The Electra Forums

This one looks nice. Aside from the pointy looks, these are fantastic guitars- all the great H-S-H wiring combinations of an Electra Phoenix, plus they have the high-end pickups of the Spectrum FX. Plus, they're really well balanced. For those who love pointy guitars, this one is really cool! Another great cousin of the Electra Phoenix.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Westone-Dim ... 0103762325

Yep, this is a real nice guitar I want a pointy model just to play in church occasionally(It'll make the blue hairs shake their heads). I do not have any pointy models and I particuallarly like that it has the red neck also. I have an SX with the red neck and I like it alot. This one looks to have the Bendmaster FT trem I prefer the Deluxe for a floater but the standard bendmaster trem makes the sustain and contour better. My 145 and 185 both tend to have more sustain than my floating westone trem models. who knos this may be the one I'll see what it looks like $$$ wise in the end.

The FT is actually the high-end trem- it includes the ability to set string height individually while the DX (deluxe) does not. THe FT is also much easier to string. The FT has a cast piece that the fine tuners screw into, for a much more elegant and streamlined shape, whereas the DX body is just one flat plate stamped and bent. The fine tuner screws are much longer, so their heads wind up sitting much higher away from the level of the strings and body.


If you look at the later Westone catalogs, the DX is the trem used on low end guitars like the ST and DX. The LX and FX, which were the high end, as was the Dimension IV and monark, all got the FT bridge.

Functionally, both are great.

The red neck is very cool. As you know from your SX, it's not red paint, but a tranparent red glaze- it's like candy apple red without the silver base coat.

Remember, you can always set any of the floating trems to be non-floating just by tightening the screw on the claw that holds the trem springs, under the back cover. This adjustment sets where in its travel the bridge zeros out- by tightening it you adjust it to be flat against the body of the guitar, which does give plenty of nice resonance and sustain. You may need to readjust the string saddles slightly if they were misadjusted to begin with, but generally it shouldn't take much.

One of the most important things when dealing with his (or any) free floating bridge to ensure good intonation is to wiggle the bridge up and down slightly to allow it to re-zero. Every time you tune a string, it pulls the bridge off center slightly. if you leave it that way, you have a tuning nightmare. jsut a little wiggle allows it to zero out again, and the more you do this the more it willl tend to ezero itself all the time.

Some of my best guitars for tuning are the Dim IV and FX, precisely because they have this combination of FT bridge and locking nut- even free floating, they often stay perfeclty in tune whether being played, stored in a case for months, or even transported.

I do not know about the FT being high end to the DX .... it was my understanding and I will have to look into this.... That the FT was the trem System Before the DX, the DX was not out untill late 1986.

FACT My FX that I bought new in early 1987 has a DX and my SX made a year earlier has FT the guitars are both Orginal. The FX is certianly a more premium guitar than the SX... The FT may be a better trem.... I like both, I just prefer the DX.

I do not see in any of the lit that I have where the two trems are offered as an upgrade from one to another or that one was put on the premium guitars and the other entry models. I see it more as a date of manufacture thing. SLM would not have reprinted a new spectrum brochure because of the trem change, $$$$, and if the person making the price list was looking at the spectrum feature from the original brochure it would state FT trem.

However, I know for a fact that later FX's had the DX trem (not just mine either because I looked at and played every FX in the store for months before I bought mine) the DX trem was still fairly new when I purchaced the CR-FX.

When I bought my FX I had narrowed the field down to 2 a SS FX and a Candy red FX. The SS had the FT and the Candy red (MINE) had the DX.

Also the DX was one of the things that westone put on the cover of their pricelists and in the lit like it was a true achievement. I think they stoped making the FT in place of the DX. I might be wrong I will talk to proteus soon and see if he remembers.

The first appearance of the Bendmaster DX bridge that I know of was on the X189 in '84- it was an early version without fine tuners. The same bridge was available on the X199 in 84 also (these were branded Electra Westone but were soon to be renamed Spectrum LX and FX). I know for sure the fine tuner version came out on those models in 85, at the same time locking nuts were added, and I do believe it was at the same time as the DX appeared on the ST, so I don't think it was a time/upgrade thing.

As far as preference, whatever you like best is the right answer. The DX bridge certainly makes more of a substantial perch if you like to rest your hand on the bridge for palm muting.

One cool thing the DX bridge lets you do is you can reach behind it and push down on the fingers pretty easily, and bend a single string for a pretty effective 'B-bender' effect!

Wow do you have a pic of that?

I do have a heavy palm habit. I also have used the keys for bends. I Think I just like the DX because it was on my FX and I have played that guitar more than any guitar I own and it feels familiar. I have actually had the FX set up with 2 springs for 17 years I did it for an experement to get trills and just never changed it. I marvel how well the guitar stays in tune and reacts even with very light tension . I have to be careful, because my before mentioned palm habit can knock the sucker out of tune with out to much pressure.

Here's two pics, it's not very easy to see though. I'll try to get closer shots.

84 X189:


84 X199:

Here's a closer view.



I should really take my foot out of my mouth and say I am not really sure this should be called a Bendmaster FT bridge, it's probably has a different designation, but it certainly resembles the FT and seems to be like a predecessor of it.

I agree it does look like the FT bridge but it does not look like the DX. The first appearence of the Deluxe I know of is 1986. I could be wrong but I have just not seen it.

Do most all EW 189s have the pictured bridge? I have a X185 (see Avitar that was my first solidbody electric) 6 screw bridge and have seen that 2 post no locks/tuners bridge but have never owned one. Is it worth getting? I was going to but that lipstick red one a few weeks ago but he guy wanted 200.00 reserve for the guitar. I do not blame him it is certianly worth it if I did not already have a X185 and a X199FX but I am saving $ to buy one I do not already have an Example of. OR a Burst color that I need.

You're right, it looks Like an FT, and the DX were very different, possibly a different maker.

I believe the DX bridge appeared in 85, it certainly shows up in the 85 Westone catalog.

The X189 had the FT bridge, that was the difference for the model- it's an X185 only with the FT bridge. Otherwise there is no difference between those models (except that in 84, when most X189's appeared, they had the 84+ black tapered knobs instead of the knurled speed knobs of 83)

there's a bendmaster DX bridge on ebay right now, they were used on a number of guitars including some non-Matts (Jackson?) They do appear fairly often on ebay, whereas the FT's are rarer and to my knowledge only appeared on Electras and Westones. (maybe Aria Pro?)

Same Maker closer copy of the Floyd rose.

I believe that the bendmaster trems were Presley influenced?copies of Floyd Rose trems (the DX I think was even licensed under floyd rose but the bendmaster DX (ones stamped with the BEndmaster name were, to my knowledge, only the Westones from 85/6-89 After that the Koreans used Kahler Spyders)) The Trems on Jackson's are actual floyd roses. but the FT and DX are interchangable W/O any nonreversable changes to the Guitar.