Discussion:
Westone Rainbow?
(too old to reply)
Tony Done
2004-09-12 01:27:49 UTC
Permalink
Hi folks,

I think this is the first time I've posted to this group - it seems to be
the right one for the query I have. If not, my apologies.

I've been playing acoustic guitar for over 40 years, mainly acoustic
fingerstyle blues and slide, but the band I'm currently playing with has a
wider range of interests than this, eg jazz, electric blues. As a result,
I've decided to have yet another try (maybe my 6 or 7th) at electric guitar,
initially for slide, but maybe eventually branching into electric blues and
jazz. I don't want to spend too much money, as I might not take to it, but I
want a decent enough guitar that I won't get discouraged by poor tonal
quality etc.

Can anyone offer any opinions on the Westone Rainbow please? I've seen one
in the local pawnshop at a reasonable price, and the ES-335 look (in black)
is right for the style and vintage of music. It would, I guess, be over 20
years old, and the neck is straight with no sign of cracked finish at the
neck-body joint. The bit of Internet research I've done (eg Harmony Central)
suggests that they were pretty good guitars at the price, but owner reviews
tend to be biased. I could afford to put better pickups in it if need be,
and any suggests on these would be also be welcome. Sweetness of tone with
tight clean bass would be the main requirement. One eccentricity is that I
will be playing fingerstyle, and I'm used to the good note separation of
acoustics.

Thanks

Tony D
Keith Adams
2004-09-12 03:45:04 UTC
Permalink
HI Tony. How you doing Bro?Sorry man but I dont have any experience with the guitar you mentioned.I cant see you having any trouble
playing anything with strings on it though Tony

"Tony Done" <***@bigpond.com> wrote in message news:pCN0d.27435$***@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Hi folks,

I think this is the first time I've posted to this group - it seems to be
the right one for the query I have. If not, my apologies.

I've been playing acoustic guitar for over 40 years, mainly acoustic
fingerstyle blues and slide, but the band I'm currently playing with has a
wider range of interests than this, eg jazz, electric blues. As a result,
I've decided to have yet another try (maybe my 6 or 7th) at electric guitar,
initially for slide, but maybe eventually branching into electric blues and
jazz. I don't want to spend too much money, as I might not take to it, but I
want a decent enough guitar that I won't get discouraged by poor tonal
quality etc.

Can anyone offer any opinions on the Westone Rainbow please? I've seen one
in the local pawnshop at a reasonable price, and the ES-335 look (in black)
is right for the style and vintage of music. It would, I guess, be over 20
years old, and the neck is straight with no sign of cracked finish at the
neck-body joint. The bit of Internet research I've done (eg Harmony Central)
suggests that they were pretty good guitars at the price, but owner reviews
tend to be biased. I could afford to put better pickups in it if need be,
and any suggests on these would be also be welcome. Sweetness of tone with
tight clean bass would be the main requirement. One eccentricity is that I
will be playing fingerstyle, and I'm used to the good note separation of
acoustics.

Thanks

Tony D
Tony Done
2004-09-12 07:13:26 UTC
Permalink
Hi Keith, you're making me blush. I can tell you with great confidence that
I am *not* a good electric guitarist, so I thought I would easy myself into
it gently, by starting with slide. And BB King - slow and with feeling
(well, you have to be optimistic eh?).

Tony D
Post by Keith Adams
HI Tony. How you doing Bro?Sorry man but I dont have any experience with
the guitar you mentioned.I cant see you having any trouble
Post by Keith Adams
playing anything with strings on it though Tony
Hi folks,
I think this is the first time I've posted to this group - it seems to be
the right one for the query I have. If not, my apologies.
I've been playing acoustic guitar for over 40 years, mainly acoustic
fingerstyle blues and slide, but the band I'm currently playing with has a
wider range of interests than this, eg jazz, electric blues. As a result,
I've decided to have yet another try (maybe my 6 or 7th) at electric guitar,
initially for slide, but maybe eventually branching into electric blues and
jazz. I don't want to spend too much money, as I might not take to it, but I
want a decent enough guitar that I won't get discouraged by poor tonal
quality etc.
Can anyone offer any opinions on the Westone Rainbow please? I've seen one
in the local pawnshop at a reasonable price, and the ES-335 look (in black)
is right for the style and vintage of music. It would, I guess, be over 20
years old, and the neck is straight with no sign of cracked finish at the
neck-body joint. The bit of Internet research I've done (eg Harmony Central)
suggests that they were pretty good guitars at the price, but owner reviews
tend to be biased. I could afford to put better pickups in it if need be,
and any suggests on these would be also be welcome. Sweetness of tone with
tight clean bass would be the main requirement. One eccentricity is that I
will be playing fingerstyle, and I'm used to the good note separation of
acoustics.
Thanks
Tony D
MickeyX
2004-09-12 06:23:39 UTC
Permalink
There are so many of these guitars being made now, I see no reason to
limit yourself to a Westone (wasn't that one of Hoshino Gakki/Ibanez's
brands before they decided to start building good-quality guitars?).

