Welson® Black Pearl - Sold

We didn't really know anything about the Welson brand before we saw this guitar. So we did a bit of research and this is what we came up with.

The trade name Welson belonged to an Italian accordion company founded 1921. They used it to brand their guitars and their first electric solidbodies appeared between 1962 and 1964. In the second half of the '60s the focus shifted from their Japanese-influenced designs, heavy on glitter and irregular body shapes to more familiar semi-hollow designs such as ES 335 and Hofner violin-body clones, some of which were marketed in the USA under the Beltone brand. In the early '70s Welson moved to make Les Paul and SG copies. They then moved their focus to electronic keyboards but custom guitar manufacturing was maintained throughout into the early '70s to supply high quality boutique guitars. The company ceased activity in 1981.

This guitar is their Les Paul copy, we believe from 1971. Having already been influenced by Gibson in some of their earlier designs, Welson was among the first to respond to the renewed interest in the guitar that Gibson so thoughtfully discontinued in 1961. The hardware components are consistent with those fitted on Welson hollow bodies of the late '60s. The pickups are unique to the brand and easy to identify with their six screws and the two-part magnetic bar. Supposedly they were high quality items with strong output. They certainly sound good to us. On the back, in addition to the usual plastic covers for the control cavity and pickup selector, there is a large plastic plate covering a rout in the body. Perhaps some kind of tone chamber but more likely just a way to reduce weight. Gibson themselves picked up on this clever idea just a few decades later with their weight-relieved Les Pauls. Whilst there is a three-bolt neck plate that is clearly more than just decorative, it does appear that the neck is permanently set into the body.

So this looks like a Les Paul and it is well appointed: all the right binding in all the right places, gold hardware and block inlays. The guitar plays nicely but the pickups aren't Gibson humbuckers and this really doesn't have a typical Les Paul sound. Perhaps the chambered body adds to the effect but this has got less midrange than might be expected, emphasising both the highs and the lows. There is something of a single coil quality to the upper registers and, somewhat perversely, the lower end has a nice jazzy voicing that works particularly well with the tone control rolled off.

In summary, we have here a rare European take on a Les Paul. A vintage guitar from 1971, a high quality instrument that is far enough from the original design that it's appeal lies in its differences and in it having its own sound.

Sale Price: $500.00

Freight cost (contiguous USA): $35.00

Reference #: 3753

Out of stock.

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