Spectrum GT

(X185)

Production

Matsumoku 1985

Description

First appears in the 1985 UK catalogue, available in Silverstone, Blue Burst, Red or Black
Listed in the Jan, April and Sept 1985 US price lists at $359.50, available in Lipstick Red or Jet Black, does not appear in the January 1986 pricelist

  • Body: solid maple
  • Neck: Hard Maple Satin Black
  • Fingerboard: Rosewood
  • Stringnut: Graphite
  • Scale/Frets: 25,5″,22F
  • Machine heads: TSA(Tremolo system approved)
  • Pick Ups: H/S/H 
          neck:   Magnaflux II UBC
          centre: Magnaflux IV
          bridge: Magnaflux II UBC
  • Controls:
    Master Volume (push/pull for coiltap) /
    Two Tone (push/pull pots for centre PU + phase reverse)
    Switch: 3-way PU-Selector
  • Controlknobs: Switchmaster
  • Bridge: Bendmaster
  • Hardware: black
Thanks to Kirill Klein for the photos of this blue burst:
spectrum gt frontspectrum gt backspectrum gt bridge
spectrum gt front
New! July 2013Thanks to forum member Barry for this stunning red burst (click to enlarge, click again for full size ):
Spectrum GT Front3 new knobs -800x600rear full -after Spectrum GT closeup1 new knobs -800x600 rear body2 -after

(WE6400)

Production

 SLM/Korea 1989

Description

  • Solid body (Wood unknown) with beveled heel and back body scoop
  • satin Maple neck with reverse angled tilt back headstock
  • Rosewood flat radius 22 fret fingerboard
  • H/S/S covered ‘Heatwave’ Alnico pickups
  • master volume, tone and mid/shape controls, 5 way switch
  • Kahler Spyder trem, black hardware and knobs
  • Available in Black (WE6400BK), Metallic Blue (WE6400MTB), Metallic Red (WE6400MTR), Yellow (WE6400YL) and Fluorescent Pink (WE6400FLP)

Models available were:

WE6410BK (Black)
WE6411BK (Black with Rosewood fingerboard)
WE6410CKB (Crackle Red/Blue, pictured left)
WE6410CKW (Crackle White)
WE6410FLP (Fluorescent Pink)
WE6410MTB (Metallic Blue)
WE6410 MTR (Metallic red)
WE6410WH (White
We6410YL (Yellow)

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A custom version was also available which featured a Dan Armstrong DA015 ‘Rock Monster’ bridge humbucker.

 

 Custom Guitars

The Python

Production

 SLM/Korea

Description

The Python doesn’t actually exist as a model in its own right, it was a custom finish available to order from the Westone Custom Shop in St Louis. (The one below is the Python finish on a Corsair GT) The Python finish could be applied to just the headstock, body front or over the whole body. The chrome skull knobs on this one are not the original knobs.

 Westone Python

Python

python 3

Python 4

 

The January 2003 issue of Vintage Guitar magazine contains an article on the snakeskin finished Westones. According to that article, the costs for the finish were

  • Headstock – $75
  • Body – $400 (Actual cost $200)
  • Full (Headstock and body) – $450

The article also gives total numbers made for each possible covering –

  • Headstock – 200 to 300
  • Body – 200
  • Full (Headstock and body) – 50

All these figures should probably be taken with at least a large pinch of salt. There are a number of inaccuracies in the article, including –
XA guitars were produced from 86 to 89 (Unlikely since they were made for the 65th anniversary of SLM in 1987)
There were two XA models, the XA1230 and 1330 (There were about 10 different models)
The snakeskin finish was offered on the XA models (But the one shown above is not an XA model)
XA guitars were almost certainly made by Matsumoku, and by 1989 guitar production had moved to Korea (Matsumoku closed in February 1987, the majority of  XA guitars would not have been made there)