Wesley 335-alike any good?

Catthan

There is one for sale locally for good money.

Anyone tried one?

Don't want to start spending on PUs etc. Just smth decent enough to bring to jazz jams every now and then when I want semi-hollow tones.

Pls post if you got any experience with one.

Thanks

usedtobe

I've often wondered. Assuming it's the same 'Wesley' - some of their stuff was better than others. I had a couple of acrylic Strat-a-likes, and an Explorer copy, over the years. The S-types were really nice, but the electrics on the E-type were beyond shite.. But it did have a lovely big neck, and looked really cool...

Give it a go, and see how you feel...

edit: If it doesn't sound pretty darn good - you'll be wanting to walk away, as replacing electrical bits in a semi, is a nightmare, IME..

Branshen

I've got a Wesley jazz bass that's a really fun, well built piece of kit. Not tried a semi hollow Wesley though.

andy1839

The Wesley company was a couple of blokes in Barnard Castle, Co. Durham who imported guitars from the Far East and set them up over here and sold them for next to nowt. I've got a 'Freeport', a thin line tele-alike with a set neck and P90's. Plays and sounds good for the £89 I paid for it new, and still use it live for stones/slide numbers. Everything they did was under £150 new, even the 335's IIRC. I used to work near them and recommended their guitar and amp sets to guys at work who's kids wanted starter instruments. In my experience they're decently made and mine's still kicking after 10yrs, and I haven't needed to upgrade anything.

underdog

I had a Wesley offset, wasn't bad at all, when I had to sell, I sold it in 3 lots, neck, body and everything else, I got 3 times what I paid for it new

57Deluxe

I would never buy a guitar with a dorky name... Nigel Les Paul....no thanks...

Bogwhoppit

Sold by this man here :  http://wesleyguitars.co.uk/

His a nice guy, he saw a niche in the guitar market in ebay's early days, and became very successful to exploit it. I handled a lot of Wesley guitars as the local schools were using them during their 'rock school' period.  Every one of them was well made and at the high end of what was coming out of China at the time.

The 335 clones were pretty good, some of the best I'd seen. The headstock had a striking Ibanez shape, the necks were slightly chunky and the finish and detail were more in keeping with a Korean made guitar.

There were thousands sold, and its some testament that you don't often see them up for sale. I theorise that most guitarists at some point had a Wesley in their collection, and that one day; the free-ads, ebay and gumtree would be saturated with used Wesley's for sale.  That doesn't seem to be the case.

I know many of the early 'correct' headstock shape Wesley strats were bought, broken and sold as parts for thrice the initial cost. So there are as many parts-casters made from Wesley guitars as there are Wesley guitars.

WezV

57Deluxe;591685" said:

I would never buy a guitar with a dorky name... Nigel Les Paul....no thanks...

Piss off


I did get asked a few times if I made these, those people also got told to piss off.

I worked on a few and didn't rate them at all, and I am not against a cheapy

JookyChap

I had a Wesley 335 and it was pretty OK-ish at a push, kind of a dull thump to it is what I remember most. 

The Tanglewood I had was worlds better as were the Epi Dots, but the Harley Benton one matches those two (pickups apart, but then I'd change them on a Dot too). I'd look at the HB for around £100, much better guitar than the Wesley

Bogwhoppit

WezV said:

I worked on a few and didn't rate them at all, and I am not against a cheapy

Interesting, I found them to be quite good.  Thinking about it, he did change suppliers at one point, the strats lost their correct shape headstock and then resembled that of a Stagg - ah! I can see what may have happened.

I never handled any of the later Wesley's, but the many I did were really well built.

mike257

I had a small bodied, skinny necked, Floyd sporting Wesley that was, well, shite. My one and only dalliance with that style of guitar. a mate had a couple and loved them but they always felt like fairly standard cheap and cheerful fare to me.

Stratman100

I bought one of the 335 style semis recently and to be fair was not expecting much for what I paid, but it has turned out to be absolutely fantastic. It needed a good setup and a scrub n polish, but is probably the best bargain ever. I got some Gibson pickups off a mate for £50 and dropped them in and its now a Gibby slayer at a fraction of the price. I don't know how old it is but its nicely played in, I'm guessing 15 years old.

HarrySeven

I've had 2 Wesley guitars over the years - a 335-ish clone (which felt and played great) and a Telecaster (same - still got that one).

I've seen (and heard) of others which aren't so good, but my personal experience has been very positive.

Legionreturns

You could do a lot worse than look at the Vintage VSA500s. If you can find a used one you'll be doing well as people just don't seem to sell them on. 

usedtobe

I had a couple of their acrylic bodied strat types, which were pretty good. I had an explorer type that wasn’t too bad. Always wondered about the 335 types.. 

pintspiller

 An ex-colleague of the wife had one. I never saw it but she said it was great. She couldn't play though.