Found a beat up X390

Hi, I just signed up here in hopes of finding out any info from some knowledgeable people.

Yesterday I took a chance and bought a pretty beat up guitar not knowing what it really was, reason I decided to buy it was because I recognized the Kahler brand bridge on it. The guy only was $45 bucks, so I figured why not? the Kahler is worth that at least. I brought it home and realized the truss rod cover was flipped the other way around so I check underneath and it says X390. I googled it right away and I come to find out it's actually pretty rare. You guys probably know that already right?

The thing is, it needs a lot of work. I mean it might be playable with a couple of replacement parts? The Kahler bridge has a broken string hook, and the nut is really worn and somewhat broken. These are the easiest and cheapest things to fix, but it has a good amount of fret wear....

The worst thing though...is that someone spray painted it! at least it looks that way. Is this guitar worth keeping and fixing up? Or should I sell it? would it even have any re-sale value in this condition?

Send me pics of it.  chad koons at live dot com.  It may or may not be worth resale.  Collectors don't want nasty examples, generally.  Are you in the USA?

Hi and welcome!
A Panterra? For $45?! Should you keep it? Hell yeah!
The sculpted body design is a bloody work of art.

Members with more direct experience of the Panterra than I have should be along shortly and can address your immediate concerns.

In the meantime have a look on our website for pictures, catalogue scans and info:
LINK ONE
LINK TWO

The Chad wrote:Send me pics of it.  chad koons at live dot com.  It may or may not be worth resale.  Collectors don't want nasty examples, generally.  Are you in the USA?

I tried to place a picture here, but i'm not allowed because i'm new. I'll PM you. Yeah i'm in the USA. Here's one pic of it. How much would you value it at? With the rust, wear, etc, rough estimate?

That is rough.  No pickups?  Frets have some good wear on them, more divots than a golf course.  Can I see the headstock?  You can PM if you like.  I may be interested, though it would be quite the project.

The Chad wrote:That is rough.  No pickups?  Frets have some good wear on them, more divots than a golf course.  Can I see the headstock?  You can PM if you like.  I may be interested, though it would be quite the project.

I took them out, they were Seymour Duncans...

Resale is pretty screwed for several reasons...
1.  No original pickups.
2.  Body is refinished.
3.  Headstock is refinished.
3.  Frets are really worn.
4.  Good possibility of repair work under the new paint... this is often why guitars are refinished.
5.  Specialty guitar, people really only want one to collect, in original condition. 

Cool guitar, rare guitar, but not a very used and abused one.  I'll PM you.

It's still a rare Westone though, the body doesn't appear to have huge damage and that's probably the most important part. The frets could be fixed, nut and bridge parts are easily swapped. The color I think is the worst part IMO, either way still 1 of very few known to be around.

I PM'd you with a list of things, you'll understand.  Rarity is one thing, condition is quite another when it comes to guitars like this.

i would guess that the paint job would not be difficult to remove. try a chemical paint stripper so as not to damage the clear coat under it. there does not appear to be alot of surface damage, just paint. i'd bet it was a caspian blue model under the rattle-can flat black.

all the kahler replacement parts are available online.
frets are not a major problem to repair or replace. the originals are some big honkin frets, so a re-crown is most likely possible. even if some or all need to be replaced, that is a small investment, especially considering your purchase price. a good refret job does not really diminish the value of a quality guitar. take it to a pro. probably cost under $200 for a full refret job

resale may not get you top dollar, but if you keep it, you have a supremely well made guitar for a ridiculously amazing price. i believe it would be well worth the money to fix it up to playable condition.

congrats on a great find!

I don't think there's too much involved with restoring that!! Great find, btw!!
Gently strip that matte black off and then see what you're dealing with; it's likely - hopefully - that the guitar wasn't prepped properly for painting so a jolly good spruce-up is all that's needed.
Replacement Kahler parts are available from Kahler themselves or from Wammi World.
Pickups are a little more problematic; I think these have MMK75s and I've not seen any of those about for sale for ages, but let's face it, you can drop anything into those holes and the SDs that came out of it aren't too shabby!
I think you've done well and a little investment if time and money will see you with one of the finest examples of the luthiers art ever made!

He was able to sell it on Ebay for $300 and shipping, it's gone!  Someone will put the required TLC into it and have a great player!

Well, a good return on his investment anyway. Perhaps we'll see it appear here one day?

Right!  I hope it reappears on here, I'd like to see it done up!

I hope to see it all beautiful and restored as well. I sold the pickups separate. There was some nice vintage Seymour Duncans in there. All in all it was a great profit. I hope that guitar gets a good home, and if the buyer for some reason doesn't want it, i'll let you guys know.

Heck yeah......It is definitely a keeper. Don't be in a rush to strip it down . Take your time. Overall it looks to be in a not so bad shape. Congrats on a great find and buy. I own 3  X390's and Barry is correct about the body workmanship. It was designed and crafted beautifully. You should be able to restore it and enjoy iy.