The Electra Forums

Just finished re-assembling and setting up a completely stock 1975 Electra V that I bought last week.

The Electra V was the first real electric guitar that I owned, so it was kind of a nostalgic miracle to find one for sale that was untouched. I was 16 when I bought mine, and I idiotically modded the hell out of it, eventually stripping off the finish and leaving it raw wood. Heh. Though I did play it for a couple years after that until the neck snapped one night during a party we were playing (not surprising since I never sealed the neck after I stripped the guitar), and I finished off the guitar in a suitable punk rock melee of smashing and blood.

I recently wondered if anyone had posted anything on the web about the guitar and Google led me to a guy who had also bought one in the 70's and was now willing to sell. He asked for $200, I sent check. Fast.

Anyway - interesting things I noticed when it was in 100 pieces: both pickups - though cosmetically different - have the same number stamped on them; 34022. Note in this picture that the treble pickup with the clear top has plastic coated wiring, but the neck pickup has a braided lead...

Also, this guitar is 100% stock, but I have seen that the Electra V is usually listed as having two of the clear-top pickups. This one (and the one that I bought new in the 70's) have the treble pickup clear-top and the neck pickup with a standard chrome cover, so I can say with certainty that this was also a stock configuration.

The pickups are also different in the length of the "legs" that hold the mounting screws. The treble (clear-top) pickup has mounting legs 3/8 of an inch longer that the neck pickup. So it's clear that they are different in a couple of ways, I'm not sure why they are numbered the same. I guess the only way to see if the pickups are really the same under the covers would be to take the neck pickup apart, but I don't plan on doing that. I'm sure I did it back in the 70's, but I don't remember what was under that chrome cover.

Okay, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I am REALLY glad to have the V again. When this was my main guitar I also had a 1969 Strat, a Les Paul Deluxe, and a custom-made, one of a kind Ibanez Iceman --- but those guitars usually only came out of the stands if I broke a string on the V.

BTW - If anyone needs a truss rod cover for this guitar I have an extra. I saved my original and put it on to this new guitar.

Ack! Are you kidding? I have no truss rod for my 76 Electra Vee. If you have one you're willing to part with, I'd be so happy.

I'm pretty certain from comparing to Greco and Aria Vees that the Electra Vee was made by Fujigen, not Matsumoku. It would be interesting to see pictures of yours, especially (to me) the shape of the control cavity rout.

Here's the route. That pic is 50%. If you need to see it full size, let me know.

One other thing I was going to mention is there's no serial number on the neck plate (same as the other one I had), it's just stamped MADE IN JAPAN. I decided not to remove the neck when I was cleaning it, since it had never been taken apart before, so I don't know if there are any markings in the neck cavity.

You're certainly welcome to the truss rod cover. Glad to fill that gap for you. It has really yellowed over the past 32 or 33 years, but when I dug out my original, I noticed that it had yellowed too. Pick guard is also yellowed, but you can see the original white under the knobs, so the yellowing must be light related, rather than age alone.

looks like a Fujigen route to me

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I just updated that route pic with a closeup of one side of the pickup cavities.

Me too on the Fujigen ID. Identical to my Electra and to the white Greco Vee. Hoshino only went to the numbered neck plates and 'Ibanez style' numbering (MYY) in 76 and 77, so a 75 would have missed it. 'Made in Japan' neck plates were used by different makers so that's not a clue. But the rout definitely is.

Are there markings on the back of the pickups? Mine say 'Dimarzio', it would be interesting to see if yours do too.

DiMarzio? Heh. No, just the number 34022 - on both of them - which would seem to mean that electronically they are the same, even though they look different.

http://thisisnotatest.com/images/Vpickups.jpg

Yeah, lemme get at the Electra Vee and see about photographing the pickups. It surprised me too.

These are great guitars- do you play yours much?

Here's the back of my omega pick ups. Same serials also.

I suppose I will. It's only been strung up for a few days, and I'm letting it adjust a bit. It didn't have strings on it for the last couple decades, so I assume it's going to adjust itself for a couple weeks. Once it settles in I'll do a tight set-up and see if she screams like I remember.


I was thinking that maybe those numbers were related to the model they were put into on the assembly line rater than the pickup. Because it doesn't make sense to have the same number stamped on different pickups. And the pickups in the V are definitely different in the way they are put together as well as appearance.

Just a thought.

Just to follow up I posted this long story about my original - and new - V on my blog. http://smog.net/index.php/158

I know, it's a lot to read, but I'm pretty sure it will interest at least a few of you.

And you can correct any historical inaccuracies. heh.

Wonderful!!! I love hearing stories about people and their guitars, and I love the pictures.

So... I have to ask (pretty sure I know the answer)... you don't still have the wreckage of your old Vee, do you?

I had the body for some time, but wound up giving it to someone. I also had about half of the broken headstock - with the tuners and strings still wrapped around it - until last September. I had kept it for 26 or 27 years, and I figured that was long enough, so I threw it away when we were moving.

Only thing I saved was the truss rod cover, which I put onto the "new" V, just to maintain some lineage. Ha.