Westone Trevor Rabin Signature I /WER100WH fixer upper

So thanks to silence86's post in the Swap section a new user matarndt posted pics of a Rabin I that broke, and therefore trashed futher. A shame, but I did the same "Pete Townshend" move on my violin when I was 12. The cool thing is matarndt agreed to sell me the pieces and will ship in a few days. You can check the pics in Silence's thread to see what I have to work with, but I think I can get this one together and save a pretty rare guitar. It's been sitting a long time so there may be some small pieces missing that I will have to deal with, and I will of course have to do a refinish. I'm so looking forward to it, that I already reproduced the logo for the headstock since I know it all will need to be sanded down and refinsihed. The only problem is all the other projects I have going on, so I may not get to this one for awhile.
I'll post some pics when I get it to show the before shots, and as usual, show the work, and hopefully the final project.
Question, I think it had a Kahler, but does anyone know what model? I'll have to find a replacement - and not sure if current Kahlers (which cost 250+) will fit.

Good luck let us know if some of us can help. Or at least me.

TVill25 wrote:Good luck let us know if some of us can help. Or at least me.

Even though the Wetone Rabin had the generic knobs, I may hit ya up for more of the traditional ones eh!

Just let me know.

Hats off to you Sarc, hope you enjoy this massive project! Look forward to seeing your excellent step by step process.
It'll be nice to see something so rare given a new lease of life.

Looks very much like a Kahler 2300...I guess the new ones won't fit as the ground plates are shaped in another way.

If it is the same one that was put into the x390's it is a Model 2300, although I've not seen that number in any location on it that is visible when in place. As far as a current Kahler fitting into that existing cavity, well... that's what routers are for and I suspect they have not made one yet that could scare Sarc.

And since the possibility of a routing may become real down the road I wonder if an Edge trem might work as well?

Regardless, get lots of pics of that busted bayonet join, Sarc. All we really know of it's anatomy save catalog scans is from looking at an x350 and any pics you might have taken when refinishing your Greenie.

It was a 1985/6 Kahler 2300 with a brass cam and brass rollers. I used it to replace another 2300 that had a steel cam (I believe) and steel rollers that was on a 1986 Carvin V220, and put the latter one on another guitar. There are usually several 1980s 2300s on ebay at a time, and parts are easy to get at wammiworld. The newer Kahlers have a longer footprint and would not fit into the existing recessed route and neither would any knife-edge trems I've seen. There is no rear body route, just a top route. You can see it in this pic.



Pat, when you are nearing completion on the TRS, email me. By that time, I may not need the steel/steel Kahler 2300.

Yup! Right there is the beauty of the Kahler design... less body material removal is necessary hence my reason for defining the area as a cavity.

If a small additional amount of body would need removal to fit a current Kahler or other modern trem it would not take too much effort to accommodate one... as stripping and refinishing of the wood is looking to be almost a given with this rescue.

And we all know how much Pat lub, lub, lubs his sander.

I thought it might be the 2300. I've never used a Kahler before so curious to see how they feel. Really looking forward to working on this one, but I think I may be diluting myself with projects. The next one I was to start would have been the Genesis bass, but that will take a back seat to this one.
Ice - I can take pics of of the neck join - it looks like some of the neck is still in the pocket, and some of the body is still one the neck. Also the greenie as you mention is set for it's new paint job. I haven't posted all that work as I figured you all have seen it before, but I will post the finished pics after it is painted. Only difference will be metallic dark green, and possibly different color logos (havent decided yet)

Sarc... a Kahler 2300 will do just about everything except cook your eggs for breakfast.

The setup manual that came as case candy with my wife's x390 requires 4 different allen wrenches and is capable of a total of 10 separate adjustments for anything you could think a guitar string might need adjustment for.

The Kahler's flexibility in adjustment is one of its selling points. Unlike any other bridge I am aware of, you can adjust the string spacing, or the space between strings, on a Kahler.

I 'think' a flyer will drop in a 'Pro' rout, but the screw holes won't all line up.

Good lord. I think I passed out when I saw the picture. It's a dream come true! Perhaps I'm being a bit forward here, but, does the current owner want it back or is it yours now?

Should be on it's way to me as we speak

Well. If it's yours would you be interested in...uh...working out an arrangement? Seriously. I would give almost anything to have one. Or at least play it. I'm sure you will, but please post detailed notes on it!

