Westone Concorde III

1986 model, bought second hand mid 1990's. 2 Single coils, 1 Hummer. 5 way selector switch.

Decent enough, although my front pick-up has packed up (checked wireing, think I have actually killed my pup!). Will probably swap all the electronics in the near future as pots have mass of crackle, but lets face it, its over 23 years old. The standard pick ups are decent enough, but don't do the guitar justice. Tend to be a little week in gain. Playing through Marshall 1976 Lead 100 head with Custom biult 2X12 cab with Jensen CR12s.

Action and finish are first class. Stays in tune, action nice and low, lovely finish to the body and neck, very nice gold hardware that are standing the test of time.

Tough as old boots and then some. OK my front pick-up is dead but that's probaly more my fault than the instrument. Took it apart to give it its first full clean in 15 years and probably shot the front Pup at the same time.

Don't know. Do they still make guitars???

Great guitar, if you see one, it will be dirt cheap. Buy it, change the electrics, you will have a friend for life.

The one I bought back in the mid 80s had two single coil on one humbucker at the bridge. Made in Japan, at least two years before I bought it (it was hanging in the shop for over a year as I saved to buy it)it featured a five-way selector and a volume and two tone controls. However, I changed this to three volume controls since I found the sound a little two soft, particularly for the single coil pick-ups.I also changed the middle pick-up to a something or other (I think a Fat Strat but I can't remember who made it.) This made the guitar complete. No idea about the wood, but it was heavy, nearly as heavy as my mate's Ibanez Les Paul copy. Metallic red, it had gold coloured tuners and other metal. The finish, as I recall, was superb, flawless. Although it did have a screw out of place on the bridge, about a sixteenth of an inch from flush. As I never used the tremlo, the dodgy screw never became an issue

After my alterations, fantastic. I generally used the middle Fat Strat pick-up but the neck could sound like an acoustic and the humbucker could produce ear splitting highs. I also installed out-of-phase settings in the two and four positions which produced lovely scratchy highs, full of treble with a breathless, bottomless quality. I used a Mesa Boogie Studio 22 and only one effect, a Yamaha chorus, all that was ever needed. (At least back in the mid 80s!)

After I bought the guitar I had to spend a day or two setting it up. This was probably due to the fact that it had hung in the shop for such a long time. Also, when I bought it the shop gave me a new set of strings which unfortunately were super-lights. (The strings on the guitar, although useless, were medium gauge.) I put the new strings on on a Saturday night. The B and E both snapped and I had to wait until the Monday evening to get new strings. (Medium gauge.) So basically it was lousy to play for a while. Once I cracked it thought, which was quite easy really, I was a wonderful, light action. Not a light a a Strat, but the better for it. The pickup selector could click and the neck pickup howl, a very high volumes, a a rather non-musical way, but that was it.

Gigged a plenty and never had any problems. Never detuned and the gold finish always looked good. Depended on it completely. (Until I sold it, obviously.)

Never, ever needed to to contact them. Probably gone bust anyway.

Wish I had never sold it! In a moment of weakness I sold it when I had stopped gigging. (Also sold the Mesa Boogie, like the clown I am.)Reverted to playing only acoustic (Ovation.)Wish i could locate one now. Preferably in red, but consider other colours. Back then I played quite a few other guitars owned by various mates, (Ibanez, Tokai, Yamaha, Smith, Grant, Squire and one Gibson SG)and the Westone, for me at least, was as good if not better than most. Possibly that was to do with my mods, no other passive guitar had the range. If i could share anything it would be my money with someone who wishes to sell one!

Japanese made. Year of production is unknown, but I bought this lovely guitar back in 1985 in my local music store, so probably produced in the 1 or 2 years before.
As it is obviously a Strat type guitar, it is equipped with 3 single coil passive pickups, a 5 band selector, 2 tone controls for neck and bridge pickup and a volume control.

The hardware was gold plated, but torn over the years. It also came with a 3-spring tremolo, but I lost the bar very soon after acquisition. Never really used it, and never felt the need to use it.

Mine came with a metallic red finish, which was considered very tasty back in 1985. I am not sure what the body is made off (it can?t be very expensive wood), but it came with a Rosewood neck.

The sound is actually very good for such a cheap guitar. The neck element does have a very warm sound, suitable for clean bluesy stuff, but also very suitable for distorted solos.

Through the means of the 5-band selector and tone controls it supports a wide variety of sounds. Being an all-round player, it suits me very well. I never had the idea I needed another guitar, because it did not sound right (but maybe my audience has another opinion).

The pick-ups are rather noisy and especially the neck pick-up easily causes feedback at higher volumes. Apart from the noise it just sounds great. Just a few weeks ago someone said: ?I am amazed about the pretty sound you get from that funny guitar?

The overall factory set-up of the guitar was very good. The pick-up magnets where a little too far away from the strings to my opinion. The initial action was good, but I managed to lower it a bit more, but I have seen much worse action on higher segment guitars.

This guitar definitely withstands live playing. After all these years it is still in very good shape. I never abused the guitar, but on the other hand did no special effort to keep it in good shape. I never did any maintenance on the tuners for example, and they still are in excellent shape. The frets are worn, but still very playable. Considering the original price, this is a very well build guitar. It never failed on me once during the 18 years I am playing it now.

I never needed any support in all those years! So I can not complain about this either.

This is my first and only electric guitar I own. I am still playing it and it still offers me a lot of pleasure. I never considered buying another electric guitar, because there never has been a need (and occaisonally no money off course). I would never consider it to sell it.

