Fair price for an X390

Hi Everyone,

I'm glad I found this forum.
Back in 87 I was stationed in San Deigo and bought a Westone Pantera X390 from a shop called Freedom Guitar (I think). I had this guitar for many years until a run of bad luck forced me to sell it.
Now I'm on the look out for another. Hopefully I can find one like mine. It was Pearl White. What I need to know is, what would be a fair price to offer someone, providing I can locate one.

Thanks for any help!

"Providing I can locate one"

Exactly!

Yeah, I've been looking through the site. I never knew that only 96 were made. I would have never sold it.

chances are that someone here now owns it!

Much will depend on who is selling one, where they are located and how they are advertising the sale.


Do you remember what you paid back in '87 for your first one? If so, be prepared to go past that number from the outset and hope for the best.

I think I paid $350-400 back then.

Sgt. Vimes wrote:chances are that someone here now owns it!

Anybody buy one in Pennsylvania? Might have been mine.

You might consider buying a slightly lesser model and heavily modifying it..I am doing that right now.
GtrGeorge

Phartindust wrote:I think I paid $350-400 back then.

That sounds a lot more like an X275 or X300 to me. The retail was like $1199 in 1987.

BTW, the fair price today is:

colt933 wrote:

Phartindust wrote:I think I paid $350-400 back then.

That sounds a lot more like an X275 or X300 to me. The retail was like $1199 in 1987.

Well it had dual humbucking pick ups with coil taps for each pick up, neck through body, not bolt on neck, 24 frets, locking trem, and had a pearl/ satin white finish.
In fact it looked like this one:
.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=300734955871&si=74ZthkNz3CDLa%252FLJYOwK1drduIo%253D&viewitemnext=&autorefresh=true&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
I can't say for sure if it had the X390 at the top of the neck like this one does. Did they make more than one model with the neck through body?

Phartindust wrote:
Well it had dual humbucking pick ups with coil taps for each pick up, neck through body, not bolt on neck, 24 frets, locking trem, and had a pearl/ satin white finish.
In fact it looked like this one:
.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=300734955871&si=74ZthkNz3CDLa%252FLJYOwK1drduIo%253D&viewitemnext=&autorefresh=true&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
I can't say for sure if it had the X390 at the top of the neck like this one does. Did they make more than one model with the neck through body?

You describe an X-390PW. You got a smokin' deal at $3-400 back in the day. That was probably half of dealer cost.

Phartindust wrote:...Did they make more than one model with the neck through body?

Have a look at our web site for more info: LINK

Phartindust wrote:I think I paid $350-400 back then.

Did your brother-in-law own the place or something??

+1 to Colt's comments. I paid somewhat less than $900 for my wife's back in very early 1988 and I did have the help of an inside man (a store manager no less) in purchasing that one.

How did you come by yours so cheep?

Well I don't know how I got so lucky to be honest. I never knew that guitar was worth so much. At the time I didn't know much about guitars period. lol I had bought another Westone prior to the X390, a Spectrum II I believe, which I liked a lot. So when I decided that I wanted second guitar, I decided to buy another Westone. When I find a company I like I can become quite loyal to them, plus I like to be different, everybody and their brother has a Strat, Les Paul, or Gibson. When I bought the Spectrum, the guy in the shop positioned Westone as a more affordable brand. I had been keeping my eye on the X390 for awhile, and when I got my tax refund that year, I bought it. It must have been my lucky day, because I know I didn't pay anywhere near the prices you guys are talking about. It may have been closer to $500, but no more than that. And we're talking about the San Deigo/ L.A. area in the 80's. Metal was king with music shops all over the place, so competition was fierce. Now I need to get lucky again! lol

Sounds like a good deal at the time.

............IF.........

Be lucky to find one at that price again.

Sounds like a straight up steal to me. Or an instrument dealer who didn't understand that you will be more successful in business by selling for more than what you paid initially for your products.