Westone Clipper CL2011
2 single coil pickups, single volume and tone controls,
Bendmaster Deluxe trem with locking nut (Early models only - by July 1988 they were supplied with
a standard non-trem bridge)
The body is laminated plywood on the one shown below, a
sure sign that it is a post-Matsumoku guitar.
Each pickup has its
own on/off switch, there is a single volume and single tone control.
Quality control on the guitar pictured was poor. It buzzed
loudly through an amp, and looking inside it was obvious why. There was shielding foil on the
back of the control cavity cover, but it wasn't actually connected to anything, and there was no
earth connection to the trem/bridge (The body wasn't even routed for this connection so the
guitar left the factory like this) Easily fixed, but it should never have happened.
The numbering system for the Clipper series is quite straightforward. The first
digit is the number of pickup coils on the guitar (2, 3 or 4) the next three describe
the pickups from neck to bridge (1 for single coil, 2 for humbucker). If there are only 2
pickups, the second digit is 0.
There are four models in the Clipper series, the CL2011, CL3012,
CL4112 and Clipper Six
See also the 1988 catalogue
As far as I can tell the Clipper series were manufactured during 1987/88, they may only have been
available in the UK/Europe, there is no mention of them in the US pricelists. Most Clipper models
were made in Korea.