In a similar vein, I can recommend my Samick Royale --the RL-1 version
cost me just $169 and I'm loving it to death. The neck and fretboard are
excellent, the finish on the guitar is really nice too. I changed the
pickups--but that was a personal preference, the original humbuckers
were too jazzy/bluesy for me. I put in some snazzy looking GFS P90s
instead.

There are higher-end Royales that get great reviews.

Otherwise, I really like the look of the Ibanez Artcore guitars too.
(Well, they're probably made by Samick also...)

Don't know how these guitars will do for slide. Why not get an
electrified resonator?
Post by Tony Done
Hi folks,
I think this is the first time I've posted to this group - it seems to be
the right one for the query I have. If not, my apologies.
I've been playing acoustic guitar for over 40 years, mainly acoustic
fingerstyle blues and slide, but the band I'm currently playing with has a
wider range of interests than this, eg jazz, electric blues. As a result,
I've decided to have yet another try (maybe my 6 or 7th) at electric guitar,
initially for slide, but maybe eventually branching into electric blues and
jazz. I don't want to spend too much money, as I might not take to it, but I
want a decent enough guitar that I won't get discouraged by poor tonal
quality etc.
Can anyone offer any opinions on the Westone Rainbow please? I've seen one
in the local pawnshop at a reasonable price, and the ES-335 look (in black)
is right for the style and vintage of music. It would, I guess, be over 20
years old, and the neck is straight with no sign of cracked finish at the
neck-body joint. The bit of Internet research I've done (eg Harmony Central)
suggests that they were pretty good guitars at the price, but owner reviews
tend to be biased. I could afford to put better pickups in it if need be,
and any suggests on these would be also be welcome. Sweetness of tone with
tight clean bass would be the main requirement. One eccentricity is that I
will be playing fingerstyle, and I'm used to the good note separation of
acoustics.
Thanks
Tony D
Tony Done
2004-09-12 07:48:03 UTC
Permalink
The bit of research I've done indicates that Westone was an independent
Japanese company at the time that this guitar was made - I forget the name -
unrelated to Gakki/Ibanez. The point, IMO, about these older Japanese
guitars is that some of them were very well made and because they are now
essentially "no-namers" they represent good value for money. I think this
one is good because it is showing no signs whatsoever of age-related
deterioration except for a bit of spotting on the chrome. I'm also a bit of
a guitar snob, and I find a handsome middle-aged Jap guitar more appealing
than a modern version made in one of other eastern manufacturing countries.
I would be the first to admit that there is no real logic in this (pure
snobbery) except that this one has withstood the test of time, whereas the
new ones haven't. There is also the question of resale value - history
suggests that I won't stick with an electric.

I have a couple of resos with mag pickups, but I'm looking for something
with more sustain and electric type response - think lap and pedal steel. I
do have an electric at present, a Japanese "Chaser" ministrat. Solid timber,
wonderful acoustic sound (I bought it from a pawnshop on the basis of its
acoustic tone without even plugging it in) and new pickups reworked to be
balanced for phos bronze 13-56 strings. So it is really a "solid acoustic",
and I'm now looking for something more purely electric. Also, being a terz
length scale, playing it fast up to the hypothetical 24th fret with a slide
takes a fair bit of concentration, and I'm old enough to be looking for an
easier option.

FWIW, the other electric which appeals to me is one I used to own - it's
still sitting in the shop - a Japanese-made Ibanez Talman TC630, Jag shape
with three lipstick pickups. How different could you get?

