Westbury Guitar Serial Number
GENERAL VINTAGE GUITAR RESOURCES:- this is Vintage Guitar101 and all neophytes are advised to start here. Of course, my favoritepart is Michael Wright's 'Different Strummer' column, which coversthe history of all those wild, wacky off-brand instruments in elaboratedetail. VG has also published several of my own articles over the years,some of which can be found on this site.-if you're serious about buying and selling used guitars, the Blue Book providesthe most detailed pricing, dating and identification info.
Much of it isavailable online for free.- a nice all-around mainstreamvintage guitar site. All the standard Gibson and Fender type stuff, plussome other interesting odds and ends.- wherethe Internet goes to work on guitars!
Westbury Deluxe Guitar
All about guitar maintenance and repair.- the Musical Instrument Makers Forum is agoldmine of information about materials, construction and repair techniques,including a gallery of unique custom built guitars that range from ineptto incredible.
The guitar legacy of Matsumoku Industrial Co. Ltd.Westone guitars and basses were made by Matsumoku (or “Uncle Mats” as we affectionately refer to it) in Japan and subsequently in Korea for St. Louis Music during a period of 10 years from 1981 to 1991. Here, you will find information, history, pictures and specifications of these amazing instruments.We are also gathering information on the range of Westone Prestige guitars designed by renowned British luthier Sid Poole and built by Status-Graphite in England in the late 1990’s.
KoreanWhile you may find a few early post-Mats Korean made instruments listed here, we do not feature them, concentrating primarily on the Japanese made Matsumoku’s. GermanFor a brief period, roughly late 2010 to early 2012, the Westone brand was revived by a German company, Musik-Meyer, which is still in business but no longer selling Westone guitars. The products in no way resemble the MIJ or MIK post-Mats models, but were copies of traditional guitar configurations.Our Best guess is that they were likely made in China but under relatively good quality control. ChineseChinese made “Westones” are also seen occasionally but are mostly copies of traditional American styles. They are considered to be inferior instruments and are definitely not covered here.
Our advice is to avoid them! IndianWe’re also aware of the Westone brand currently being used on an selling guitars of dubious quality. These are cheap and somewhat gaudy looking acoustics and bear absolutely no resemblance to a Mats made instrument whatsoever.
This site also sells similar poor merchandise under bastardized versions of well known brands such as Givson and Fendar.Avoid! (More info on Indian Westone in Addendum April 2016 “Weston” brand (no “e”)We have seen instruments stamped with the Westone ‘bird’ logo accompanied by the word Weston. We speculate that this was to avoid any potential copyright infringement at the time. These tend to be Super Strat type copies rather than original designs and as near as we can determine the majority of better made guitars and basses were Korean made. Dates and manufacturer are unknown but some may have been made by Samick.Korean instruments are identified by checking the neck for a scarf joint. They also tend to have position markers beyond the 12th fret located an the edge of the fretboard instead of the centre.The Weston brand also appears on some poorly made Chinese copies which appear to be post-Korean era builds. Quality is dubious and it is best to avoid these instruments.
Westone Guitar ForumIf you’re an active collector, player or enthusiast be sure to visit the the definitive authority on the current state of all things Westone.There, you can discuss your instruments, recommend places to buy them, and learn how to look after them. Whether you have a missing trem arm, or need to completely rebuild your guitar, the is the place to go!If you love Westone, become a member today! How old is my guitar?This is one of the two most frequently asked questions on the Forum.Most Matsumoku Westones can be dated by the serial number, usually found on the back of the headstock, but some early 80’s models have the serial number on the neck plate. 7-digit serials are the most common:The first digit = the year it was madeFor example: a serial number beginning with 2 indicates a guitar made in 1982It is possible that the second and third digits give the month. Addendum November 2014: 6-digit serial numbers:Several Westone forum members have recently presented guitars with 6 digit numbers. A = JanD = AprG = JulyJ = OctB = FebE = MayH = AugK = NovC = MarF = JuneI = SeptL = DecSo, a serial number like D810040 would indicate that the guitar was manufactured in April 1981.
What is it worth?This is the most frequently asked question on the Forum, and one we wish people would stop asking, for two reasons:. We’re Westone enthusiasts and players; we’re not merchants. Fundamentally, there’s no real answer to the question.If you are selling:Try selling it.
Squier Guitar Serial Number
When someone buys it, you’ll know how much it is worth!If you are buying:How much are you prepared to pay?There are too many variables to be able to give an accurate figure. The value depends on the desirability of the model, how many are available, the condition of the guitar, whether or not it has been modified or has parts missing, what country the seller is in, etc.A rough idea can be obtained by searching completed listings on Ebay. These prices are what people actually paid. Even then, that will only give you a very rough idea. The best you can hope for is a range of prices.There is really no way to predict a price for any model (So please don’t ask!).