The Electra Forums

http://cgi.ebay.com/Electra-MPC-Les-Pau ... dZViewItem

Not like any other MPC that I've seen. Bad refin? Thoughts?

M

Yeah maybe. Stripped and faded natural? Could be a finish variant too.

well what about this one http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Electra-X26 ... dZViewItem

Definitely refinished. Kind of nicely done though.

The headstock is untouched and original

That's what one ebayer volunteered as "info" down in the Question & Answer section.

?????????



Maybe he meant the shape of the headstock. Otherwise, I think I don't agree at all. Now, note that it does have a maple fingerboard, so that would seem to make it an X250N (natural finish). So that makes me wonder what happened to the "natural finish." Not knowing about such things, I guess the "natural finish" was actually some kind of stain or other applied "finish," as opposed to just natural wood? I dunno. But this guitar looks to me like it was completely stripped down to bare wood and then just clear-coated. It doesn't look like it started life as a natural finish guitar because the pieces that make up the body are not suitably matched for that. It looks like it needs a nice dark stain (or paint) on it. Definitely looks strange to me as it is now. I agree that it looks like it's been stripped.

For a very nice example of a "stock" X260, see this one -

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-70s-Electra ... dZViewItem

That is an X260 Invicta, is it not? (I could be wrong). The price is a tad too high for my blood, but it looks like a very nice guitar.

Which brings me to another subject. I perused the 1981 price list which you so kindly posted last month and noted that the "New Electra Models" included the X260 Invicta (as you noted) as well as the X270. Now, that's the 1981 price list. But note the s/n on that ebay guitar that I linked above and you'll see it's 004012, which (according to general belief) would be a 1980 s/n. Also, I have (3) X270s, as I've mentioned before, and they all have s/n starting with "00" (they are all 00xxxx).

Since both the X260 and X270 were new models in 1981, you'd expect to see 1981 serial numbers on 'em.

Then again, the serial numbers might reflect the actual year they were made (either started or finished) and thus they may have actually been made in 1980 for "release" in the 1981 catalog.

I guess.

If that's the case, then it's close enough for me. Tells me 'round about when my guitar was made. And that's close enough for government work, as they say.

Also, I enjoyed the pics of your collection. And I thought I was outta control! You mentioned you might want to get a Jazz Strad because you'd heard they were nice. They are indeed nice and I have a very nice one myself. I may have put pics of it up before, but I'll do them again here anyway (a bit later). But I have to say that mine doesn't sound all that great to me. Not sure why. The best-playing and best-sounding Electra I have is probably the X420VS. That thing plays like butter and sounds truly awesome. But they are indeed rare.

My X420VS was acquired on ebay as essentially NOS. The Jazz Strad looks brand new as well but for a few marks on it. It shows no sign of any play at all and was obviously very well-kept and maintained. It was VERY clean when I got it. Looks like he just took it out and polished it from time to time, then put it back in the case. With maybe a little bit of play thrown in (but not so much that it shows at all).

I totally lucked out on both these guitars. The X420VS was a BIN at a very nice price and I couldn't click that sucker too fast. I was afraid I'd be too late but thankfully I got to it very early, before anybody else saw it (apparently). I wonder if I noted what the counter was when I grabbed it. I may have.

It also came with a very nice case, which made the price even sweeter. And the case came with a story as well. It previously belonged to C. F. K. Winger (that's Charles Frederick Kip Winger) of the 80's "hair band" Winger. Check him out in Wikipedia if yer not familiar (which I was not). If you do, you'll see that they are apparently still rockin! He apparently traded in the case (presumably with a guitar in it) at the music store from whence the case and my X420VS came. The case is a hardshell Alvarez case that's in good shape but clearly has been around the world. It still had a tag on it bearing his name and info, as well as some gaffer's tape which says "Black Yairi 12." Presumably, the case held his black Alvarez Yairi 12-string. I'll put up the auction pic of the tag with his info on it -- a bit of rock 'n roll minutia.
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Update: I see that I did already post pics of both the X420VS and the Jazz Strad -

http://www.rivercityamps.com/electrafor ... ght=#18097

so no need to post 'em again here. So I'll just put up that Winger tag -



(That's not my thumb -- it's one of the auction pics)

And I was reading over that Wikipedia article on Winger (the band) and noted the stuff about Beavis and Butt-head, which is pretty funny stuff. Note what Kip said about it (he even refers to his band as a "hair band"!!)-

...we were like the 'hair band' [version of] Dream Theater -- That is why it's the great irony that we ended up on that geeky guy's shirt on Beavis & Butthead, because Metallica couldn't play what we play....

It's all in there under the "Criticism" paragraph.

Oh, and I did note the counter when I came upon the X420VS. My notes say: The counter was at 45 when i jumped on it.

So 45 others had seen it and declined the opportunity. Lucky me.

Headed for a Heartbreak is one of my favorite songs!.. well.. top 100 anyway



...... no comment

$695 for an X260? That's unheard of. Good luck to the seller. Mine's not as nice, but I'm keeping it for life!

_________________
Peavey 5150 w/Bias mod
Custom 4x12 birch cab w/Celestion G12T-75's
Ibanez TS808 OD w/Monte Allums mod
ISP Decimator
Electra X260 Invicta
Ibanez RG320DXQM