Westone Concorde I

Japanese made at the famous Matsumoko factory. I believe it?s from 1982/83. Twin single coil p/u with one volume and one tone. Quirky Strat meets SG appearance as others have noted. Alder body, maple neck, mine is black & white. As many features as I need. Bought for #49 in the Cash Converters on Holloway Road, North London. It had only one string, was covered in dirt, had some nasty looking dings on the fret board, was missing a strap button and the neck p/u was falling inwards. But something about its funky look called to me. A good clean, a spare set of strings and a strap button my flatmate provided and a few turns of a screwdriver on the recalcitrant p/u (half an hours work max) and it was restored to life.

Basic strat/tele sound. The stock p/us were respectably loud for single coils (and I was rather surprised and relieved they actually worked). However as others have said they were very thin and brittle even for single coils and sounded a bit nasty cranked. Rolling off the tone and a decent amp helped somewhat but I took a chance on some no name hot rails going for a song on eBay (though they are possibly by Allen in Korea). The gamble paid off, now it is a monster cranked and passable clean (Rating based on stock p/u).

Here we come to the Concord's strongest suite. The fret board on mine had some nasty dings but they did not affect playability in the slightest. It has the most playable neck in my collection and much better musicians than me have attested to this. Despite the rough ride it had had when I first got it, the set up was spot on. This may have been its original state or thanks to a previous owner, though probably not whoever had it last.

Never let me down. Despite the battering it had received the guitar was fully functioning and has been the last six or so years. Stays in tune pretty well despite my deficiencies in that department. I tend to take it to gigs where I?m using public transport as its lighter than my main guitar and I'm less nervous about it getting knocked around. Don't operate on the scale for the luxury of a backup but it would be a bad night indeed if this needed it, beyond a string breaking.

N/A, Westone (or the brandname) have reemerged but this is over twenty years old. Besides, it's never needed it.

Been playing since the early nineties with considerable more ambition than competence, though I'm almost passable now, almost. This is my number two axe although I've used it quite a lot live recently. In fact the p/u upgrade has put it on a par with the main guitar (a Hayman 3030-see reviews)although not quite with the depth of tone. These still go very cheaply on ebay and would make a good choice for a beginner or as a back-up for a pro. Would strongly recommend a pickup upgrade though. With this it would probably be as good as anything in the right hands.

Made in Japan, I don't know the year it was made but the number on the top of the neck is pretty high. For the story I bought it in 1986. It's a 22 frets, maple neck, customized by a friend of mine. It changed for a hot rails S.Duncan pickups on the bridge and a SL 59-1 S.Duncan on the neck, the volume and tone controls have changed as well and have Ibanez black knobs shape with a bass boost tone/switch, idem for the 3 selector switch, it's a new one. To put the pickups on a single or two coils position, there are two switch bi-position added, I use straps locks too. The body color has changed too, first the plate was painted in black by my friend, then I painted the body in a silver color and now has returned the plate to white and the body to a cream color witch gives it a vintage guitar aspect. Recently I changed the jack input location under the body and opted for a chrome strat jack ferrule. My rate is based on the original guitar features of course, cause it doesn't match with my present WC-1.

I remember, the original sound was not nice at all, but it was more because of the original strings. Changed for ernie balls, it sounds much better, but a bit noisy. These days I used the Aria ulta metal distortion, and an Ibanez amp, the sound was strong and cutting. But I waited for more, for information I play heavy metal and I wanted the biggest sound expected. Now with the changes describe upon and with a custom set made up of .008,.011,.014,.022,.032,.048 strings, I got several different sounds, heavy loud, warm, brilliant, sweet and so more ... passing by strat sound and les paul sound. In addition, most recently I use the MT-2 Boss distortion with Marshall amp, sometimes a FW-3 Boss foot wah, nothing more, added other effects whith mixing sound on stage or in production. Once again my rate is based on the original sound but with real strings.

Its shape is very interesting, a combination of strat and SG shape. Nothing to be said against the finish, have never found a lack exept may be a tremolo witch is something I like to use, but for this I have other guitars. Only the original strings were an insult to the real sound of the WC-1, if it's still product I hope they changed them. One of the most inportant point that made me keep this guitar beside me is that wonderfull neck that is a pleasure to play. With my playing style I need to play very fast when playing solos and with this neck it's very easy but very perverse when it comes you play on other guitars. Also it's a nice small guitar really pretty in your hands, very easy to hold but strangly with an heavy weight, may be the sole bad point.

I used it now for 16 years and never broke anything. It's strong like a stone as it's heavy. I always use it on stage as I use other guitars too and the only things you can broke are ears or strings.

