The Electra Forums

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and wanted to say thanks to all those contributing to the wealth of information on this site. I learned to play guitar on an '83 walnut finish X149 Electra Phoenix. Always loved the feel of it and though other guitars came and went I always went back to the Electra- after finding this group I've come to appreciate the guitar & Electra company even more! so just wanted to say thanks... now on to my question:

Is there much of a difference in the quality of workmanship between the 70's and 80's makes? And for those of you with collections, are the fretboard specs and general feel of the guitars pretty consistent between the Electras, Electra Phoenix, Westone, etc. labels or does it vary on an individual guitar basis?

Thanks again everyone for the info. I'm no expert, but I'll certainly chime in if I run into anything interesting here in Berlin.

I have found that the very early models 1971-73 or so do have different styles of necks and can be somewhat different. This is due to the fact that during this early period many different manufacturers were sourced for the production so you never know without a close inspection which manufacturer made them. The later wave headstock models were mostly made by Uncle Matt and were very consistent and very high quality. As the Electra line and the Electra Westone line evolved the quality of the necks and the entire guitar were great. The early models are nice also but may not be consistent as they may have body from one manufacturer and neck from another source. Hope this helps. Overall they are all great quality instruments across the spectrum. As were all the Early Japanese guitars they evolved to become masters of the art of guitar manufacture. Welcome to the Forums.

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Always give thanks for everyday, It may be your last so Rock On Semper Fi!!

Welcome Aboard wideyed. Caution though, hanging out here can cause evaporation of your disposable income! The X149 is a real rare bird, I think there were more of the X150 Active versions made than the passive 149, good call holding on to it man.

As Arthur pointed out, before about 1976 its a real grab bag as far as consistency goes with the guitars, many different suppliers, using even more manufacturers. You'll see mostly 'copies' in that era, although there are a few original styles, the stratlyke Sustainer (which McB just nabbed) comes to mind. Some of these guitars of this vintage are real sleepers, my 1973 or 74 Jacaranda Super Rock is a real monster even with its bolt-on neck. Some of the pickups on the older guitars are a little wimpy, and again, details will vary from guitar to guitar even of the same model.

After 1976 the consistency and range of models really explodes (in a good way). In my humble opinion, this is the true golden age of SLM, with their original models and American designed electronics... but you know what they say about opinions! Bottom line is that these guitars are woefully underrated, and when you can still get a gig-able, well made guitar for (in many cases) under $300 it's a good thing.

The Westone's (SLM... not Matsumoku's other Westone brand) are going to be very similar to the late Electra Phoenix's. Rumor has it that the Electra name was getting a 'pawn shop' reputation and SLM wanted to change that, I'm not certain changing the name worked though! Even in the later production runs, I find there are some real stand outs though. I think any Phoenix guitar is a great price vs. performance purchase, but after playing a couple dozen, there are some that will really blow you away. The 'Burn Victim' from the first ElectraFest comes to mind. This is a very humble looking guitar, but it plays like a monster.

Tell us if you find ANY Electras in Germany. This was a Midwestern company marketing to strictly the USA, so any that made it to Europe were taken there by travelers or Military personnel. Good luck, Mike.

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