{"product_id":"westone-the-rail-solid-body-electric-bass-guitar-1985-13136","title":"Westone The Rail Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1985)","description":"Westone The Rail Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1985), made in Japan, white finish, maple neck and body, original two-tone gig bag case. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the early 1980's, it looked for a while like the Fender Bass was on the way out and the lean black graphite Steinberger would rule the low-end world. That's not the way it worked out, but at the time a number of other companies raced to come up with a similar minimalist, headless bass design. Westone's \"The Rail\" was one of the better and certainly more original attempts, made in Japan by Matsumoku. The \"bass-ic\" layout looks very much like Ned Steinberger's baby, with the strings anchored at the top of the headless neck and tuned by rotary knobs at the body end, but a big chunk of the already minimal body appears to be missing!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a result of \"The Rail's\" distinctive feature: a unique pickup assembly that slides along two \"tuned\" metal rails in the body allowing the player to vary the tone without use of an electronic tone control. This idea had been kicked around for decades, notably on basses by Dan Armstrong and Gibson in the '70s. The pickup is a \"Magnaflux RB\" passive humbucker with a single volume control, with that and the jack mounted on the movable center section which can be secured by a knurled knob on the top edge. The rails were uncoated steel on black models, but this white one has black-coated rails to match the black chrome hardware.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe ends of the strings are secured under a locking plate on the \"headstock\" so this bass does not require special double-ball end strings. The bridge is fully adjustable and unlike the molded graphite Steinberger, the Rail's maple neck and body are bolted together. The 24 fret rosewood fingerboard has small red dot position markers, which somehow look especially 1980s. \"The Rail\" is printed in matching red on the lower body, with a white \"Westone\" logo on the black chrome tailpiece. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The Rail\" bass ended up being a fairly rare instrument with a limited production run. It first appeared on Westone's January 1985 US pricelist at $499.50 including the special gig bag. By September '85 the model was available in 3 colors: black, red or white. The August 1986 pricelist shows an increase to $529.50 for the black version and $565 for the red or white. By the April '87 pricelist The Rail was gone, as the headless bass fad itself was already piddling out. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you like the feel of a headless, almost bodyless bass then this is one of the better versions both visually and sonically, at least compared to the likes of the Kramer \"Duke\". The sliding pickup does indeed produce a range of useable tones, and the medium scale neck is quite comfortable. This one ended up at the Wilco Loft from whence it has now been released back into the word, as retro-modernist 1980s as it comes!\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOverall length is 37 3\/4 in. (95.9 cm.), 7 3\/4 in. (19.7 cm.) across at the widest point, and 1 9\/16 in. (4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 32 in. (813 mm.). Width of nut is 1 9\/16 in. (40 mm.). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis minimalist bass has some light wear but appears all original; we're not sure about the red strings but they sure enhance the 1980s vibe! There are some dings and chips to the \"headstock\" and a dink to the back of the neck behind the first fret, otherwise the finish is pretty clean. Some of the black coating has flaked off the metal rails, a casualty of the pickup sliding around, and there is a little wear to the black chrome bridge. The instrument plays well and the sonic options of the sliding pickup are fun to experiment with. The bass comes in the original very 1980s looking silver Westone gig bag with the Wilco loft markings along the base. Overall Excellent - Condition.","brand":"Westone","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853714641036,"sku":"13136","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/8702\/3756\/files\/01_a7c7d348-0b80-46b8-8d77-121ecf850a0e.jpg?v=1774344366","url":"https:\/\/retrofret.com\/products\/westone-the-rail-solid-body-electric-bass-guitar-1985-13136","provider":"RetroFret","version":"1.0","type":"link"}