NGD: £5 Westone Thunder 1 Project (Pic Heavy!)

HarrySeven

Well, this is going to be a bit of a challenge...

Today's local charity shop find @ £5 - a rather water-damaged Westone Thunder 1 which has started to delaminate.














So far, I've got it home, stripped it down and am just weighing up what to do next...

Funkfingers

Steam it apart. Stain the individual sections of wood in garish colours. Glue and clamp it all back together. Hey, presto. Westone Zoot Suit model.

underdog

Harry what thread on here has photos of your guitar collection?

HarrySeven

underdog said:

Harry what thread on here has photos of your guitar collection?

Errr...dunno now...it will have changed a fair bit since the G&B feature though...

underdog

HarrySeven said:

underdog said:

Harry what thread on here has photos of your guitar collection?

Errr...dunno now...it will have changed a fair bit since the G&B feature though...

I'm off to find it, I need to show my wife

SimpleSimon

Great find @HarrySeven ;

HarrySeven

It's started to delaminate due to water damage (left outside), so I'm wondering whether to go down the long and tricky route (steam the whole thing apart) and start reassembly with a load of bits or to look at something quick and dirty (wick adhestive into the gaps, clamp and cross fingers).

As it was outside for some time, I'm tempted to treat it with permethrin as a precaution...

ICBM

Ouch… that looks like it was largely being held together by the neck bolts, the string ferrule and the pickup surrounds! Although I saw the splits in the headstock, and thought "that's not bad, it will glue up easily" before I scrolled down .

It's going to be a difficult one to fix - if the wood has warped or shrunk it won't go back together properly even if you can force enough glue in, which is a challenge in itself. The best bet is probably to separate it properly, dress the faces back to straight and reglue. The thin walnut strips will need replacing. It's a huge job…

WezV

It's not that bad

but yeah, what @ICBM said for the repair method.  The thin veneers can be sacrificial.

i saw it on rlthe other FB and wondered what had caused the delamination.  They are normally very stable!

WezV

I should say, if it's been outside a long time just put it somewhere dry for the next year and forget about it.  

HarrySeven

Well, 'twas only a fiver, so worth having a play with.

In person (so to speak), it's actually *quite* solid. However...how long it will stay that way is a different matter...

richardhomer

I used to own a Westone Thunder 1A bass in natural - which I bought when I got an early Tascam Portastudio. A period when I learned a lot about music - so I have a residual affection for all things Westone.

I hope we may see it back to its former glory in due course....

WezV

HarrySeven said:

Well, 'twas only a fiver, so worth having a play with.

In person (so to speak), it's actually *quite* solid. However...how long it will stay that way is a different matter...

Definitely, but if there is any risidual damp it may make a quick fix a bad idea.  I would wait and do a permenat fix  once I know it's dry

my John Birch had water damage as well as  2 major splits in the body from an incident.  I suspect it was chucked in a shed or damp loft after the initial damage.  It reglued fine quite quickly.... but hiding the scar has been difficult due to the moisture fluctuations

Funkfingers

underdog said:

Harry ... photos of your guitar collection?

Google is your friend.

HarrySeven said:

it will have changed a fair bit since the G&B feature. 

Schrödinger's Guitar Collection.

A warehouse in quantum superposition until it interacts with, or is observed by, the external world.

Telejester

I owned a Thunder 1 in the early 80s, loved that guitar and good luck with your project

NelsonP

My first guitar teacher played one of these. Good luck!

Bridgehouse

richardhomer said:

I used to own a Westone Thunder 1A bass in natural - which I bought when I got an early Tascam Portastudio. A period when I learned a lot about music - so I have a residual affection for all things Westone.

I hope we may see it back to its former glory in due course....

Wait... you owned a bass?

:O

HarrySeven

WezV said:

HarrySeven said:

Well, 'twas only a fiver, so worth having a play with.

In person (so to speak), it's actually *quite* solid. However...how long it will stay that way is a different matter...

Definitely, but if there is any risidual damp it may make a quick fix a bad idea.  I would wait and do a permenat fix  once I know it's dry

my John Birch had water damage as well as  2 major splits in the body from an incident.  I suspect it was chucked in a shed or damp loft after the initial damage.  It reglued fine quite quickly.... but hiding the scar has been difficult due to the moisture fluctuations

Good point. Maybe do the permethrin thing, then leave it be for a while.

Sarge

Thread necromancy....
Did you ever finish this H? 

HarrySeven

Yup, all lovely.

ICBM

HarrySeven said:

Yup, all lovely.

Pics please!!