The Electra Forums

Hi EveryBody,

This is my first post in this forum. Today I examined an Electra MPC Les Paul clone it had a cherry sunburst. It appears that the body is a mahogany slab with a maple top cap; however, I didn't have my glasses and I need to look at it more closely. The PuPs were humbuckers black and white coils opposite in that color scheme from one another. The neck is either a set neck or a thro-body. It would suprize me if its a thro-body as I see a seam where the neck ajoins the body. The PuP selector switch stays in the middle. If you push it towards treble or rythmn there is a tonal difference but the switch springs back to the middle. I tapped both PuPs with the strings and both are working. It had very bad strings.

I would like to know if its a thro=body neck of some sort and if its a slab mahogany body and maple top as my first impression. Well the cavity where all the electronics effects is open and none remain. The finish also appears to be lacquer.

There was no model indicated on the back of the neck head stock. The tuners were fine and the frets are in reasonable shape. Could any of ya'll give tell me more about this guitar. Is it a thro-body, is it a slab. and is the finish lacquer.

As you know Louisiana has been devasted along with Mississippi and parts of Alabama so money is very tight. I am interested in any information about the guitar. I am not a collector but a picker and this might be my Christmas Present to myself. I think I can fix it up.

Also I would like to know if it has Super Magnafluxes or Standard Magnaflux PuPs. And I would like to know what kind of magnet is Alnico or what ever.

I did try to read the catalogue from another site for Electra guitars but the print was so small I barely could make it out. Well if any of you have some good info on this guitar You would sure make an old timer a happy camper because I would love to get it playing again.
Thanks Ya'll and Ya'll Have Some Good Times For the Holidays. Those Good Times with Family and loved ones they are priceless. God Bless.






















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A Guitar can't play Blues til its been in a PawnShop
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Best Regards,
BluesPicker

Welcome!

It sounds like you are describing an X220:
http://www.rivercityamps.com/electra/x220.php

Set neck, not a neck-through. And yes. you've got the construction materials right. The effects modules should plug right in to the back, and they show up on ebay all the time. Is there anything else wrong with it besides needing some TLC?

I dont' know what price you're facing, but do an ebay advanced search for completed items with keyword MPC or Electra and you'll get an idea. In general, these are excellent instruments, well worth repairing and ideal for the avid player. In fact it's not going too far to say these are the best-kept secret as far as quality for the price.

if it's MPC, then X-330...

being the geek I am, I've started tracking the prices on eBay of all the MPC stuff.

here's the list of MPC LP models and prices recently seen on eBay.

x-310 $485.00
x-310 $150.00
x-320 $500.00
x-320 $625.00
x-330 $257.00
x-330 $247.00
x-330 $650.00
x-340 $461.00
x-340 $444.00
x-340 $265.00
x-350 $560.00
x-350 $388.00
x-350 $400.00

price definitely changes if there have been mods (lower it seems) and if there are modules and hardshell included (Higher)

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The Guitar I looked at was a MPC model. I looked at the X220 and it didn't have the big empty effects cavity. So I think its closer after looking at all MPC model to the X330.

It has MPC on the truss rod cavity cover on the headstock. I wonder if all the MPC models have thro neck or do some have set neck? Also the electronics cavity was just empty no hook up devices in sight.

Then there is the question of the PuP selector switch that springs to the middle even if I select the bridge or the neck PuP? Whats with that?
Again it looks like a X-330

Also the switch for the PuPs is like a Les Paul and not a knob that turns to 5 Positions? It could be that some has modded the guitar even to changing the switches. The electronic Cavity Cover is missing also

_________________
A Guitar can't play Blues til its been in a PawnShop
__________________

Best Regards,
BluesPicker

yeah, would be the x-330 then.

this is a normal empty MPC cavity. the blue connectors are where the modules plug in....


they originally came with a 5 way selector, but were often replaced with a standard 3 way toggle. sounds like your toggle is mechanically broken.

