West Museum West Museum
Email from Michael O'Brien
Dear Dave...
You doubtless won't remember me (although maybe you might), but back in the late 60s I purchased two West amplifiers from you (actually, Marshall Music, but you were there doing some kind of a demo). Before you ask, no, I don't have them anymore, but, and you've probably heard this one before, I wish I still did. I also had a pair of the 6x9-inch coaxial West "hi-fi" speakers, which I also purchased from Marshall Music.
I bought a very large and heavy PA head and a Fillmore head. My band used the PA head, and I used the Fillmore for bass. I also had an older, smaller West amp that looked like it had a Dynaco-type amp on the inside of the head. I also bought some PA and bass speaker cabinets. The name of the band was Bitter Years, but we were as forgettable as forgettable could have been back then.
I went on to play with a Lansing band called Chopper for a short while in 1973. In early 1975, January I think, you were running a small basement guitar and bass shop in East Lansing. I bought a white Rickenbacker 4001 from you. I loved that bass, but, alas, someone loved it more and stole it from our dressing room at Maxwell's in Iowa, City later that year. I was playing with a band called Flood.
Anyway, in searching for vintage tube amplifiers, I came across your website yesterday. It made me smile to read/hear your name again. West amps were as much a part of the music scene in Michigan back then as the bands. I wanted to wish you the best and thank you or being a pioneer and for supporting Michigan Music through the West brand name. My memories of bands such as Grand Funk Railroad are etched with the West logo (actually, dozens of them... ;-) in the background.
Thank you Dave. I wish you all the best.
Respectfully,
-Michael O'Brien