I even though this product not to exist anymore, I'm french (explaining my floating english) and have never heard the name of Westone before bying my guitar. So I though it was a former sign that was forgotten. You can imagine my surprise when I found this page with other persons having the guitar I have, speaking about it; in France I've never seen anyone using it, so imagine about the custom support. Anyway, as I said before I can't imagine you can bake it.

So I'm playing for 17 years now and have 3 electric guitars. First I bought the WESTONE, then a BC RICH Warlock and recently a Fender strat standard. Honestly I could have only used the westone to play my music style, sure because of the changes made on it, but also because it's a wonder to play on its neck, it has a special place in my heart, may be because it's my first guitar. Well, I love it despite its weight and its tremolo omission.

I have no idea what year it was made, but it was made in japan definetely. Its a 22 frets wonder toy. It has 2 pick ups and one volume and one tone control and a 3 way switch. Teh maple neck is just wonderfull to work it, it has a smoth action and nice tall frets. Te body finishing I think is still the original black satin. and the case was almost new.

I mostly like to play acoustic, but for some gigs I'm no able to travel with many Guitars. So I use this one with all the clean efx and as a back up gtr when the dirtotion gtr fails.
I use A DOD overdrive and a Ibanez wah/fuzz and a Zoom GTX 707.
The gtr uses to have a ground noise but i fix it by changing the ground cable. I do thing the pick ups are on the weak side of the scale but it sounds great on clean settings and grungy enough on ditortion. and the thru body string set up is a bit complicated but nice to the strings. I use it in some recordings and it do a nice leads. It does not offer a big variety of sounds but it is really a mix in between a Strat and a Telecaster. Maybe some brand name puck ups and more switch options make this puppy a bit better, but I like It is now.

I get this thing second hand or maybe tirth hand. I was really nice how the finishing on the fretboard was like new no scractches (tillnow). I thing the neck is one of the nicer and smoth I ever try.
I will change the brige just to get somthing more sturdy but keeping it fixed.

I been using this thing for 3 years I like it for jamming and practicing b/c i feel it fits just nice and its so small that I can bring it to any place or travel it on planes as a carry on.
The paint is still in good conditions and the fretboard ages like the old Mike Stern Tele it just an old beauty.

No idea

From the last 3 years i been using it. It has been my gtr of choice, i do have a Epiphone Sheraton II (needs some neck work), and a Fender Telecaster (acoustic). and i liek to use it as much as this other gtrs. I never heard about this brand before and just get it b/c i wanted to fix my Epi and still have a back up gtr. I was tracking one more I think they are really hard to find. I wish to have this one on my hall of fame for gtrs that last the time and the abuse i gave to gtrs.

I believe it was made in the early eighties. I bought it new in 1983 with my graduation money.(Judging by the other reviews I wasn't alone)It was made in Japan,has 22 frets, solid body maple with EXCELLENT maple neck and great action.It came stock with one volume control, one tone control and an old style 3 position toggle along with two rather weak single coil pick-ups of which both I've replaced with a seymour duncan humbucker in the lead position and some Ibanez single coil up by the neck. It is the funkiest foam green like an old strat that has yellowed into a color all it's own. It's basic shape is similar to that of a strat except that the cut aways are pointy like an SG Gibson. It's got a period Kahler whammy and Schaller tuners and the sweetest thin neck that is a joy to behold. I know it's no collectable "piece", but this guitar has been like a rock and one of my favorite pass times is taking it to a guitar service center for a tune up to watch the guitar tech(i.e. guitar snob) turn up his nose at this shagged out "Jap crap" only to find the same guy raving about the way it plays after he's had it for a little while

Great noisy guitar.Great full rythym sound with nice feedback. Not something that is sreaming for you to take that extended 15 minute jazz/improvised exploration of your soul. Just a solid player that you can still pick up way cheap.

The original hardware was garbage. However with the new pick-ups/tuners and Kahler a very sevicable guitar. The finish was nice, however it was the neck that makes this guitar more than a cheap Jap knock off and something worthy of looking out for.

Time and space do not allow me to define how durable/reliable this guitar has been. I'll just say this:Three people learned to play on it. It is a veteran of 6 national tours and about 1000 punk/altenative shows where it was used as a self defense weapon against stage divers, etc. It fell over/ off the strap to the stage too many times to count yet plays perfect without any cracking/warping. And most of the poly is worn off the neck front and back.In other words it's beautiful.

I have only seen 3 of this model in 20 years in all of my travels so I'm guessing cutomer support is more of a wish than a reality.

The original pick ups just sucked and the volume knob is too close to the pick guard. But if you are looking for something unique and cheap I can't think of a more deserving candidate. This guitar saw several national tours as a back up guitar and was the most durable and reliable of the whole bunch. I just found another and bought it on Ebay ($150.00). People still ask about it some ten years after it's last public appearance. I think it rates a strong 9 on the cheap guitar scale.