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It
has most definitely got it's share of dings and such just like the PE-150,
but it reminds me so much of the '70s Gibson SGs I owned in the 1980s that
I kindof like it. It was won on eBay as a project guitar and was missing
bridge, tailpiece, corresponding posts, pickups, pickup rings and control
cavity cover. What I thought was uniqe about it is the carved top like
an LP, not flat like the Gibson counterparts it mimics. The lack of pickguard
gives it unique appearance also.
.
I
had a pair of Aria Pro II Classic Power covered pickups here originally
from an early '80s Aria Pro II TA-70 hollow body. They are the perfect
vintage output for that westbury body. The body is extremely dynamic, resonates
well, and sustains into harmonics just perfect. The neck only took a couple
of adjustments and a light re-crown on the first 6 frets or so. I do have
to replace the vol pot for the bridge pickup as it has a bad spot 1/3 into
the sweep. The bridge is a Gotoh Tune-O-Matic and the tailpiece is Gotoh
also. The tuners were extremely sloppy, but a few good turns on the torque
collet on each brought things right back to original tension.
.
I
did not fill any of the dings save for the ones where the finish was peeling.
I wicked a little cyanoacylate into the dings to stop the peeling, and
smoothed the larger dings on the back of the neck for a smooth feel. All
in all it turned out to be a really nice player with fantastic vintage
'70s tone. I have yet to make a cavity cover but the one from my Aria SG
is identical to at least I have a handy template.
.
Note:
Charlie who now appears to be the current Westbury nut had a bit of mis-information
on his now dead site covering this very guitar, a guitar which he has NEVER
held in his hands. As far as I know I am the only one to have unearthed
one but I strongly suspect others exist (or did at one time). It is my
opinion having owned this guitar and many other Westburys (as well as numerous
other guitars made by Matsuomku) that this guitar is NOT a copy, hack,
ruse, or farce in any way. Everything about the construction leans towards
normal production. The images and information Charlie has on his site was
provided by me, as well as the only known images other than the pics from
the original auction I won. I've attempted to contact him but his mailbox
is full and rejects incoming mail. Oh well. His impression vs. mine, and
I own the guitar. You pick.
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