Home page

back to Thunder guitars list

Westone Thunder III

There are at least 3 versions of this model


Specs from the 1981 catalogue  -

Body - Canadian Ash, Hard Maple and Walnut
Neck - through neck, Hard Maple and Walnut 5 piece laminate
Ebony fingerboard, brass nut. 25.5 inch scale, 24 frets
Steel tailpiece and bridge with brass saddles
Metal backplates (Presumably like those on the Thunder II and III basses - anodised aluminium, not brass)

2 Magnet-F530 pickups
Controls - Master volume, tone, equalizer volume: coil tap, phase and active EQ switches, 3 way pickup selector
Active EQ is + or - 25 db with a centre zero position, gain is adjustable up to 13db.

Available in Walnut and Sunset Red
Optionally available with an XLR connector instead of the more usual jack socket.
Script logo on headstock

  Thunder III version 1Thunder III v1 body
Thunder III v1 backThunder III v1 headstock back

Version 2 (1982-3)

As shown in the 1982-3 catalogue. Differences from the earliest version -
HF530G pickups
More ornate Swiftlok tailpiece
Controls - master volume, tone, equalizer tone (Active gain is not adjustable)

Version 3 (1983-?)

As shown in the 1983 catalogue, this version does not have active tone controls.

Body - solid Maple
Neck - 3 ply Maple, heelless built in
Rosewood fingerboard, bone nut
25.5 inch scale, 22 frets
Black plastic backplates
S/H/S pickups (Super II/Hammer I/Super II), Precision trem
Controls - Master volume and tone, 'mix sound' switch for centre pickup, 3 way coil tap switch for centre pickup, phase switch, 3 way pickup selector

'Bird' W logo on headstock. Available in Onyx and Pearl Silver

Thunder IIIA frontThunder IIIA Thunder IIIA Thunder IIIA headstockThunder IIIA backThunder IIIA headstock back

Page last updated 4th January 2007
Copyright notice - none of the material on this page may be reproduced in any way without the permission of the site owner