Electra Phoenix

[budget bassist]

I thought I'd post this here since I just picked it up and it seems to be something of a rarity. I figured people might appreciate seeing one of these. 

 

I paid $70 Canadian with an old Peavey amp (which I sold for $55) noticing from the Craigslist ad that only had a blurry photo of the body that it looked like a Westone of some variety. Having always had an interest in those old Matsumoku basses and guitars, I figured it was a great deal.

Got it home and it's actually an Electra Phoenix, which seems to be somewhat rarer than the Westones. Sharing the same body as a Westone Spectrum it looks like it has different electronics and a middle single coil which the Spectrum didn't have, however it did come out of the same factory and eventually Electra became Westone. This seems to be a 1982-84 model roughly from what I can gather.

It has the HSH config with vol/tone/tone electronics, each with a push/pull the first of which is a coil tap, second activates the single coil and third is a phase switch, I believe.

 

I bought this thing with the intention of flipping it, which I probably will still but it sounds and plays incredibly. Neck is a bit wide for my liking but has a nice low action and tons of sustain with a super versatile sound from single coil strat type sounds to big humbucking rock sounds. I'm really impressed and if I hadn't just invested a bunch of time and effort in refinishing my Les Paul and if the neck was a little slimmer I'd be sorely tempted to keep it. It also has some really nice little features like the string tree rollers. You can tell this thing is quality. Even the control cavity is immaculate considering that it's 40 years old.

 

Please excuse the poorly lit photos and nasty carpet...

 

 

 

[EdwardMarlowe]

Interesting guitar. I have a couple of Westones which I plan in due course to sell. They're not the most fashionable style these days, but Matsumoko made guitars are starting to develop something of a cult following, so the value is slowly picking up. The wide, flat neck is definitely something that isn't entirely for me - though I'm told it's great for eighties-style shred stuff like Vai and Satriani and such. The active boost engaged on my Westone Thunder I-A, and it sounds fantastic, like a great Les Paul or SG "should" to my ear (in my hands, they always sound like mud). Good bonus them taking pp3 batteries as well - this modern trend at the high end (see e.g. the US Acoustasonics) to have a guitar charge an inner battery like a phone has too much potential to go wrong, imo... 

With the eighties retro thing having been fashionable in almost all other areas for so long, it's only a matter of time imo before these Matsumokos become hugely sought after. KNowing my luck, their value will sore the week after I sell mine!