Westone thunder 1A with washburn wonderbar + original parts

[WezV]

Hello, i am a guitar builder in the Uk and just picked up this little thing.

I used to own a thunder 1A bass so i know to expect quality from these.



currently fitted with a wonderbar trem but this will probably come off so i can restore it to original condition - all the parts where included



album:
http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/WESTONE%20WONDERBAR/

[corsair]

Sweet, bro - is it gonna be a player or ???

[norfolkngood]

Hi Wez and welcome.

Nice find, especially if all the hard-to-find parts are there. The Westone hard case is a bonus although looks like you're on sticker removal duties there!

Sure the lads and lasses on here would welcome a few work-in-progress photos as you put her back as uncle Mat intended.

[WezV]

yeah, it has all the original parts so i guess it has to be put back to original spec. it was advertised as a project but actually turned up playable which is a nice bonus.... i may refret it anyway, they still have another level in them but i would rather get something a bit taller on there

Plan of action:
*Work out exactly how the wonderbar works and how to set it up whilst still on this guitar
*Remove wonderbar and locking nut
*fill screw holes with some small ash plugs and lacquer
*Buff out body to even out the colour difference where the trem has been
*Refret
*shim original nut with rosewood veneer and recut,shape and polish
*clean up original brass hardware
*reassemble

I am considering changing the electrics slightly as well, possibly herasy to say that on this forum I have a spare set of Bulldog double cream humbuckers that i think would really suit the guitar.... if i did install those i would replace the first two switches with series/split/parallel mini switches for each humbucker. I dont always like just coil splits and the phase switch isnt doing much for me. wiring it the other way will allow parallel settings and combinations of singles and humbuckers which i find more useful

the wonderbar will probably be sold on once i know exactly how it works, unless i get an idea for a guitar build that uses it... i see it as a learning experience for if i ever get one in for a set-up. still havnt decided what to do with the guitar but i think i will be keeping it for a while... but most of the fun for me is in making them work as good as they can


Still not sure what to do about the case. i dont mind the stickers too much and i know removing them will not be fun. and i have to consider that it may look worse after stripping it - its one of those jobs that can sometimes be more trouble than its worth, but once you start it cant be left

[munkieNL]

Followed that auction. Alas many UK sellers don't want to ship outside the UK. Nice stuff going on Ebay UK. Good luck with the restoration. You could sell that Wonderbar for good money. The Thunder went pretty cheap if i remember. My black 1A needs a refret too. I'm going to practice on a couple of cheaper projects first...My 1A was a mess electronically. I put in 2 GFS Crunchy PAFs, nice warm humbucker sound, decent SC sounds.

[Westbone]

Good guitar, nice price. Probly get the majority of your outlay on the sale of your "wundabar".

I,ve used switch cleaner on a labelled Westone case, came off a treat. Took about a whole small can. There's quite a few on that case. Was going to bid on your guitar but was out and forgot. Nice one.

[Racing]

By margin the best trem system ever produced.

[WezV]

i think the guitar was pretty much on the money considering the little work it needs to get it back to top notch... the wonderbar and hardcase made it a bargain and i was surprised to get it at the price i did

the wonderbar is interesting. very stable tuning stability but it doesnt have the range of a kahler or floyd trem.... more than enough for most styles though. it feels about half way between a floyd and a kahler in terms of tension. with floyds you feel you are fighting the springs, kahlers are the opposite and feel very light to the touch.

it has a set of extra height adjustable saddles behind the tension rollers that allow something fun. You can set how much each string detunes when pushing down. This means you can theoretically set it to divebomb in tune, although thats going to take a while to set up right. Kinda like a steinberger transtrem without the ability to lock it in different positions/tunings. The wonderbar is one of the few types of trems i havnt had chance to set-up before... definately something i wanted to get my hands on

bloody ugly though... might suit something with more of an industrial style

[Barry]

Hi wez...very nice guitar you scored there! (I didn't see a reference to the year.)
Mine is an '81 and almost identical to yours except for the bridge and the logo: LINK

I won't be doing any where near the amount of work on mine as you are but I am replacing my awful barrel saddle bridge with a "real" one and generally scrubbing her up and restoring the finish. You're lucky you have one of the revised bridge designs...and you're right, the wonderbar is bloody ugly looking, especially on this guitar!

I think I've mentioned this tip here before for removing adhesive from labels/stickers: ordinary vegetable oil. It's perhaps a bit slower than a solvent based liquid but it generally does the trick, and won't damage the case covering, which is important here.

Good luck with your resto!

