New to Westone, can't figure out what I have

Hey everyone, I've been playing guitar for 22 years or so and my cousin who just passed left me a '50s Gibson J-50ADJ, a Yamaha 12 string, and what appears to be a Westone.

I've clicked through all the guitars on the main site and found a few very close but no dice.

It's got a serial number stamped on the back plate of the neck joint, a licensed floyd rose, chrome and black hardware, a 5 way switch, a tone knob, a volume knob (neither of which appear to be push pull) and a single small selector switch I assume is a phase switch.

The guitar is all black with no binding and the back electronics cover says Made in Korea.

Is this a real Westone?

Thanks for anyone's help, I appreciate your time!

1990 Spectrum II, I reckon....

... of course it's a "real" Westone! It's just not a Japanese-made Matsumoku Westone, which is primarily what this site was made to pay homage to.

I have 3 or 4 Korean Westones that I rate very highly indeed; my "newest", in fact - a Corsair I acquired from the US as a carcass is now my main guitar.... along with an APII PE-150 that I have just managed to get my grubby little hands on....

corsair wrote:...an APII PE-150 that I have just managed to get my grubby little hands on....

Oh? Do tell.

corsair wrote:... of course it's a "real" Westone! It's just not a Japanese-made Matsumoku Westone, which is primarily what this site was made to pay homage to.

I have 3 or 4 Korean Westones that I rate very highly indeed; my "newest", in fact - a Corsair I acquired from the US as a carcass is now my main guitar.... along with an APII PE-150 that I have just managed to get my grubby little hands on....

Thanks for the answer! I appreciate it, have you ever played a Spectrum yourself? I'd be curious what you'd have to say about it.

And just to clarify everything I've read, the Matsumoku's hold an additional collector value, but the original Korean Westones perform just as well, and there are newer Westones that are made elsewhere. Is that right?

Looks  like a Villain Standard. H/S/S pickup configuration, head stock 6 on top and the string tension bar, plus a Floyd Rose trem.

Westbone wrote:Looks  like a Villain Standard. H/S/S pickup configuration, head stock 6 on top and the string tension bar, plus a Floyd Rose trem.

I was thinking it could be, but the website says only the pro model has a mini switch, were these customizable when originally sold? These are definitely not EGM pickups that the pro model says it has.

I wish my cousin had left some documentation with them, but I'm super excited to plug it in later tonight to see how it sounds!

Ein_Spiegel wrote:

Westbone wrote:Looks  like a Villain Standard. H/S/S pickup configuration, head stock 6 on top and the string tension bar, plus a Floyd Rose trem.

I was thinking it could be, but the website says only the pro model has a mini switch, were these customizable when originally sold? These are definitely not EGM pickups that the pro model says it has.

I wish my cousin had left some documentation with them, but I'm super excited to plug it in later tonight to see how it sounds!

Have a look on this page. The red one. Not everything on the website is correct.
https://i2.wp.com/www.westoneguitars.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/0413.jpg

That's it! Thanks a ton, Westbone!

Barry wrote:Oh? Do tell.

Y'all have seen it before; it's the one that Don acquired when he got his Supra about 4 years ago; I got to play both of them and while that APII PE Supra was just mega, the little PE 150 with its LP Junior double cut vibe and twin P-90s is a monster tone generator and I've coveted it since I played it!!

We dropped in on Don and Prue on the way down here - oh, yeah, we've shifted again... this time to New South Wales, just south west of Sydney - and he put a guitar case in my hands, whispered a very reasonabke figure in my ear, and the deal was done....

Ein_Spiegel wrote:Thanks for the answer! I appreciate it, have you ever played a Spectrum yourself? I'd be curious what you'd have to say about it.

And just to clarify everything I've read, the Matsumoku's hold an additional collector value, but the original Korean Westones perform just as well, and there are newer Westones that are made elsewhere. Is that right?

 Yes, I have and in fact own a Spectrum SP1012 which is a delightful guitar to play... a Clipper CL4112, which is a super-Tele and the afore-mentioned Corsair.

I've never even seen a 90s Westone, far less played one so cannot comment on them apart to say that those who've got 'em, love 'em!!

There is a premium on the Japanese built guitars, especially the likes of the Prestige and Pantera 350 MA, with the perception being that they are better than the Korean builds, which I'm not sure is a valid point of view! I know the Korean necks from the late 80s are absolutely the sickest production necks I've ever layed hands on.... the pickups could be a little indifferent to modern ears, but I'm guessing they were voiced for that 80s metal-y sound?!

corsair wrote:
...oh, yeah, we've shifted again...this time to New South Wales, just south west of Sydney...

Yeah you mentioned you were going to be on the move again, but did not mention where.
How's the fire/rain/ice pellet situation in Oz now and were you folks affected at all?

...he put a guitar case in my hands, whispered a very reasonabke figure in my ear, and the deal was done....

Good 'ole Don, the Guitar Whisperer!
Say 'hi' from me.