The Electra Forums

I am new here, just found this site. I've been playing guitar since the early 1970s and the music store I used to hang out at in Houston was a major dealer in Electra and Alvarez guitars (Both SLM affiliates BTW) so the nostalgia thing is what attracts me to the Electra brand now. I remember the Electra guitars going anywhere between $250 to $350 while the Gibson Les Paul guitar (which Electra was copying) was going for $749 (I remember this price vividly as this was my ULTIMATE guitar at the time). This was in the late 1970s and I remember that Gibson was recently purchased by Norlin at the time and the quality was starting to go down the tubes and the prices were starting to escalate way above the reach of this young teenage kid! It was during this time that people started taking notice that these "Jap" guitars really were not as "shoddy" as they had assumed! Of course Fender was in the same boat with CBS so the Japanese were poised to make a killing!

I am still very fond of all the SLM guitars. My main acoustic is an Alvarez Yairi DY-45 which I have owned for around 23 years now. No, it is not for sale!

Pictured are two Electra guitars that are in my possession. The first is a Electra Phoenix X175JB. I acquired this on Ebay for $26 plus shipping. It was in sad shape with a badly hacked up body and no electronics. I got some Alnico pickups from Chopper Music and the licensed Floyd Rose bridge and locking nut from another Ebay store. Looks like it originally had the strat style six screw bridge and someone decided to "upgrade" the guitar with a Floyd rose bridge and routed the neck for the locking nut so I went this route and dowled up the holes for the original bridge. I stripped the originally black body, stained, and applied several coats of Deft. I left the neck the original black color as I did not want to trash the original "Phoenix by Electra" label (are these even available anywhere?) After a total of about $100, the result is what you see in the photo:



The second guitar is my most recent acquisition. An X290 Workingman which I discussed in the repair and restoration section. I bought it for about $50 at a pawn shop thinking some major work would be involved but everything works fine now that I have cleaned everything up, added new strings, and did a setup. This just might become my main guitar now!

Here are some other pictures:

Great scores!
I think you've warranted the second best buy. After mine.
I paid 20 bucks for a working, low numbers X-140 Phoenix, walnut stain.
But that Workingman is great. It's amazing how cheap these things go for.
Oh well, out gain.
The phoenix is real nice, glad to see someone cared enough to help it out.

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Addicted to Matsumoku.

Hey I want second best buy My Workingman may have been $65 instead of $50 but it was mint except one scratch. It even had the paper and plastic protective coating on the cotrol cover and it came with the original case.

Nice guiatrs though Renagade and welcome to the forum.

Hey, I'll give you that. I remember the Electra guitars coming with a pretty deacent case so that is well worth the extra $15! Right now my workingman is banging around in my guitar closet completely unprotected. Unless I get really lucky, a deacent gig bag will run me at least $50

I hear that. 3 of 4 of my guitars have no protection...

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Addicted to Matsumoku.

Gig bags are bloody hopeless; you can get reasonable hard cases for not too much more! Better yet, get flight cases; we can get 'em here in NZ for around $100NZ so you should be able to get something for way less over there, and you need to have those guitars cased, eh!!

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"... and on the eighth day, God created New Zealanders.

Because even the Australians need heroes."

Yeah, but I haven't had luck with cases. I swear, when I get my doubleneck I dunno what I'm gonna do....

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Addicted to Matsumoku.

Oh, yeah!! I had the chance to buy an APII 12/6 many years ago in a very small NZ town but dithered for a few hours and someone bought it out from under me - I was SO torqued off with myself!!
Anyway, h/c are better, and flight cases are best and every now and again you'll see Westone cases come up on ebay which fit the Phoenix like a glove... look out for them, eh!!

It must be said that X140 of yours is lovely; I do like the finish; good work there!!

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"... and on the eighth day, God created New Zealanders.

Because even the Australians need heroes."

I know, I love it too.
Actually, this doubleneck isn't a 12/6.
It's a 4/6...as in a bass and a 6-string.

And before I steal the thread.....

Anyhow, I like the finish on Renegade's Phoenix, it kinda has a satin look, and has a cool effect. That'd be nice on quite a few guitars.
What'd be real cool is if had a bookmatched flame pattern.

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Addicted to Matsumoku.

Thanks for the recognition! Of course I had my thoughts later of what I really should've done with it!

I had considered planeing it down and adding a bookmatched flame maple top but decided I would be getting in way over my head! Perhaps I should do something from scratch some time (and not destroy a vintage guitar)? My father is a retired cabinet maker and still has all these wonderful tools at my disposal!

Probably a good decision. you'd be better off trying that making a new body.
But either way, it was a good idea, I wouldn't totally count it off.

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Addicted to Matsumoku.

Corsair is right about the case. Years ago a friend of mine bought a new strat (25th annivers.) He forked out the extra 40 or 50 bucks and never had a problem. That case had so much foam , made you want to curl up in it and take a nap. He could toss that thing in the trunk and forget about it. Anyway even if you dont take it out of the house, how many broken necks and head stocks have you seen? I watched helpless as my Yamaha 6 string fell and busted the neck. Protect em if you can.

slmguy

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SlmGuy

Nice....I picked up the X290 Workingman yesterday at a pawn shop also. Paid $95 bucks. Its in about the same condition as yours and plays great. I would like to replace the bridge as it got a lot of wear. Anyone know which replacement bridges fit the X290.
This things rock!

Gotoh makes one that fits (with meteric threads). They have them at StewMac.