The Electra Forums

I live in a sleepy but wealthy town north of Los Angeles called Camarillo.
Lots of people retired here and lots of amazing stuff is donated to the local Goodwill. I bought this beauty for $20.00....
$20 guys. I am infatuated and want to know more. I perused headstocks, body types and the different markers for a sure sign of identification and this guitar is giving me mixed messages!

I plugged it in, turned on amp and its possibly one of the most mellow and beautiful guitars i have ever heard and thats with the original strings on it.

My reasoning for calling it a floor model is because it has all the trappings of the super rock but NONE of the fancy. Almost as if it were kept that way because it was going to see a ton of wear and tear.

This is my 6th guitar, I mostly collect classicals because people never realize how amazing they are this is my first electric!

Here are the pictures.
A few thoughts quickly. The pickguard didn't fade because its made of a different plastic, but from close inspection it looks equally as old as the rest of the guitar. The same goes with the truss rod cover on the head stock. It is white but is definitely old.

Adding pictures and updating this post as they get added to Photobucket, I have pics of all the different areas of the guitar so just be patient!






Note that the sticker on the back looks to be a foil based sticker the only discernable letters on it are _ _ _ _ O H S or if your into thinking outside the box it could be S H O _ _ _ _

welcome! that is interesting.

back in the day (very early 70's) the models could have been made at different factories. a good example of this is seen in the 1972 catalog.

http://www.rivercityamps.com/electrapag ... 972pg3.jpg

you can see that the black one is not the same as the others. headstock shape is different (top and sides) and no inlay, logo is slanted differently. neck is different length (check out the last fret compared to the end), etc...

yours has the logo more common with the Slim Acoustics, and some of the early Teles.

thanks for the pics. any chance you can try and get a clean shot of the foil sticker?

(mind if I grab your headstock pic for my headstock page?)

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

I am thinking maybe an early model PCM but I agree that the early ones did indeed have several different manufacturers. Nice Axe

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

I agree it's PCM-ish (headstock, body construction), but without full catalog or precise history it's hard to tell, other than we know the "round E" electra logo on an aluminum plate stuck on the headstock (sometimes with an X on the headstock or pickguard) is for sure PCM...

for this one, if we could find another brand with the precise headstock shape, it could help clarify timeframe....

_________________
My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

Thanks for all the feedback.

I have quite a bit of experience with classical guitar dating and ID but am totally clueless when it comes to electrics.
I had a few thoughts that could help the CSI team.

1. Theres not an imprinted serial on the bolt on plate - when did that start and did it end? That could at least pre-date it.
2. The tuning pegs are interesting. I see the shape only coming up in a few other models.
3. Its difficult to see but the Electra logo itself is a flat gold paint.
4. What was the dating of the Treble / Rhythm switch?

Mcbrat feel free to use any images, glad to be in the presence of people that really respect instruments this much!

Looking at the 72 add that you linked I think your spot on except for the headstock being different.

Update: I had this thing fully restored and it is AMAZING. Wondering if anyone else has seen my twin peaks headstock on any other Electra yet?

Yes. I'm going through my picture archives and have seen a couple.... mind if i add your pics to the list...

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!