The Electra Forums

Hello,

New to forum and pretty new to guitar tinkering. So please bear with me .

I have an Electra X310 MPC (decent, but rough shape) and am thinking about installing two (2) EMG active pickups (81 & 85). From my internet searches I cannot find anyone that has done this yet. I just wanna find out what happens and how it would sound (w/ a lower b string too). I am thinking crazy metal here....

I have mulled over this site's wiring diagrams (good stuff! ) and am thinking I have run into a deal breaker; the MPCs are set up in a coil tap architecture inside the 5-way switch ??. I ask b/c EMG states coil tapping is not possible with their humbuckers (it can be done but with a circuit board-too much). Looking at the 5 position switch and how it separates the two sending wires of the stock humbuckers (non-super magnaflux ) into separate "levels/discs" leads me to believe this is how they make the 5-way switch series/parallel/out-of-phase selections?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

correct, they are tapped by the 5-way switch. so you'd have to re-wire to a regular 3-way selector, but I think the bigger issue would be that wou'd be sending a more powerful signal into the MPC circuitry, which I'm not sure it can handle it or what may happen... "Ultrasonic" on the board here is the MPC Electronics Guru....

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

I know what you're going for, I dig the heavy music too.

To be honest, I don't think that Electra is the right option for that style. A 70's style guitar like the X310 won't look right or have the right feel your're going for. It'll look out of place with EMG's!

If I were you, I'd sell the Electra and buy something else for the EMG's, or just buy a guitar that already has EMG's in it. Someone on here may buy your Electra.

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

Do you intend to use the on board MPC effects? mcbrat is right, some of the modules may not handle the higher output very well. It might not bother you, though. You could probably wire the existing 5 way rotary switch so that only 3 positions work (neck, neck + bridge, bridge).

Nothing is impossible, just a question if you want to go to the trouble. Then, will the results be what you want?

Personally, I'd probably let the X310 be what it is. But there's no technical reason it can't be made to work.

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing with your MPC guitar.

Learn from this wisdom my friend, Ultra Sonic and I are right. Don't hack up your Electra, sell it and buy a guitar with EMG's!

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

Point well taken and appreciated. After reading these posts I have realized I want to restore it, as opposed to Modding. It would cut too much into the uniqueness of the Electra...

Me and this baby have memories!

Does me heart good to hear!

You know there's something about using a guitar the way it was made to sound, ya know? That's why I have multiple guitars, each has its own unique sound which I love.

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