Some of those new Chinese-made Ibanez and Synchromatics are very appealing
though. Older Fernandes have pretty good reputation too. Oh, the agonies of
choice.

Tony D
Post by MickeyX
There are so many of these guitars being made now, I see no reason to
limit yourself to a Westone (wasn't that one of Hoshino Gakki/Ibanez's
brands before they decided to start building good-quality guitars?).
In a similar vein, I can recommend my Samick Royale --the RL-1 version
cost me just $169 and I'm loving it to death. The neck and fretboard are
excellent, the finish on the guitar is really nice too. I changed the
pickups--but that was a personal preference, the original humbuckers
were too jazzy/bluesy for me. I put in some snazzy looking GFS P90s
instead.
There are higher-end Royales that get great reviews.
Otherwise, I really like the look of the Ibanez Artcore guitars too.
(Well, they're probably made by Samick also...)
Don't know how these guitars will do for slide. Why not get an
electrified resonator?
Post by Tony Done
Hi folks,
I think this is the first time I've posted to this group - it seems to be
the right one for the query I have. If not, my apologies.
I've been playing acoustic guitar for over 40 years, mainly acoustic
fingerstyle blues and slide, but the band I'm currently playing with has a
wider range of interests than this, eg jazz, electric blues. As a result,
I've decided to have yet another try (maybe my 6 or 7th) at electric guitar,
initially for slide, but maybe eventually branching into electric blues and
jazz. I don't want to spend too much money, as I might not take to it, but I
want a decent enough guitar that I won't get discouraged by poor tonal
quality etc.
Can anyone offer any opinions on the Westone Rainbow please? I've seen one
in the local pawnshop at a reasonable price, and the ES-335 look (in black)
is right for the style and vintage of music. It would, I guess, be over 20
years old, and the neck is straight with no sign of cracked finish at the
neck-body joint. The bit of Internet research I've done (eg Harmony Central)
suggests that they were pretty good guitars at the price, but owner reviews
tend to be biased. I could afford to put better pickups in it if need be,
and any suggests on these would be also be welcome. Sweetness of tone with
tight clean bass would be the main requirement. One eccentricity is that I
will be playing fingerstyle, and I'm used to the good note separation of
acoustics.
Thanks
Tony D
Marc Jefferies
2004-09-12 15:05:34 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tony Done
The bit of research I've done indicates that Westone was an independent
Japanese company at the time that this guitar was made - I forget the name -
unrelated to Gakki/Ibanez. The point, IMO, about these older Japanese
guitars is that some of them were very well made and because they are now
essentially "no-namers" they represent good value for money. I think this
one is good because it is showing no signs whatsoever of age-related
deterioration except for a bit of spotting on the chrome. I'm also a bit of
a guitar snob, and I find a handsome middle-aged Jap guitar more appealing
than a modern version made in one of other eastern manufacturing countries.
I would be the first to admit that there is no real logic in this (pure
snobbery) except that this one has withstood the test of time, whereas the
new ones haven't. There is also the question of resale value - history
suggests that I won't stick with an electric.
I have a couple of resos with mag pickups, but I'm looking for something
with more sustain and electric type response - think lap and pedal steel. I
do have an electric at present, a Japanese "Chaser" ministrat. Solid timber,
wonderful acoustic sound (I bought it from a pawnshop on the basis of its
acoustic tone without even plugging it in) and new pickups reworked to be
balanced for phos bronze 13-56 strings. So it is really a "solid acoustic",
and I'm now looking for something more purely electric. Also, being a terz
length scale, playing it fast up to the hypothetical 24th fret with a slide
takes a fair bit of concentration, and I'm old enough to be looking for an
easier option.
FWIW, the other electric which appeals to me is one I used to own - it's
still sitting in the shop - a Japanese-made Ibanez Talman TC630, Jag shape
with three lipstick pickups. How different could you get?
Some of those new Chinese-made Ibanez and Synchromatics are very appealing
though. Older Fernandes have pretty good reputation too. Oh, the agonies of
choice.
Tony D
Post by MickeyX
There are so many of these guitars being made now, I see no reason to
limit yourself to a Westone (wasn't that one of Hoshino Gakki/Ibanez's
brands before they decided to start building good-quality guitars?).
In a similar vein, I can recommend my Samick Royale --the RL-1 version
cost me just $169 and I'm loving it to death. The neck and fretboard are
excellent, the finish on the guitar is really nice too. I changed the
pickups--but that was a personal preference, the original humbuckers
were too jazzy/bluesy for me. I put in some snazzy looking GFS P90s
instead.
There are higher-end Royales that get great reviews.
Otherwise, I really like the look of the Ibanez Artcore guitars too.
(Well, they're probably made by Samick also...)
Don't know how these guitars will do for slide. Why not get an
electrified resonator?
Post by Tony Done
Hi folks,
I think this is the first time I've posted to this group - it seems to
be
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
the right one for the query I have. If not, my apologies.
I've been playing acoustic guitar for over 40 years, mainly acoustic
fingerstyle blues and slide, but the band I'm currently playing with
has
Post by Tony Done
a
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
wider range of interests than this, eg jazz, electric blues. As a
result,
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
I've decided to have yet another try (maybe my 6 or 7th) at electric
guitar,
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
initially for slide, but maybe eventually branching into electric
blues
Post by Tony Done
and
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
jazz. I don't want to spend too much money, as I might not take to it,
but I
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
want a decent enough guitar that I won't get discouraged by poor tonal
quality etc.
Can anyone offer any opinions on the Westone Rainbow please? I've seen
one
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
in the local pawnshop at a reasonable price, and the ES-335 look (in
black)
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
is right for the style and vintage of music. It would, I guess, be
over
Post by Tony Done
20
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
years old, and the neck is straight with no sign of cracked finish at
the
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
neck-body joint. The bit of Internet research I've done (eg Harmony
Central)
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
suggests that they were pretty good guitars at the price, but owner
reviews
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
tend to be biased. I could afford to put better pickups in it if need
be,
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
and any suggests on these would be also be welcome. Sweetness of tone
with
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
tight clean bass would be the main requirement. One eccentricity is
that
Post by Tony Done
I
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
will be playing fingerstyle, and I'm used to the good note separation of
acoustics.
Thanks
Tony D
Hi,

