Westone is a brand of guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

s and basses

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

 started in the late 1970s. Saint Louis Music acquired an interest in the company in 1981 and began importing the brand to the USA as a replacement brandname for the Custom Kraft-brand instruments manufactured by Kay

Kay Musical Instrument Company

Kay Musical Instrument Company was a prolific American manufacturer of musical instruments that operated from the 1930s through the 1960s. Although Kay's first electric guitar was offered in 1936 , Kay is known as an electric guitar pioneer  because their past company Stromberg-Voisinet...

 and Valco in the mid-1950s. Electra was also a brand of Saint Louis Music. In 1984, they merged the brands to make the Electra-Westone brand. From 1985 onwards, the guitars were branded as Westone. The majority of the Westone guitars of the 1980s were made by the Matsumoku

Matsumoku

Matsumoku Industrial was established around 1900 as a woodworking manufacturer of various items but is best known as a manufacturer of high quality guitars and bass guitars.- History :...

 factory in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and imported by Saint Louis Music. After about 1988 production moved to Korea, most of the innovative models disappeared, and the brand name was replaced by Alvarez

Alvarez Guitars

Alvarez is a guitar manufacturer based in St. Louis, Missouri and founded in 1965. Along with manufacturing acoustic and acoustic-electric guitars, Alvarez also manufactures classical guitars. Alvarez replaced Westone in 1991. Today, the brand is owned by LOUD Technologies, which also owns Mackie,...

 in 1991.

Notable musicians who used Westone models include Trevor Rabin

Trevor Rabin

Trevor Charles Rabin is a South African born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...

, Leslie West

Leslie West

Leslie West is an American rock guitarist, singer and songwriter.-Biography:Originally named Leslie Weinstein, West was born in New York City, grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey, and in East Meadow, Forest Hills and Lawrence. After his parents divorced, he changed his surname to West...

, Kirk Pengilly

Kirk Pengilly

Kirk Pengilly is an Australian musician, best known as a member of the rock group :INXS.-Early career:...

 and Dave Brock

Dave Brock

David Anthony "Dave" Brock is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He plays electric guitar, synthesizer, bass and oscillators. He is best known as being one of the founders and musical focus of the English space rock group Hawkwind...

.

External links

• The Westone Guitar Site Archive - contains catalogue scans and detailed model information.
• The Westone Guitar Forum - discussion forum for Westone owners
• Electra Guitar
• Saint Louis Music Website