Know what you have

I see a lot of people refinishing and personalizing all makes and models which is OK and some make exceptional jobs.
Swapping and substituting parts may make them more functional, add features or even improve quality by todays standards.
But an original with "road-rash" is worth more than a remade one. What we have, are pieces of history which have built and
developed into todays models. Most importantly (in my opinnion), keeping them original, bears loyalty and respect to the Westone
brand, hence one of the reasons we have come together here. Friends and acquaintances alike cannot believe the sounds, tones and
visual "shock n' awe" of the ones I have.

To me, Westone is more than a brand, it's a legacy to appreciate, respect and pass down for the next generations to enjoy.

Regards,
D-IV Addict

Gee, that's a big call..... but it so happens I agree; only up,to a point, though. There are some that we buy/trade/acquire that are too far can to even be considered relic'd and in that case customisation for the sake of playability is to be recommended.

My AP II U-60 body was in two pieces - though otherwise utterly complete!-and a custom finish was a given. That said, I know that there are others out there with minty U-60s so I wasn't robbing the world of a unique instrument.

I think, too, that if you're going to use your Westone/APII/Vantage as a gigging instrument, then any alterations to make it more "playable" are OK, as long as the alterations are reversible and that any parts removed or replaced are kept.

This is all bearing in mind that it is YOUR instrument and you can do any damned thing you like to it!! I stand guilty here as I tore my 58 Telecaster right down, repainted it in metallic blue, whacked in some DiMarzio Fat Strats and thereby ruined any resale the thing ever had, but it played beautifully and sounded OK....

Precisely! I have a drop in Floyd-Rose that I use for gigging but retain the original Bendmaster F/T. We all know they're the weak spot on the Dimension-IV's.
I'm just saying, in reality these are no longer being made and spares are dwindling fast.
Also, if anyone comes across a rare limited release colour in any specific model, it would be shameful to have it sanded and repainted.
Can you imagine (let's say an original limited ) Crakled Red Spectrum sanded and painted fluo-green..

.... and you know, I'm quite sure it's been done, too!!

Now that's all right for aficionados like us, but what about Joe Average out there who picks up a guitar in a pawn shop or similar and just wants something to bash about on? Not everyone will want to go into the minutiae of a pawnshop guitar and we've just got to expect that every now and then, an unusual guitar to us is going to end up modded!!

The FT is a good bridge and very stable, but yeah; the stringlock is a PITA if it's stripped and the string claws, while not so much of an issue anymore, are still annoying if you're unlucky enough to break one. At least intonation is easy on the FT; on the Deluxe it is time consuming and fiddly!

Don't mention sanding down guitars to sarcaster... he's up for it.

Still, if needed for a repair so be it.

I have no trouble living with minor assorted dings or some metal dullness, even though my anal alter ego says "fix it!", there's nothing wrong with honest wear and tear derived from playing/gigging. So I'm in some agreement on that point.

But neither is there anything wrong with a damn good scrub up with polishing compound and wax, or even drop filling nasty blemishes. These were amazingly well built instruments and deserve to be "restored" at least to that degree, not only for the aesthetics, but simply to help them last.

BUT...so many of these babies have been butchered and broken by unknowing or uncaring owners that a full on restoration is mandated. And despite the high Mats quality sometimes they goofed, bridges and pickups mainly. So what to do there? If you don't replace or fix, you don't play.

If Corsair hadn't done what he did with his Urchin it would now be firewood. Same thing with mine. Neither one is completely original but they certainly now retain the spirit and playability they were born with.

As for Sarcaster? He's a mad genius but even his creations are still in the spirit of the original, and even his 12 string conversion was an attempt to emulate Trevor Rabin's custom guitar.

He should seek help, however, for his sand paper fetish!

I fully agree that some will need full blown restoration others just a good lick of TLC. For the ones abused, lets save 'hem, theyre all our babies.. Wasnt there someone famous that had made a frankensomething..

if I buy a guitar with road rash, I want that road rash to be mine, not some other oik's, so I will do what I can to remove/restore said rash and add my own through general play/wear/tear.
The guitar's history means nothing to me, only the history I give it.
If someone wants to refinish a guitar wether it be "rare" or not, is their own call, 99% of refinished guitars I've seen greatly improves on the original appearance.

Why do people always pick green as the worst colour a guitar can be painted?
ever been big on red personally.

No offense. Now that's a nice green you have. Not my choice of shape or color but very nice!

Hey, I finished my U60 in slimeburst....

No suprise to most of ya, but I disagree. If making changes makes the guitar better sounding, better looking, or better for ones particular style, then hack away as long as it doesn't end up in the trash pile.



Some kid may love covering a nice guitar with ugly stickers and put distortion PUPS in it to cover up the ability to play - not my thing but if it makes em happy, it's their guitar. Now if I see that same guitar for sale and I get it cheap, you know I'm gonna sand it down, make it look the way I like it and put in PUPs that work for me.

Now getting a really rare 350MA with a cracked neck and in really sad looking shape may not be quite the same thing, but cleaning it up, putting some nice new hardware and finishing it in a non original color may offend some, but to me, I'm taking a very rare guitar, bringing it back to life and making something special and unique.



Differents strokes folks

I agree with a lot of what you mentioned sarc but I would have been more akin to repairing and respraying just the repair on your 350.

As nice as it now looks. It's not really a finished job due to your lack of thorough sanding along the body/fingerboard. No matter how it looks from an angle the unfinished bit is still there.

Just my opinion

All good points but for me the refinishing/rebuilding is a hobby I enjoy and theres no way its done for the guitar's value.

Personally, that's what I wanted to hear "oppinions". If we do it only for value, then it becomes an "all rich people" game, putting money if front people's passion and inflating prices to a point of inaccessibility. Where would that lead us? (again jusy my oppinion)
Please express yours.

Has everyone read Mr. Presleys' informational address?

I like 'em used. Playable. That way when I put a ding in it them I don't cry. I hold now issues with people who mod theirs. Although I mod mine and keep the originals for respect/resale sake.

Everyone - I see that I might have offended some people and would like to offer my appologies if I did.

The truth is we all have different reasons for the passion that we have. The beauty of it is that it works together.
Should we collect them, refurbish them and innovate them and resale them we all have individual ideologies.
This post wasn't meant to insult, but reveal that whatever we do as individuals have an effect all the way along.

The fact still remains "know what you have", it's worth a lot to someone sentimentally or for investment.

Best Regards Always,
D-IV addict

I dont think you have insulted anyone here, your points are valid...for you...and some others.
One of the beauties of this forum is we have a lot of differing opinions and we dont cry when someone suggests another.

keep em coming

If I find a Dynasty that's all beat up and beyond my ability to restore, I'll mod it to suit me to make it a playable beast. But if I can restore it, you know that I will.

I'm of the same opinion I think, to preserve the guitars for the future. People like us adopt a "caretaker" attitude that way.

I think that history needs to be preserved. Not everyone is of that mind however, and that's just how it is. And some people change later in life and have regrets!

Agree with Grogg's comment above.

I like em playable. I had to put a new pickguard on my '74 yam SG.. so went with rosewood. Just so happens the pickguard holds the pickups, all controls, too. But that guitar was unplayable with the broken plastic guard.

I replace pickups a lot. (That said, my MMK 45 equipped guitars tend to stay that way). However my x 70 westone has a nice old-timey PAF in the bridge - a big improvement over the UBC that was in there IMHO. I have another mats LP with SD ('59 and a custom 5) in there now.

BUT I don't consider pups a big mod.
THe originals can always go back in.