I've got an old guitar book here that actually has a review of the
Rainbow...The summing up says "At the current price (then £197) the Westone
Rainbow 1 represents exceptional value in terms of both construction and
sound. Any player who feels able to use a good semi but cannot afford an
American original would have to look a long way to find anything better."

Body: Canadian Ash
Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard, 22 fat Gibson type frets.

It actually gets a full 5 stars in EVERY category.

Assuming the review is reasonably unbiased, and allowing for the fact that
tjhe guitar may well have aged nicely...I think it could be a corker....If
the price is right and you like the feel, go for it.
Ed Cregger
2004-09-12 16:45:30 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tony Done
The bit of research I've done indicates that Westone was an independent
Japanese company at the time that this guitar was made - I forget the name -
unrelated to Gakki/Ibanez. The point, IMO, about these older Japanese
guitars is that some of them were very well made and because they are now
essentially "no-namers" they represent good value for money. I think this
one is good because it is showing no signs whatsoever of age-related
deterioration except for a bit of spotting on the chrome. I'm also a bit of
a guitar snob, and I find a handsome middle-aged Jap guitar more appealing
than a modern version made in one of other eastern manufacturing countries.
I would be the first to admit that there is no real logic in this (pure
snobbery) except that this one has withstood the test of time, whereas the
new ones haven't. There is also the question of resale value - history
suggests that I won't stick with an electric.
I have a couple of resos with mag pickups, but I'm looking for something
with more sustain and electric type response - think lap and pedal steel. I
do have an electric at present, a Japanese "Chaser" ministrat. Solid timber,
wonderful acoustic sound (I bought it from a pawnshop on the basis of its
acoustic tone without even plugging it in) and new pickups reworked to be
balanced for phos bronze 13-56 strings. So it is really a "solid acoustic",
and I'm now looking for something more purely electric. Also, being a terz
length scale, playing it fast up to the hypothetical 24th fret with a slide
takes a fair bit of concentration, and I'm old enough to be looking for an
easier option.
FWIW, the other electric which appeals to me is one I used to own - it's
still sitting in the shop - a Japanese-made Ibanez Talman TC630, Jag shape
with three lipstick pickups. How different could you get?
Some of those new Chinese-made Ibanez and Synchromatics are very appealing
though. Older Fernandes have pretty good reputation too. Oh, the agonies of
choice.
Tony D
Post by MickeyX
There are so many of these guitars being made now, I see no reason to
limit yourself to a Westone (wasn't that one of Hoshino Gakki/Ibanez's
brands before they decided to start building good-quality guitars?).
In a similar vein, I can recommend my Samick Royale --the RL-1 version
cost me just $169 and I'm loving it to death. The neck and fretboard are
excellent, the finish on the guitar is really nice too. I changed the
pickups--but that was a personal preference, the original humbuckers
were too jazzy/bluesy for me. I put in some snazzy looking GFS P90s
instead.
There are higher-end Royales that get great reviews.
Otherwise, I really like the look of the Ibanez Artcore guitars too.
(Well, they're probably made by Samick also...)
Don't know how these guitars will do for slide. Why not get an
electrified resonator?
Post by Tony Done
Hi folks,
I think this is the first time I've posted to this group - it seems to
be
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
the right one for the query I have. If not, my apologies.
I've been playing acoustic guitar for over 40 years, mainly acoustic
fingerstyle blues and slide, but the band I'm currently playing with
has
a
