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I was wondering if anyone knew more about the bridge on this guitar. From what I can find this model was made from around 62-65 with a different bridge but parts were assembled in around 68 for a bankruptcy sale and sold. Some of the parts came from Italian manufacturers...this is what why I assume that the bridge is original to the guitar because of its name.
I would like to know if this makes it worth more or less and I mostly just think its cool to learn all of the history that is packed into this instrument.
Also when checking the resistance produced by the pickups what ohm readings am I looking for? I have a background in electronics and am pretty familiar with some aspects.
Thanks Again
Statistics: Posted by ccswanson — Wed Jun 23, 2010 11:57 pm
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It looks as though someone either did a good job changing the bridge or it was an option.
If anyone else has any ideas let me know and I will try cleaning them and see what happens.
Thanks
Statistics: Posted by ccswanson — Tue Jun 22, 2010 4:46 pm
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From what I see your guitar is a Westwood 77 not a Val Pro/Newport.
They look similar but the Westwood has a mahogany body while the Val Pro is made of fiberglass.
The Westwood was produced between 1962-65. Based on the serial number your guitar was built in 1962. The 6 knobs along the top are a volume and tone control for each of the three pickups in the guitar. The two standard looking pickups are single coils and there is also a transducer pickup in the bridge. The single knob at the bottom is a master volume.
If you are not getting signal out of the guitar the most likely problem is dirty pots; I bet your pickups are just fine. You just need to remove the control cavity cover from the back of the guitar and spray contact cleaner (De Oxit) into all the pots and switches of the guitar. If you are not comfortable doing this yourself, a local guitar shop will likely do this for you at a reasonable cost.
I don't think the tremelo tailpiece is original to your guitar. I have never seen this type of trem on a National before. It is possible that a tremelo option was offered on early Westwoods and I have just never seen one before. It is also likely someone simply removed the original tailpiece and installed the trem. What does the lettering on the tailpiece say?
Here is a picture of a Westwood with the original tailpiece. This is a guitar that has sold and from the ad it appears the guy was asking $1,280 for it. Looks like it actually sold on eBay so who knows what he actually sold it for but it's at least a ballpark figure for you.
Statistics: Posted by VintAxe — Tue Jun 22, 2010 3:48 pm
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Also I would like to know what the six knobs are for and where to get good replacement pickups or to find schematics to fix the existing ones on it.
The serial number is T79046 and I will include a picture.
Thanks for the help!
Statistics: Posted by ccswanson — Tue Jun 22, 2010 2:08 pm
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