The Electra Forums

How many Electra models have 'Ibanez-style' serial numbers? This means a letter (month code) followed by two digits of year, followed by some digits. I believe this numbering system was actually used by Hoshino, and could indicate either Fujigen OR Matsumoku origin. This numbering system was only used by Hoshino for a few years 76-79 or so.

Two examples I have are a 76 White Zephyr LP and a 76 Electra Vee, which feel very Fujigen-like. But also a 79 Howard Roberts with the number stamped on the headstock with exactly the same font and spacing as an Electra Westone. I've also seen Vantage an F575 Vee with a similar serial, though I can't remember the year.

Hey X-man -

I just realized that you had started this thread (as well as the thread about the various makers of Electras)

I've been having a discussion with Stratty on his "Electra Mystery Jazzbox" thread in the "Unknown or Unidentified Models" section. I've covered both the serial number and maker subjects there to some degree.

To answer your question, it looks to me like both the Jazz Strad (X410) and the Elvin Bishop (2281) had the "Ibanez-style" serial number. I'm not sure about the other ES-335 copy models that started in 1976, but Stratty thinks his Burgundy Pro had that kind of serial number (he no longer has it). And that's his former BP shown on the Electra site and it looks like the serial number does have that style, but I can't make it out.

The X510 (Howard Roberts model) also has it that way, as the one shown on the site proves (s/n J777695). The X420 guitars do NOT have this style serial number, but they weren't made until the early 80's. This "Ibanez-style" serial number appears to only relate to guitars that are vintage 76-'79 inclusive (perhaps '78?). If I remember correctly, Ibanez itself did not have any serial numbers until 1977 (or was it 1975?). I just forget right now whether it was '77 or a year or two earlier, but that is very easy to check on. Obviously, if Ibanez didn't have any serial numbers until '77, then no Electras would be expected to have "Ibanez-style" serial numbers until about that time.

With the Electras, this style s/n appears to relate only to the ES-335 copy guitars and the Howard Roberts copy. I don't know about the MPC 335's (the X810) and I'm not sure about the Burgundy Pro, as I said. I assume the Maple Pro follows the Burgundy Pro and they either both have it or don't. My guess is that they do.

I don't believe any of the solid body guitars have Ibanez type serial numbers. I know for sure that the X-270's and the Vulcan X950's don't.

To my knowledge, Electra didn't have any s/n's until 1976 at the earliest, and that would have been with the Burgundy Pro and the Elvin Bishop, both of which started that year and both of which are ES-335 copies.

See my discussion at that other Stratty thread about the possible "connection" between Electra and Ibanez in regard to my new Electra ES-175 copy guitar, which is the "mystery Electra" Stratty posted about. I also discuss in there my so-called red Burgundy Pro which I suspect is not a true production Burgundy Pro but just another Ibanez "cast-off" guitar (as I believe my new ES-175 is). I don't expect to find any serial number on it when it gets here, as is the case with my so-called Burgundy Pro.

So, it seems to me that any connection between Ibanez and Electra is limited to:

1) Odd-lot "cast-off" guitars pre-1976 model year (when Ibanez changed its headstock shape), which I believe my ES-175 to be, and, likely, my "BP" (which I think more likely an Ibanez 2454 badged as an Electra), and

2) Electra's 335 copy guitars and the Howard Roberts copy (the Concert Professional X510). These are guitars that Ibanez had been offering since 1971 and which they continued to offer through 1976 and beyond. So there's definitely an overlap in time between Ibanez's versions and Electra's versions, which started in 1976 with Electra's introduction of the Burgundy Pro and Elvin Bishop guitars (I'm not sure when the Concert Professional made its debut).

Just need to update (and correct?) my last post right there above.

The Maple Pro does indeed follow the same "Ibanez-style" pattern. Reading thru the posts a bit I came across Joanna's post in April regarding the sale of her Maple Pro (Elvin Bishop in natural finish). She sold it on ebay (item 7409210603) and has a good shot of the back of the headstock, which clearly shows the stamped serial number F765679. That's standard Ibanez serial number stuff!

Interestingly, her guitar ALSO has a foil sticker with another serial number as the "Electra Model Serial Number," which is 03060. Interpret that however you want, but it could be that the same factory that was making Ibanez guitars was supplying Electra with these guitars and that these stamped serial numbers were factory serial numbers (which is really what they are if you think about it) and so the factory stamped them accordingly regardless of who was going to get the thing in the end (Ibanez or Electra or whoever). This is in fact how Ibanez (or Ibanez experts) describe the Ibanez serial number; that is, the letter designates the month that the guitar was made, the next number (or two numbers) designate the year, with the final sequence of numbers designating the "number" of that guitar in terms of how many were made that month; so that if the last sequence is "3040," that means that the guitar was the three thousand and fourtieth guitar made that month (of that year).

So it seems to me that this system was something the factory (not Ibanez) came up with so that they could keep track of how many guitars were made, when they were made, etc.

Ibanez also used a bit of a different system for some other years, where the letter designated the particular factory and not the year. But I think that was later on and not relevant to our interest here.

The correction to my last post is that I said I didn't think any Electra solid body guitars used this sort of serial number. But then I read your post again and apparently your White Zephyr and Vee both have this type number. I note that the Zephyr is a plate number, not a stamped number, and I guess the Vee is too (?). I was thinking stamped numbers only.

I'd like to see that gold foil sticker! got pics?

If you mean the foil sticker on Joanna's guitar, it can still be seen on ebay. And if you use the "larger picture" button, you can see it pretty darn well. I did that just now.

She said "Electra Model Serial Number" (her quotes) and I just repeated it in my post. But now that I blew the pic up, I see it's just the usual foil sticker which has a place to write in the model (which is either left blank or what was written got wiped off) and then a separate printed serial number.

So it's not "Electra Model Serial Number"

It's "ELECTRA" at the top, then "Model" (with a blank space) and then "Serial Number"

Interesting that it has both the stamped and foil serial numbers, huh?

I never much trusted those foil serial numbers anyway.

I actually messed up there X-Meister, most of the MPC's & Omega's as well as the 2266 & X420 I had were silver foil stickers, although I thought the one factory oddity X330 I had (an X330 with gold hardware!) had a gold foil sticker...but I can't find pics of it...yet. Here's the silver one I meant;