The Electra Forums

Here's a couple more pics of the Dimension IV I bought from dogface-





This guitar impresses me more than I expected. It seems to have the good pickups, like on my Spectrum FX. Not only great sound, but great dynamic range! I've only spent a little time setting it up, but the action is good, and what's really amazing is the bendmaster bridge, which is set up as free-floating, does just fine, re-zeroes nicely, and stays in tune!

It's large, I'll have to weigh it, feels like maple body maybe... if you sit the arms go right across your legs and it's quite the plank. H-S-H pickups, and pull knob switches for coil tap, phase reverse, and middle pickup. This configuration seems to have emerged, first in the Phoenixes, as the premium wiring setup for Electra/Westones.

The Dimension IV was one of the flashiest Westones in '85, and I bet it got a lot of attention- just like in the muscle car era when everybody flocked to the showroom to see the new hemi Superbird... and went home with a Valiant instead. My experience is that the more unusual body types, being perhaps less popular and therefore in shorter runs, seem to have gotten extra attention. This Dimension IV feels good like a 'built on a good day' guitar that way.

Got another one in pieces- I hadn't realized the fretboards were painted red on the red ones!!!

I've never seen a fretboard like that. That is really cool! Is it set into the wood, or is the wood just painted? How does it affect the feel when you're playing? Were there any other colors?

Matthew

It looks painted. The white Dim IV has a white painted neck and a dark (rosewood?) fretboard, So I'm guessing that it's the same neck and fretboard with a coat of paint over the whole thing. I suppose you could paint a fretboard before cutting fret slots and tapping them in... (shudder)

I'm curious to see how the paint on the fretboard has weathered and whether it's worn through in places. Also looking to see if there are any big problems that are why it was parted out- though in this case the body style and color could easily be enough to scare someone away from standing up playing it in front of anybody... and prompt them to steal the good pickups for some other guitar... pirates!

i've recently acquired a Dim IV bass that's seen better days.

the nut appears to jerryrigged from an unidentifyable hunk of plastic (making the action go thru the roof), the push/pull switch on the volume pot doesn't seem to do anything, and i don't think i'm getting hardly any volume from the bridge pickup(if at all, it's hard to tell thru the hum).

other than that, the neck pickup is real hot, and sounds great. exactly how i expected it to sound.

anybody have any advice on restoration? i'm no luthier.

woot! a Dim IV bass! we'd sure love to see pictures! what color? I've only ever seen pics of them in white w/red graphics.

The pot should be a standard 500K (check the rating on it) pull-switch and you can get replacements from the usual parts sources:

stew-mac

guitarelectronics

a hum sounds like a short. I'd unsolder the wire from teh bridge pickup wherever it attaches to the pots or selector switch. Then try hooking a jumper wire from your amp & cable directly to the pickup- i.e. bypass the guitar's wiring entirely. usually the pickup is not the problem.

You can get replacement nut blanks, (same sources above) carving and sanding them down to fit. it would help a LOT to have an existing nut to use as a template, so I'll see if I can remove the nut from my Phoenix bass- though I don't know if it'll be exactly the same or not- the Dim IV guitar has the slightly different neck of the Dynasty, not only the headstock but it's a little different shaped, smoother. In any case, I'm guessing this will be close enough to get you in the neighborhood.

and btw, welcome!