The Electra Forums

i recently purchased an x700 bass... having never heard of this brand (yes i am a new comer i'm sure you hate me for this question) so naturally i'm going to do research on it... its not an issue of money i'm not really looking to sell this bass i guess it is more of the piece of mind and wanting to know what i got... an instrument is something to invest in and i want to know if i made a good investment but judging by how old it is and the fact that it still works amazing i'll have to say i did... either way i'd still like to know something about it

I'm not so much interested in what my guitar is worth, but what i can learn about it.

After a long hiatus, I began playing guitar again while I had a lot of time on my hands (not by choice, if you know what I mean).

When I came home, I discovered the last guitar I played as a kid. A mint condition Electra Westone Futura X2RD, "Made In Japan", which I think means it's a Matsumoku.

The axe still plays true - in fact I was kind of surprised as I don't remember it being this good!!

Did anyone play one of these back in the day?

I'm getting all of my instruments insured so I need to know what mine is worth. It is a 1976 X330 MPC. The electronics all work pretty well. I posted another topic about the electronics making noise but after some cleaning they are much better as long as I keep the gain turned down low. The guitar is pretty banged up, it was like that when I bought it 10 years ago, but it still plays like a dream, perfect inotation, stays in tune.

I would never sell this guitar, I just need to know what it is worth for my insurance. Thanks.

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http://www.myspace.com/sixstringvirtuoso

Dear Electra Guitar Forum,

"I've been an avid reader for years but I never thought this would happen to me..." (Remember Penthouse Forum?)

Anyhow... I was fortunate enough to have found my first Maple Pro during my college New Wave band days way back in 1982. I was as ignorant of Electras as everyone was at one time, but I did know who Elvin Bishop was. I traded a feedback-plagued Gretsch Roc Jet even for her and still think it was the best deal of my life. (Even though that Roc Jet would sell for $4k today, it was made during Baldwin and was not very useful...)

Fast forward twenty years and just as many guitars in and out of my collection, I still held on to my MP. Even after having several people offer me top dollar for her at gigs, I would not let her go. Then, getting her autographed by my own favorite guitar hero, Bill Nelson of Be Bop Deluxe, just increased her value even more... at least to me.

But over the past ten years, and mainly thanks to this website and the kind people who have kept it going, I've been able to search for and purchase several Electra 335 clones and have paid from nothing (even trade), to a thousand bucks (to help someone who needed the cash more than I at the time) and I would not take back a single penny for any of them. One Elvin Bishop model I got was so narrow for my fat little fingers, that I couldn't even play it, (and I wasn't about to sell it), so I held onto it long enough for my nephew to be ready for a great guitar and since he's a skinny bugger, I gave it to him for Christmas one year. (Guess who's his favorite uncle now?) It warms my heart to know that he plays it every day and will never part with it.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I not only love Electras but I respect them and their owners as well. But sometimes, I have run across Electra owners who really do not know what they have, or are not in the situation for that to be a consideration and must sell their posession, be it prized or not.
That's where this site is so important to everyone! Not just to the sellers, but to the true fans.

Even though I dislike the lazy plagiarism some of these people have committed trying to sell their Electras, I am still very thankful that at least some of them are STARTING to get the facts straight... ie: "lawsuit guitars, etc..." And I can tell you from personal experience that NONE of this would be happening if not for this site and the valuable links and info herein.

I don't have much to offer here, but I sure don't know where I would be without this site. I don't plan on selling any of my Electras, but if I did, this would be the first place I would offer them because I'm one of those idiots who tends to care less about making a profit than finding a guitar a good home. Case in point: I just sold an MIJ 1988 Washburn J6 (That was possibly (?) made at Fujigen, according to luthier Matty Baratto), for exactly what I paid for her 3 years ago, on the eBay. I was really enjoying playing her once I got her set up with some nice DA Chromes, but I kept getting this urge to put her up for sale. "I need the room", was what I kept telling myself. So after listing her three times with lower prices each time, the right buyer came along and she is now being used for worship playing and her new owner is thrilled that he got such a great guitar. At the same time, I'm happier that her voice is in the service of a higher purpose, than if I had made a few extra hundred selling it to someone who would not have played her, or even bothered to take care of her at all.

I believe that it is up to all Electra fans to stand up to the pawn shop pimps who are still out there but are now using eBay to extend their reach, and educate the buying public about these wonderful instruments. After talking to a local luthier who allegedly happened to have studied under someone who actually made Electras at Matsumoku, these are not your average Japanese guitars. That "feeling" you get, (and you know what I'm talking about), when you pick up that Electra in the pawn shop and your internal bells start ringing and all you can do is bite a hole in your tongue to keep from screaming "They only want $150 for this baby?!!" out loud, this is not your imagination. Many of the Electras (certainly not all) actually strike a resonant chord with certain players who are ready to receive them. But without this site, and the people on here, it would be impossible to find out WHY these instruments hold such a special place in our hearts.

And as much as I like the "inexpensiveness" of Electras, I hope they continue to rise in value. Not to exclude anyone, but to keep the interest and the care alive. And to make sure the Electras sitting in closets and under beds all over the world don't end up on the scrap heap, but in the hands of fans like us.

Thanks for letting me rant. And thanks for doing all you guys do to keep Electra alive.


XTRA-XTRA! circa 1982 East Carolina University performing Bill Nelson's "Decline and Fall."

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Stay young, y'all!!

~ this was a great thread!

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"Somebody should put the fish in the river." - Motorcycle Boy, from the film Rumble Fish

Almost five years after the original post - and this still is a great thread -

"Your talent is God's gift to you;what you do with it is your gift back to God."

http://www.rivercityamps.com/electra/RCSblues.php

Listen to X340: http://bandmix.com/rcsblues/

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RCSBlues

For any of you guys or girls out there that have been around the midwest long enough to have been Bobby Caldwell Fans. In a couple of weeks I will be listing and selling Bobbys Guitars. A beautiful collection for Electra Fans. Alvarez Fans and Bobby Caldwell Fans.
X930 Vulcan ( 14 MPC mods),X935CS, X510,X420VS,Westone rainbow II, MaplePro with Tree of Life (2 of these),AlvarezDY-91,AlvarezCY132C Classical,Alvarez 5070,AlvarezAYS-1
These guitars are an inspiration to any fan of Bobbys or Electra. Will post more on this in the days to come. If anyone knows more info on these models...im all ears
Thanks

I have a 1976 Electra Omega X210 Original with case. I want to know what it is worth. I have looked online and have found very few articles on this particular guitar.

"I personally care most that they belong to someone who recognizes thier value and protects them so that they survive. Just like used cars, they go into a period where they're considered worthless before their collector value rises again."

I thought it was worth mentioning that it appears people generally may be beginning to recognize the value of vintage Electra guitars, as some of the prior numbers quoted in this thread 10 years ago ($100-200ish for a 189x), are much, much lower than what I am seeing these guitars go for on Ebay etc. I view this as a positive development, since goods that are deemed to be valuable tend to be treated as valuable, and thus played and protected instead of ignorantly junked.