The Electra Forums

Picked this up last year on Ebay, came with the extra thick Electra Poly case and weird rainbow sparkle paint in very high quality (as good as and very similar to the paint on my X-145 Red Sparkle 60th Anniversary Phoenix) as well as chrome knobs and chrome pickup covers. The rest of the hardware looks stock. Plays as good as would be expected, but no silver sticker nor residue nor evidence of removal can be found on the back of the headstock. I wonder if it was a one off for a show or gift to a retailer (sticker for a shop in ohio inside case with keys in orig paper envelope but no other case candy) or just a custom job by someone with an auto paint shop? I have several Phoenix's but this is my only Workingman plays very nice after set up, minimal fret wear.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/147565849@N02/shares/ZX94o6

Very cool, I remember that one. There is a chance it's factory, absolutely. We never know anymore with the weird stuff we've seen.

However the knobs and pickup rings are not stock, so that lends credibility to the idea of it being a repaint. And the neck wasn't painted, some of the crazy flake paintjobs had a sprayed neck, too. Some didn't. Never know!

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"GREAT Googiley moogilie Jack...jumpin jehosephat, hot dang and all".
- jdwhealton

The case is a little puzzling, never seen one this thick, did they sell an Electra ATA style case for the LP's? Surely would have cost near as much as the guitar. It plays well with 10's but I like 11's, when I do the setup I will pull it apart and see what clues are lurking inside, and share any info I find.

This was a later model case. I have the same one with my X940.

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"This is the way that pop ends, Not with a BANG but with a box set whose fourth disc you never get around to playing” - Simon Reynolds

"My guitar wants to kill your Mama" - Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention

The injection molded case shows up in the mid Seventies, usually with the premium MPC models of that time, many of which were LP shaped, but could have been available for other models as well. My 1983 Blackburst Endorser (X935) came to me in one, and I'm pretty sure that it is original to my guitar.

I'm not convinced the Bridge Pickup is stock as there aren't three tiny holes in the bobbins as there should be (like the Neck Pickup has, which is probably the stock MMK45). When you take the covers off, is there any indication of a repaint? My instincts are that it has been repainted, but I can't say for certain. One of my favorite players right now is a early all Mahogany X280 Workingman, despite its entry-level designation, it plays and sounds really good (to me!). Cheers, Mike.

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