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 WESTONE | | Instruments previously produced in Japan from circa late 1970s to mid-1980s. Subsequent instruments were built in Korea. Distributed in the U.S. by St. Louis Music of St. Louis, Missouri. Trademark re-introduced to British marketplace in 1996 by FCN Music. Instruments currently produced in Korea. | The Matsumoku company of Japan had been manufacturing guitars for other trademarks (such as Aria, Epiphone, and Vantage) since the 1960s. In 1981, Matsumoku decided to market their own original designs under their own trademark in addition to their current production for others. Westone guitars were originally marketed in the U.K. prior to the U.S. market. Matsumoku guitars are generally well-built, solid playing guitars that featured innovative design ideas.
In 1984, St. Louis Music announced that it would be merging Westone with their Electra brand (which was introduced back in 1971). Through the mid-1980s, models were sold under the Electra/Westone imprint, then Westone only as the Electra brand aspect was discontinued. In 1987, Matsumoku stopped producing instruments, so guitar production switched to Korea.
While the brand is not currently available in the U.S. market, FCN Music recently began importing Korean-built models into England. The current series consists of five models of medium to good quality.
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