybe the One Piece Movement for short...

I just noticed that I didn't include any pics of the back, minimal scuffs, and just one chip on the ridge of the belly cut:

You know, maybe this guitar is Blue... (where's the googly-eyed smilie?) There is a listing for 'Candy Blue' in the LX part of the index, but this seemed really dark to me, maybe it's just my camera. It doesn't seem this blue to the naked eye. No chips on the horns, really, the guitar is in pretty nice shape for being 27 years old. I forgot to mention that even the flat top switch tip is present:


I just took a close look at the frets, and they aren't that bad at all, some minor wear in the cowboy chord area, not sure what I was picturing last night when I wrote this up..?? I have other MMK's that are hotter than this set, but these really stick that boinky single coil sound great (think 'finish what you started' by Van Halen). I'll say it again, if you don't already own a H/S/H, you owe it to yourself to pick one up and hear the variety of sounds possible with this combination. I just put it on my digital scale, she weighs in at just a hair under 8 lbs!! Which compared to my other Maple guitars (X130p 9.5 lbs, Spectrum FX 9.8 lbs) is REALLY nice.

I was trying to be conservative, but yeah, it's worth a lot more chopped up... very depressing. I chalk it up to all the cheap chinese junk that is FLOODING the market, that and people just don't know how cool these vintage Japanese guitars are. I just look around at all the junk guitars out there for two or three hundred bucks, and they can't hold a candle to this piece.
I was playing it today and the buzzing wasn't as bad, maybe the neck is still settling from the adjustments I made. I'd like to get the action a little lower, but wouldn't we all?

I appreciate all the comments guys, I'm not desperate to sell, but for the features, I think my asking price is pretty reasonable. I'll include a gig bag for another $5... am I starting to sound like a used car salesman? I'd like to free up some funds for a X160 I'm negotiating on (now there's a rare bird), but I'll happily hold on to this one if need be. Mike.

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Electra Guitar Videos ===> http://www.youtube.com/user/mjm33mjm?feature=watch

Honestly, these guitars should be selling for that, I look forward to the day when they are as highly regarded as Ibanez, Aria and Greco guitars. I do confess that the low cost is what drew me to these makers originally though.

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Electra Guitar Videos ===> http://www.youtube.com/user/mjm33mjm?feature=watch

I wonder if that is blue, you know; mine is the black, and it looks black no matter what light is on it!!

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"... and on the eighth day, God created New Zealanders.

Because even the Australians need heroes."

SuhWeeeeet. Thanks for sharing John, that's a beauty, I bet it really turns heads in the southern Hemisphere! I think you're right, maybe this is the rare "Candy Blue", my price just went up $30!

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Electra Guitar Videos ===> http://www.youtube.com/user/mjm33mjm?feature=watch

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Electra Guitar Videos ===> http://www.youtube.com/user/mjm33mjm?feature=watch