Westone Thunder III 1983 Bass Guitar Matsumoku Japan w/OHSC --

Up for sale is a 1983 Westone Thunder III (Version 1) bass made in the renowned Matsumoku factory in Japan. There is barely any wear on the bass with the exception of a small bit of tarnish on the gold/brass hardware, and the only modification was the addition of Dunlop straplocks.

This monster has a clear-finished lightly flamed maple and walnut neck and Canadian ash wings with a beautiful dark stain. The neck-through design gives tons of sustain. It has an eye catching rosewood fretboard with 22 frets, snowflake-like inlays, brass nut, heavy brass bridge, and superb fretwork. The nut width is 1 5/8-inch and the neck is neither thin nor chunky—just in that comfortable middle zone. The neck is rock solid and I have never needed to touch the truss rod. Every time I pick up this bass, it's in tune!

The pickups are a passive P-J combo that sound great on their own and give this bass great range. You can easily get the big thump of a P bass or you can switch to an edgier sound by using the P and J together or the J alone. The electronics really bring this bass alive, though. It comes with an 18-volt onboard preamp with volume, active tone control, and passive tone control. There are three switches for 1) phase reverse, 2) 'dual tone' (series/parallel) and 3) active tone. These controls provide virtually any tone you can think of.

The original hardshell case is included. The previous owner punched a hole through the case near the pickup selector (presumably so that the pickup selector wouldn’t get damaged). I can provide pictures of the case upon request.

Some think of this bass as the Matsumoku answer to Alembic basses. I’ve never played an Alembic instrument, but I can say that this bass is one of the best built instruments I have ever played. You would need to part with at least 3 times what I am listing it for to get another bass at anywhere near the same specs or quality. These rarely found their way over to the US, so now is your chance to jump on an awesome piece of Japanese thunder!

Shipping is based on the max rate for FedEx ground to California using a box of the following dimensions: 53" x 20" x 8".  If you are in a shipping zone that is closer to me in Virginia, please email me for a shipping quote.  I will charge actual shipping if the cost is less than $80.