J.a.c.aranda87 wrote:Well. If it's yours would you be interested in...uh...working out an arrangement? Seriously. I would give almost anything to have one. Or at least play it. I'm sure you will, but please post detailed notes on it!

A bit to soon to be thinking like that - will be a while before I can fix it (assuming I can )

And I whill be sure to post pics of the process.

When your favorite guitar player's ultra rare signature model shows up, it's never too soon. haha

I'm sure you'll be able to fix it up! You're the man, from what I've seen here. I'll be following this project too!

Got it today and it looks a bit more difficult than I had hoped. The headstock is missing some small pieces that I'll have to work out, but I'm oppstomistic that I can get it all in one piece. We'll see how good as time passes eh.
So here's what I see:
- The three headstock pieces do not fit together tight - little bits are missing - that's a challenge
- The bit of headstock over the low E is missing - that's a challenge
- It's not made in Korea but Japan
- the trauma to the neck bubbled the finish on the ends of the frets - check how the clear coat is protruding - Hopefully the truss rod works.
- not sure what the round bit is at the point where the neck meets the body - possibly something needed during construction?
- A few dings on the body - no big deal
- The Bayonette joint looks like a typical set neck with no complex tenon or anything odd, but with a nicely carved heel.
- not sure if the PUPS are original , but cool that Matt included them. I'll check my AER300 to see if they are similar at some point.
- I think I can fix it. gonna be awhile though - got a lot of projects going on and need to start finishing some before starting new ones, although I really want to dig into this one.

Thanks again to matarndt for making this available - I'll do my best to bring er back to life eh!

Interesting bonding cut between neck and body glued together there. Checked back with the Sign of the Times catalog and it is actually described as a "through body neck design" and not a bayonet...

http://www.westoneguitars.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/0213.jpg?9d7bd4

Obviously no tenon there, wonder why Westone abandoned that design? And if it was MIJ then where exactly? Mats was well gone by then of course.

Finish thickness appears quite thin in areas as well. Does the paint seem as substantial as the Pantera you stripped and re-sprayed green, Sarc?

Iceman wrote:Interesting bonding cut between neck and body glued together there. Checked back with the Sign of the Times catalog and it is actually described as a "through body neck design" and not a bayonet...

http://www.westoneguitars.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/0213.jpg?9d7bd4

Obviously no tenon there, wonder why Westone abandoned that design? And if it was MIJ then where exactly? Mats was well gone by then of course.

Finish thickness appears quite thin in areas as well. Does the paint seem as substantial as the Pantera you stripped and re-sprayed green, Sarc?

TP says they were all bayonette joints. I think tis was an early WER so maybe FugiGen? who knows - it was the last days of Westone that had these logos.
Paint - thick? they are all thick - give me a sander and I'll get through it eh

Can see a tub of body filler (bondo) being used here.

Isn't that a stacked heel with a long tenon? It looks that way and the lower half of the stacked heel is still with the body?

Hoax

Here's a few Thunder II's with the so called bayonet joint.


Agreed hoax it does appear to have a few layers glued together.
On the other hand a 350 is all one piece for the neck






You can clearly see all 4 'body parts' meeting with the neck on this shot.


On this 390 they didn't bother with the screws, quality control going out the window. Not that they really need them.
Seems the Rabin signature was made at a different plant.

- not sure what the round bit is at the point where the neck meets the body - possibly something needed during construction?

maybe a dowel hole to centre the guitar during the routing process (together with that hole in the bridge cavity). You can see what I'm thinking of in this vid: LINK

Those CNC's are something else eh!

hoax wrote:Isn't that a stacked heel with a long tenon?

Hoax

Getting your shoe collection mixed up with your guitar collection Graham?

Not sure if it stacked, but I'll know more once the finish is gone. And yes - a lot of bondo and wood filler and anything to hold it together - kinda like my first car

What do you reckon, Made in Korea.

Westbone wrote:
On this 390 they didn't bother with the screws, quality control going out the window. Not that they really need them.

To me it looks like they removed the screws after the glue hardened but before they painted it. Good enough I think.

Nope, never been any screws in that timber.

There's an old guitar body with a Kahler 2300 on ebay Germany at the moment. Perhaps worth a look?...LINK

wish it was black...and closer

well, they pop up in the USA quite regularly, but you have to be quick to get them I guess...the last one was sold in the USA about 3 days ago (LINK)

ya - I missed that one - I was camping on an island and some good fishing in