The name gained wide recognition in the mid-1970s when Matsumoku in Japan and St. Louis Music in Korea began marketing guitars under the brand.

[3] St. Louis Music registered the Westone mark in the United States in 1976 to market Matsumoku instruments in the country.

[4] They began importing the Westone-branded guitars to the United States as a replacement for their previous line of Custom Kraft–brand instruments manufactured for them by Kay and Valco since the mid-1950s.

The majority of Westone guitars of the 1980s were made by the Matsumoku factory in Japan and imported by St. Louis Music.

Though initially popularized as inexpensive, entry-level guitars particularly useful for students, the transition to Asian manufacturing in the 80s brought a fundamental change in production, with designers emphasizing features such as custom pickups and electronics.