The Electra Forums

What is this? Three push pull knobs like an LX model. Is it a Phoenix, a Westone, or an Electra? All three? I think it is an 84. Nice feel and sound. Thanks for the help!

Yes to all your questions. Yours is a 1984 Westone-Electra Spectrum. I am pretty sure it is an LX because it has the Bend-o-matic bridge (did I get that right)? I have two 84's. You are right, they have a great feel, sound, and vibe! As was said in an earlier post, these are very undervalued guitars!

I like the color a lot! I haven't seen this color before. Very pretty! Is it yours or is it in a music store? If it isn't yours, snap it up. I noticed the knobs are mis-matched. I got some great knobs from guitarelectronics.com

I got the metal knurled ones with the set screw so they won't come off when you pull the knobs out for coil tap. I tried to match them ones i have seen here. They are pretty close and look nice. Black finish matches the rest of the guitar.

That is a nice color that I have never seen before either.
I think its an Electra Westone X198RB which were bolt on.

The Spectrum FX is a set neck like the one below.
It came with better pickups than his younger siblings.

Eventually the Electra name was dropped to become simply Westone
The Westone LX is almost the same guitar as the Spectrum FX.

LX (X198) came with 2x Magnuflux II UBC and a single Magnuflux IV (h/s/h)
FX (X199) came with 2x Magnaflux VI UBC and a Single Magnuflux IV (h/s/h)

X199SS is for Silver Stone (below).
X198RB is for Red Burst which what you guitar might be.

The electronics are the same except for the p/ups, with 3 push/pull pots
for coil cut, phase, and center pickup.

Get it if you can. You won't regret it.

Can you describe the color of your guitar? I have a touch of color blindness
and I see it as red with a darker red burst. The one below is Silver Stone (SS).

Everything he said (almost).

the model number is 84 X189RB.

I had misidentified it as an X190, but the 190 had the tek-glide bridge. And in 84 they added the Red Burst color to the X189 line, and it had the early bendmaster.

This is the odd thing about the model numbers- some are very distinct version models, and then other times two model numbers differ only in paint colors or hardware details. Thinking of them less as model number the public used, and instead as batches ordered from the factory, it begins to make a little sense.


Fuctionally it is identical to any of the H-S-H Electras and Westones, including the LX- which is X198.

In 84, though, you've got an interesting bridge- the switch from the six-screw vintage Tek-glide bridge, to a two-post knife bendmaster, which came in four versions I know of- only in 84 was there this two-post bridge with no fine tuners- in 84 there was no locking nut.

Great axe, some of the best pickups you'll ever play through- and the finish is really neat! My 84 Red Burst was my second Electra, and served onstage as my open-tuned guitar. Still got it! It's a metallic pink with a burst of candy apple red around the edges.

btw, if you do pull the remaining stock knobs off to fit a matching set, be sure to save the originals- they're somewhat hard to come by!

Another option besides knurled black metal would be the knurled speed knobs that were used on X189's in 83: (these have stickers on them, but you can see underneath the speed knob numbers)



I think they look great on these guitars. I've got some spares of those, if you're interested, PM me.

Cheers,
Paul

Thanks for all the info! I picked this up last week and will be cleaning it up and selling it soon. It is a very cool guitar, but,I have a u-100 Aria pro II that I will never sell, and I am only allowed to have one solid body at a time for keeps

>underhill
Can you tell us what you paid for it?

>X189
Thanks for the corrections.
So it is actually a X189RB "Pretty in Pink" pastel
with a "Vampire Red" blood burst. :lol:

The 80s sure had some bold colors.

$70

oh man, you paid way too much for it
the max for those should be more like $25.


Not. That was a darn good deal.
Average for these is around 150 > 2 bills (not 2 dollars)

I bet you won't sell it. You'll find a way to hide it from the "Guitar Police"