Upon the end of production, many Westone guitars and basses have become collectors items. Designers then emphasized features such as custom pickups and electronics. Though initially popularized as inexpensive, entry-level guitars particularly useful for students, the transition into Asian manufacturing in the 80s represented a fundamental change in production. It’s a pretty good sounding guitar for the price. It has 22 frets and a Tune-O-Matic bridge. 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. Are Westone guitars good Westone is a German company and so these guitars are made with the Precision of German electronics. After about 1988 production moved to Korea, most of the innovative models disappeared, and the brand name was replaced by Alvarez in 1991. The guitar legacy of Matsumoku Industrial Co. The majority of the Westone guitars of the 1980s were made by the Matsumoku factory in Japan and imported by Saint Louis Music. From 1985 onwards, the guitars were branded as Westone. In 1984, they merged the brands to make the Electra-Westone brand. Electra was also a brand of Saint Louis Music. as a replacement brand-name for the Custom Kraft-brand instruments manufactured by Kay and Valco in the mid-1950s.
The firm Saint Louis Music acquired an interest in the company in 1981 and began importing the brand to the U.S. In 1986, however, Matsumoku added the heel-less construction that had proven popular in the Electra X935 Endorser, only with an even deeper cut. Then drops to 475 in the Sept 1987 and Jan 1988 price lists. The price rises to 425 in the Sept 1985 pricelist and 549 in the August 1986 price list. Westone is a brand of guitars and basses started in the mid-1970s. Louis Music decided to use the Westone, rather than the Electra name, for their US-market guitars, the X199 simply became the Spectrum FX. Listed in the Jan and April 1985 US price lists at 399.50, available in Candy Red or Metallic Black.