Westone Super Headless

Bought new in October 1985 from the Bass Centre in Wapping, London. Made in Japan.

Fretless 4 string, 2 octave neck with side dot position markers. Straight through design, the centre piece/neck are laminated with some sort of plastic material to make it look and feel like its carbon (I'm positive it's not). Nice ebony fretboard.

Side pieces are wood, probably maple, laminated a deep candy apple red. This was very much a poor man's Status, which were all the rage at the time. The bass has a "funk groove" by the neck pick up that allows greater access to the underneath of the G and D strings so that you can get some real welly into any pops/pulls should you need to.

Restringing this bass is a nightmare.

The neck is headless (obviously) but rather than using double ball strings, you have to use single ball strings and then cut them to a slightly longer overall length than the bass. Once you've done this, using the provided allen key you have to remove a plate from the end of the neck (just behind the nut). Once the (three!) bolts are removed you locate the ball end of each string into the bridge, and then feed the cut end of the string into a hole in the top of the neck. Once that's done, reattach the plate and replace the three bolts. Then tune up. If you are ever likely to break a string, it's unlikely that you would ever use this bass for any live work, unless you had a spare bass or very efficient and understanding roadie.

However, once the bass is tuned, that is it for several months. The tuners don't have any locks on them but nothing short of direct hit from a tactical nuke would make the thing de-tune.

Active elctronics, 2 j-bass style single coil pick-ups with a volume pot, passive tone pot, an active boost pot (detented) active circuit on switch, single phase effect switch and 3 position pick up selector. These all contribute to a very flexible, if very eighties sound.

As I said, a very eighties sounding active bass. I originally had a Trace Elliot rig which worked with it quite well; the Trace's 11 band graphic EQ came in handy for smoothing out whatever parts of the sound I didn't like, and for emphasising other parts that I did.

When I switched to an SWR set-up I found that it exposed the Westone's main flaw: it has no soul whatsoever, just the ability to be flexible through it's electronics.

Despite that, I have gigged the bass a lot and recorded quite a lot with it too. I never had any complaints from any of the engineers that I worked with, save for one which was put right by changing the on-board battery which had run flat and was contributing to a slight earth buzz.

The bass is very well made, was well set-up and had no faults at all when I bought it.

19 years on almost and it's in near pristine condition, despite having been used extensively. I've had it serviced probably only twice in this time.

Because of the string changing procedure, I couldn't recommend this as a main bass if you were playing live. The quickest I ever managed to change a full set of strings was about 10 minutes.

It's a shame, because it is very tough, durable and reliable instrument.

I started playing in 1980. At times I have played professionally, but have now retired for the time being. I own a number of other basses and amplifiers.

Whan I bought this bass, I wanted something that looked the part and that was going to last. I paid well over the odds at the time, but after nearly twenty years I would say that the bass still delivers in the looks department and certainly has lasted OK.

Depsite the price apparently expensive price (#770 - I must have been mad), the Superheadless was an attempt by Westone to make a prestige bass that could rival the much more expensive Status or Steinberger bassses for looks and sound at a cheaper(!) price. I don't think it ever really quite managed either of these intentions, but I'm glad all the same that I bought this bass.

This bass is ideal if you ever get a gig in an eighties tribute band!

I've got one of these Westone 'Super Headless' basses, and I know very little about is other than it uses the same h/w as the rail, but has two J style humbuckers on a more traditional but headless neck/body combo. Wooden body but covered over, looks like a graphite through with Maple wings.

18v Actives as per some of the Thunder series, has Volume, Passive tone, Active H/L balance, Active on/off, phase switch, pickup toggle selector.

Anyone got one of these? I hear they were limited numbers (mine has no serial nuber).

Massive tonal range from New Order 'baritone guitar' to sub bass thanks to massively powerful actives. Sometimes a little too powerful...

This bass would have been fantastic new - it was well worn when I got it and has had to be refretted, but its still holding together!

As with other Westones I've owned, the neck is soft and does require care if performing in temperature extremes. I know the guy who owned this before me and I know what I've subjected it too - amazed its in one piece.

I'd always use this bass on its own, never had any problems - except for a bit of taxi CB through the amps

Westone - long gone!

Been playing around 10 years off and on, with a Trace Eliot rig. If it was stolen i'd have to shell out for a Spector, Status, Warwick etc since theres nothing really close made by the mid range manufacturers anymore.

I love it because its different and punchy...