[WezV]

yeah, its an 83. no silly position on the strap button or annoying barrel bridge.

i will probably go with a good soaking of naptha on the sticker residue after i have pulled them mostly off... but some of the stickers are as old as the guitar

i do have one on the backplate that definately has to go

[Racing]

If you need the OEM spec and setup sheet for that wonderbar(in reality it is a japanese Shift) let me know.
Got in right here in the pooter.

Be adviced.
It contains all in all 14 ballbearings.
You will need metric allen keys,and also be aware that it works sans springs per se.
It uses a rather intricatly cut torsion bar instead.

Only real reason they can´t be had anymore HAS to be that they were way way way out there from a production cost POW.

As you´ve already discovered they´ll hold a tune rather well....even if need in service,so just imagine what it´ll handle as you pull that needed service off.

Agreed.
Pretty they´re not....but...

Got a Washburn BBR with one of those on it,and i tell ya....it´ll keep tune if you throw grenades at it.

If you opt to take it apart be VERY wary as you disassemble the rollers.These keep ballbearings sans any holders...and those balls are small...as in minescule.
Ergo,if and when you opt to take it apart and clean it as well as hand it some fresh lubricant...do so on a clean,well lit and tidy workbench.

Pitfall is getting the two very specialized allen screws that fix the torsion bar to the housing out.
The trick here is that you have a preload screw at the side of the trem(lower side).
Back off on that allen as much as it´ll go,THEN unbolts the two small allens that fix the torsion bar.
Torsion bar also carries ball bearings btw.

I´ll be happy to send you the OEM Washburn setup sheet...not that it says much,and don´t be afraid to play around with the various setup possibilitys of it.
It´s designed to you can´t really hurt anything.

[Racing]

Btw.
The screws that hold the rollers,it´s turned out that it´s rather imperative to adjust axial play of the bearings inside on these.
Make sure you have the correct size screwdriver and that the bearings are clean and well oiled.
The pull til just snug.
That´s it.
If you leave more freeplay they won´t hold tune as stable in my experience.

Likewise with setting axial play of the torsion bar.
This is done underneath the two plugs at each end.
You can use a circlip plier to handle that.

[Warrn]

I don't get why you guys hate it, that is the coolest looking bridge I have ever seen. I want one.

[Barry]

I don't get why you guys hate it, that is the coolest looking bridge I have ever seen. I want one.

Warrn, Warrn, Warrn...sometimes I think you just enjoy being provocative, don't you?
Take another look at the first pic. It looks like some alien critter is trying to burst out of that beautiful wooden belly. Wrong wrong wrong!

[Warrn]

No, I just think it looks awesome. I also love steampunk styling, and that looks right at home to me with the brass knobs (though if it were brass or similarly colored it would look even better). I really do love it.

[Barry]

Yeah, it does look like it belongs on a steamboat!

[Warrn]

Hah, it's big enough, isn't it? In any case, I say I like it because I like it. I'd love to have one.

[WezV]

thanks for the info racing - if you could send me the OEM set-up sinfo you have to contact@wezvenables.co.uk i would be very gratefull

do you know if there is any difference between the washburn and shift branded '2001' wonderbar trems. They both have 'answer', 'made in japan' and some numbers on the bottom so i assumed it was just a aftermarket vs factory thing


i dont think i will be dismantling it, it seems to work well and is in a very clean condition other than the corrosion on the arm


i think the bridge looks cool too, although clearly it doesnt suit the styling of this guitar. Not sure about steampunk - doesnt it need at least 1 cog on it for that I have been considering a steampunk themed instrument build, but i would go more victorian on that

[Warrn]

It could certainly use a cog, but the ring around the trem arm insert does the job well enough I think. And I personally like the way it looks on the Thunder, but it would certainly look more at home on something else. I still want one, haha. Only thing that could be more awesome would be if there was a bass version, but considering the rarity and moderate uselessness of bass trems, I know there isn't.

[Racing]

One setup sheet coming up.

To my knowledge there´s no difference between the OEM Washburn Wonderbar and the aftermarket Shifts.
They are indeed the same thing.

However,i´ve so far seen minor differences what seems depending on vintage.
These differences being how the rollers are fixed to the piedestals and further how these are set to the base.

Between me and a good friend we´ve got three of them on various Washburns and they honestly kick ass.
Absolutely fantastic trems,in fact the only ones that truly WORK. (Did i say that?)

Sturdy to the build.Complex to setup however.Strikes at least me as being one of them things in life that are downright indestructable.
Over engineered to say the least...

Trem arms of these are often missing though.
The winding for the bung is a one off speaking of which(trem arm bung that goes into the bridge)
It´s M9*1mm.
Trem arm per se can be replaced by a generic floyd counterpart.