a P-90 pickup fitted at the bridge position. West also had a two-pickup Flying V (serial number 906965) which he used after the "ash tray" Flying V broke. West also used a plexiglass Electra guitar, which is a Japanese copy of the better known Ampeg-made Dan Armstrong guitar, for slide. West also played a Westone Pantera guitar. From 1977 to 1982, he used a signature on-board effects MPC model guitar, created by the Japanese company Electra. He most recently used a signature model from Dean Guitars, the USA Soltero Leslie West Signature model, fitted with a custom-designed Dean pickup called "Mountain of Tone." Based on an endorsing contract in the 1970s, West played British-made Burns guitars. West also long favored "headless" guitars, and can be seen playing them on some of the videos he appeared in. In an interview segment on Night of the Guitars – Live! West stated that he had narrowed his commonly played instruments down to two: an off-the-shelf Steinberger and a Kramer with DiMarzio pickups. Amplifiers In 2005, West received a sponsorship with Carlsbro amplifiers, and could frequently be seen playing through "Carlsbro 50 Top" valve heads. His studio amplifier was a Marshall JMP. Live, he used Marshall JCM 900s. He started endorsing and using Budda Amplification in 2008. He was also associated with Sunn amplifiers, and used a Sunn Coliseum PA head, when it was shipped to him by accident. He claimed that this is the amp that gave him his signature sound in a Gibson interview with West. The Sunn amplifiers that West used were of the late 1960s era and were not factory stock. The four-channel amplifier heads' preamps were wired as cascading preamps to channel one, out to the amp's power section. This is what produced the long compressed sustain and distorted overdrive of the great Mountain sound that he is well known for. West used Blackstar amps. West also used Budda amplifiers, with a Budda backline visible on stage footage of West's appearances. Effects West employed octaver, chorus, and delay effects. Discography For his work with Mountain and West, Bruce and Laing, see their pages. References External links Mountain biography site at AllMusic.com Video Interview Series with Leslie West by Living Legends Music Leslie West obituary on Best Classic Bands website American amputees Amputee musicians American rock guitarists American rock singers Jewish American songwriters Jewish American musicians Jewish singers 1945 births