I believe all of the regular LP style MPC's had the set neck, while the Outlaw and Vulcan series were neck through.

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

Thanks for all the Help.

Yep its definitely a MPC model with all the connects robbed and the mini toggle swiches are totally diconnected. Other than a checking and a minor crack in the laquer.

Oh I forgot to tell ya'll I traded a rifle for the Electra guitar. I examinged the frets and everything with my glasses. The bottom looks to be a mahogany slab and the top is book matched maple. The frets don't even have the usual string fretting dings that guitars get by playing them. Yes it is a set neck or built in as the catalogue says.

I took the 3 way toggle switch appart and sprayed some contact cleaner and got it working.

Intonation well I haven't changed the strings but its very very close and the action is set low. This is just the guitar I wanted. Mahogany with a maple top is a very good combination to my ears.

I'm not a collector thats not to say I don't or didn't have some vintage guitars. But I get guitars on how they play and sound. So once I get everything set and polished I should have a nice axe. And special thanks to MCbrat.

_________________
A Guitar can't play Blues til its been in a PawnShop
__________________

Best Regards,
BluesPicker

Nobody is even close here guys, it's an X950 with DiMarzio or Carvin pickups added (hard to tell with the blurry pics). The controls and knobs are also non orignal.

agreed. he added the pics afterwards...
too bad it was all gutted....

_________________
My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

Hello Everybody and Thanks,

To mcBrat credit I dd edit the pics in. I have read that Super Magnafluxes sometimes had both coils white. I read that the Electra MPC had a master volume and tone pots that were 500k and had 250k pots for the effects control. I have never seen a Electra MPC with the pots in two rows though. I'm delighted getting rid of that rifle for the guitar because its well built and has a mahogany body and maple top. The wiring of the PuPs is terrible and the pots don't work right. Everything has to be wide open. I the wiring is the same colors as the original per the diagrams on that Electra pic site.

I have some nice tube amps and generally don't use pedal effects. So I wasn't that bummed about the gutting. Whats weird was that this guitar has no wear on the frets unless I guess you use a magnifying glass. I think that these are excellently constructed guitars neck and body wise. I'm thinking of dropping some P-90's in it and away I go. Also I somebody oversprayed the top lobes with black paint which looks terrible and I'm going to have that touched up.

Seasons Greets Everyone

_________________
A Guitar can't play Blues til its been in a PawnShop
__________________

Best Regards,
BluesPicker

as Electrasrus pointed out though, the pots/controls aren't in their original positions. the MPC had the 4 in one line (Vol, tone, MPC1, MPC2) and then the second row for the Module on/off toggles.

looks like when it was gutted, they used the toggle holes to set up the control like a regular LP.

_________________
My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

Yeah, that would make everything fit and the mystery solved. I imagine those Super Magnafluxes must be like a distortion PuP. Well now that I know its been extensively moded I can fix up just like I want. One of my friends that plays Blues Harp and Piano has an Epiphone Goldtop and I can tell these Electras are stouter guitars. Thanks again.

_________________
A Guitar can't play Blues til its been in a PawnShop
__________________

Best Regards,
BluesPicker

I guess I'd agree that it looks most like a 950 Vulcan, but there are some things that don't quite fit. The neck joint isn't quite right; this one looks more like the "bayonet neck junction" -- as on an X-260, etc. -- than the ones I've seen on 950's (as shown in the pics at the site for 930's-950's). Then again, if you take a look at the site pics on the X-260, you'll see that the natural finish example has a bit different-looking junction than the walnut finish example. So they appeared to fiddle around with that a bit.

Also, there's no block marker at the 1st fret, which all 950's (and 930's/940's) seem to have.

Then it has the tulip tuning keys, which I haven't yet seen on any of the 950/930/940 guitars. But those obviously could have been changed by a prior owner. The thing's obviously been fiddled with.

In any event, you have a great guitar and once you get it sorted out, you will really enjoy it. I have a beautiful X-950 and love it.