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
wider range of interests than this, eg jazz, electric blues. As a
result,
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
I've decided to have yet another try (maybe my 6 or 7th) at electric
guitar,
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
initially for slide, but maybe eventually branching into electric blues
and
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
jazz. I don't want to spend too much money, as I might not take to it,
but I
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
want a decent enough guitar that I won't get discouraged by poor tonal
quality etc.
Can anyone offer any opinions on the Westone Rainbow please? I've seen
one
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
in the local pawnshop at a reasonable price, and the ES-335 look (in
black)
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
is right for the style and vintage of music. It would, I guess, be over
20
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
years old, and the neck is straight with no sign of cracked finish at
the
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
neck-body joint. The bit of Internet research I've done (eg Harmony
Central)
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
suggests that they were pretty good guitars at the price, but owner
reviews
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
tend to be biased. I could afford to put better pickups in it if need
be,
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
and any suggests on these would be also be welcome. Sweetness of tone
with
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
tight clean bass would be the main requirement. One eccentricity is
that
I
Post by MickeyX
Post by Tony Done
will be playing fingerstyle, and I'm used to the good note separation of
acoustics.
Thanks
Tony D
My brother Gary bought a Westone guitar in 1988. It was really nice and had
locking this and something that - lots of optional pieces on it.

It had pickups that were a bit too mellow for me (I'm a Stratman), but he
loved it. It wasn't exactly cheap for those days. It was pretty. I can't
remember the model name.

Ed Cregger
Tony Done
2004-09-13 07:28:30 UTC
Permalink
Thanks for the input folks.

Marc's review confirms what I thought I remembered about Westones.

I'll go and have another look at it at the weekend, and try to talk the
price down a bit, tho AUD 470 (I live in Australia) seems reasonable.

Tony D
Post by Tony Done
Hi folks,
I think this is the first time I've posted to this group - it seems to be
the right one for the query I have. If not, my apologies.
I've been playing acoustic guitar for over 40 years, mainly acoustic
fingerstyle blues and slide, but the band I'm currently playing with has a
wider range of interests than this, eg jazz, electric blues. As a result,
I've decided to have yet another try (maybe my 6 or 7th) at electric guitar,
initially for slide, but maybe eventually branching into electric blues and
jazz. I don't want to spend too much money, as I might not take to it, but I
want a decent enough guitar that I won't get discouraged by poor tonal
quality etc.
Can anyone offer any opinions on the Westone Rainbow please? I've seen one
in the local pawnshop at a reasonable price, and the ES-335 look (in black)
is right for the style and vintage of music. It would, I guess, be over 20
years old, and the neck is straight with no sign of cracked finish at the
neck-body joint. The bit of Internet research I've done (eg Harmony Central)
suggests that they were pretty good guitars at the price, but owner reviews
tend to be biased. I could afford to put better pickups in it if need be,
and any suggests on these would be also be welcome. Sweetness of tone with
tight clean bass would be the main requirement. One eccentricity is that I
will be playing fingerstyle, and I'm used to the good note separation of
acoustics.
Thanks
Tony D
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