The Electra Forums

just found this site and think its great. i have a x635 bass and a x935cs guitar. at least im pretty sure thats what it is. i cant find a model number on it but found a picture of one just like it on the net. i think i bought both of them around 1980 but im older than dirt and my memory may be getting worse.lol. one thing about the bass is that when i was ordering it from the store it had a dark body with lighter strips in the middle. when i got it, it was a light natural finish where the dark was supposed to be. the guy at the store said it was a mistake at the factory and some left without getting stained. i liked it anyway and said i would just keep it. i think he said that about 200 made it out that way. has anyone heard of this? i saw a picture of one on the net and it was dark. hoping for responses on here with some information. if someone can tell me how to do it i will put some pictures on here of both guitars if anyone wants to see them. i still have the original cases for both although the bass case has seen better days. the handle came off. i also have a randall swithmaster amp that i bought at the same time for the guitar. nice to be part of the forum.

Welcome to the group! You'll find a number of us here who, like you, bought our istruments new and found that over the years their quality is as good or better than we thought way back when!

I'd love to see pictures of your axes, especially that unusual light-colored body bass. Matsumoku made a number of instruments, not just Electra, with that striped wood lamination pattern. You can also find instruments labelled Aria Pro, Skylark, Westone, and Washburn with the same laminations exatly. Most are dark reddish brown, like most X635's, although the Westone was G-red and Skylarks are bright red or blue! I believe the Washburn Wing series included some light brown ones.

Electra X635:


Electra X149 (the X150 was the same with active EQ added):


A Skylark:



No doubt the stripe option was something the factory offered (certainly it's based on a manufacturing method). It sounds like a batch of them, including yours, was made with light bodies. I haven't heard of any others, but they must be out there, it would be interesting to track the serial number range of them.

What are the first three digits of your serial number? THat'll tell when it was made (ymm). I'm guessing late 80 or early 81.

And you have an X935CS Endorser? That must be a beauty! We'd love to see pics of it!

hi and thanks for responding. the serial number on the bass is 0174. it has a metal plate on the back of the headstock that says commemorating the 60th anniversary for slm. also on that plate is model x635 and below that is 0174. it also has a sticker on the plate on the back of the body that says adjusted at slm guitar shop and the persons name hand written there that adjusted it. looks like their name was rene lopez 482. inspector number i guess on the end there. the plate on the back for bolting the neck on is chrome colored with the electra emblem in it and says made in japan. my bass looks just like the one in the picture you posted here. case and all. but mine doesnt have the dark wood top and bottom of the body. mine is a light natural finish. and mine has the dark and light alternating small peices in the middle just like that one.