Japanese made in 1983. Cute, cut-down vaguely Strat style body with the usual trimmings for that breed. Gorgeous pearlised white finish and single piece maple neck, with a very slim back profile. Three pickups - the Concord III was the less common 'deluxe' of the Concord range and had hotter pickups than the others - it had alnico magnets if I remember rightly and had a warmer tone than on the II and the I models. Gold plated hardware and brass bridge, classic Strat style tremolo.

The sound was, thinking back, a warmed up Strat sound with plenty of poke.

Played very well with quite slinky action. The neck back profile was the shallowest of any guitar I have ever played. The finish was a lovely pearl white that caught the light beautifully

The screw thread on the tremolo stripped a little too easily - that was my only complaint, and that was probably due to the bridge being made of brass - but I have never really used trems anyway, so that hardly counts. Only mark I ever made on the finish was a small eggshell dent in the finish on the bottom bout near the jack socket when a shaver fell on it from a great height.

Otherwise, it was very solid, and if I had kept it, I'm sure it would still be going strong.

Never had to deal with the company - but the shop "The Music Shop" in Walsall was excellent in those days for looking after their customers - don't know if they are still there now.

This was my first, bought new, decent guitar, bought in December 1983 - when Westone's were popping up all over the place ! I sold it in 1985 to part-exchange for an Ibanez RS135 in Musical Exchanges in Birmingham, but all these years later, the little Westone is the one guitar I wish I still had. If I ever came across this old friend of mine again, I would probably buy it back given the chance.

I traded it for an Ibanez RS135, which was more Strat-like, and had a more regular neck profile, but looking back, doesn't have the same appeal. There was something about the feel and compactness of the body on the Westone that made it such a comfortable cute little number !

It was unbeatable at the time for the price, the Fender Squiers were just coming out then, but they were #100 more expensive.

This is one of those really rare and kind of strange Westone Concorde III electric guitars (left handed model). It's got the standard 5-way pickup selector, two tone knobs, and one volume knob, just like a Strat. This instrument has 21 frets and was made in Japan, and as far as I can tell, it was manufactured in the late 1970's. The knobs are very 70's looking and the tuners are too. The tuners are original Westone tuners and had a brass finish but that rubbed off many years before I got this intstrument. This insturment also came with a post-factory installed bridge called "Tune-o-matic" or something to that effect. This does allow for deeper bends with a whammy bar that you could get from a normal Strat. However the strings are locked in place in the bridge causing me to string it backwards. It also came with a Fender Lace Sensor Red pickup in the bridge.

I like to play early 90's grunge, classic rock, and a nice soft ballad now and then and this guitar suits me just fine for that. The Fender Lace Sensor plays grat clean with a real bright sound. The middle and neck pickups, original to the guitar, hum quite a bit and proudce quite a bit of feedback. In fact the neck pickup sounds so bad clean I don't even play off of it very often. I use a Electro Harmonix Big Muff and a Dano Fab Tone to distort this guitar. With the big variation in quality of the pickups, I can crate many different tones. I definetely enjoy the variety.

I bought this guitar about 6 months ago used at Music Go Round, a used dealer. So I could be wrong here but I am pretty convinced that this guitar probably sat out in the rain once or twice and then was left to dry in the sun. The color of this instrument used to be white, but now it's sort of a faded yellow. There are cracks and dings all over the instrument. Someone didn't take good care of it, obviosuly. A lot of the hardware is rusted but it's just cosmetic stuff really. One of the knobs holding the strap on keeps falling off, but that can be fixed. The action is low at the top of the neck but gets pretty high at the very bottom; it's nothing that is unmanageable.

This guitar has held up for 20+ years and I think it could withstand a hurricane, tornado, or any other natural disaster you can imagine. So I think it would hold up to the pressure of a live performance. The hardware has lasted for a long time and some of it needs to be replaced, such as the tuners, but what could you expect from a guitar that was so abused. Aside from the fading, the finish has lasted except for where the guitar was dropped or beaten. Since it still works, I would definetely say that I can depend on it.

This company doesn't exist anymore. They went out of business sometime in the early to mid 80's, I believe.

This is my first guitar so I am automatically biased. I love it. It is so unique in it features that were installed by some previous owner. Some won't agree with me on this but I love the fact that it has had so much abuse. It really gives the guitar character and a story to tell. If it were stolen, I would be devistated. I could never find a left handed guitar like this again. I would love to know more about Westone guitars, espically since I have never SEEN another one. If anyone knows anything about them. Please email me.

I am seeing listing here for the CONCORD II, but what about the Concord III (three) ? I got this as my first guitar about 17 years ago or so. It has a 5-way switch. I have the origional Westone case specially for it and whammy bar still with it.

I haven't played it in forever. I'm mainly looking to see if anyone else in the universe even HAS one, or am I the only one (ha ha). I'm curious on the price value of this as well. But also, mine is full of autographs so that may change the value (members of the 80's band The Go-Go's, Merideth Brooks, Gia Giambotti, Vance DeGeneres (yes, Ellen's brither, he used to be in bands I liked back when nobody ever heard of Ellen yet) etc.

The action is extremely low. My guitar has some chips and dents.

Well I;ve had it for forever and it still rocks.

I;ve been playing for around 18 years. I own a Les Paul, a Strat, a Jazz Fender bass, Ovation acoustic/electric. I play through a Fender Prosonic. I just basically wanna know more about this Wesont Concord III I have!