Corsair XA1430 -1988 (CAN)

[Barry]

Here's an absolutely beautiful Corsair in Burgundy Pearl!
Likely an MIK but so close to the Mats' influence.
Not my style or I'd grab it myself.
Amazing price too: CAD$200 w/OHSC
LINK

p.s. I've nicked the pix for the info site which does not currently have any of this model. MIK enthusiasts rejoice.

[Iceman]

Well then hows about grabbing it for me and we can work out the shipping logistics later? I've been after one of these for a spell now, the black ones do not surface 'round these parts much if at all.

Please Barry, please..... please, please, please, please......

[Barry]

Well...first off it ain't black. Burgundy.
Secondly, London is about a 1-1/2 hr drive from here, in good weather. And it's Christmas fer Pete's sake!
Thirdly, why are you pleading publicly? That's why God invented the PM.

[corsair]

Ah, begging.... Methinks the man is truly desperate!!! That looks to be in beautiful nick, eh!!

[Iceman]

Oh Barry! Not meaning to damper your Christmas spirit good sir.

Obviously I must curtail my posting whilst dipping into the Christmas Cheer Bowl of eggnog.

Perhaps if it is still lingering about in a couple of weeks we can speak of it again. For now may you and yours have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!

[Westbone]

You'll find the humbucker seriously disappointing, singles not that much neither or the pots. Out and out Korean.
Barry wants nothing to do with these Korean articles, Don't blame him. They are not 'real' Mats in any form or description.
But deserve a mention.

[corsair]

I don't dismiss them quite that quickly as my Spectrum SP1012 has very nice tones indeed; they're not terribly powerful, those pickups in mine, but they are very clear and well defined. It is also the nicest, easiest guitar I've ever played and has become my "grab" guitar....

[Barry]

I know what John's saying. I really like my MIK Aria Pro II TA60, especially now that I've loaded 'er up with GFS Mean 90's! Beautiful neck, and the overall build is quite good.

But alas, she's no Mats.

[Brainfertilizer]

http://nmi.craigslist.org/msg/2744131927.html

I've talked with Lou (the seller), and he's easy to work with.

I contacted him because I thought/hoped it was an '89 Challenger, but no luck.

The neckplate is stamped "87", but not "Matsumoku", so I think it was original Mats parts, but assembled in the UK.
Also, the only Westone pointy/superstrats with pickguards were either the Challenger or the UK Spectrum Series IIs, but the UK models didn't have this trem system (a non-locking 2-point Floyd Rose type).

It also has the 2-bar MMK-45 HB in the bridge, FWIW.

He says it stays in tune w/o any string locks, but he has an aftermarket he can add in for you.

Have at it!

[Dr. Spin]

I'm a newbie to the Westone Forum, but my XA1430 BUP is not. It's the one that started this whole string.

I thought I would mention a few things about it. First off, it really is in great condition and it really is a sweet guitar to play. As has also been noted, the pickups don't scream, but they do sound very nice.

There's a post in this string about a 1987-88 "transition" Corsair which mentioned Spectrum Series IIs - and that got me thinking. I've also looked at a couple of pictures of other XA1430 Corsairs - another BUP one elsewhere on this site and a red one on ebay. My Corsair is different from both of these as the headstock says "Spectrum Series II", and not just Westone like they do. The neck on my guitar is, as far as I know, completely original.

So, I'm not sure what that means in terms of whether my Corsair is a "transition model", but I'm hoping someone here might be able to shed some light on this.

The only other thing that isn't original on my guitar is the middle locking nut plate. I've got the smaller one in place, but it should be the larger one (I just couldn't find a replacement).

Anyway - it's a fun guitar in great shape.

Cheers!