The Electra Forums

X260N for sale! I just scored this one, and really want to keep it, but my finances are not currently agreeing. Business is slow with the economy, things are tight, and I just had well over a thousand in unanticipated bills.

I just bought this one from a friend, admittedly for what I consider a very good price given the amazing condition. If you are seeking an excellent electra - or looking for an X260N (the less common natural finished version) then this is what you want. It is the finest one I have seen.







additional pics at:
http://www.wowway.com/~jdthornburg/X260n-1.jpg
http://www.wowway.com/~jdthornburg/X260n-2.jpg
http://www.wowway.com/~jdthornburg/X260n-3.jpg
http://www.wowway.com/~jdthornburg/X260n-4.jpg
http://www.wowway.com/~jdthornburg/X260n-5.jpg
http://www.wowway.com/~jdthornburg/X260n-6.jpg
http://www.wowway.com/~jdthornburg/X260n-7.jpg
http://www.wowway.com/~jdthornburg/X260n-8.jpg

I will start off by saying these are terrible pictures. I took them at night with a flash, and my skills are not the best. Outside pictures always turn out so much better, but I have not had the time during the day on a day that was nice. But they do give you an idea of the condition of this instrument.

This guitar looks almost new. The chrome is excellent, the frets are in terrific shape, very little wear. The pickups look fresh and plastic is not discolored. I tested it and it works perfectly. I tweaked the truss rod, lowered the bridge, and set the intonation. The saddles moved freely and the chrome on the guitar is not all rusted or corroded. The guitar almost plays itself now. The weight is lighter than I thought it might be, like a light les paul to me and not very heavy ash. It has very good resonance (is reasonably loud not plugged in). It includes a brown electra wooden hardshell case, with brown lining. The case has been definitely used, but it functions and protects the guitar very well. The little switch is a single coils switch for the humbuckers. The big switch is a 3-way switch like a les paul, but it has a little different shaped cream knob on it (kinda cool, and I am certain it is stock).

The pickups appear to be stock, as do all the electronics. I cleaned them with Caig Deoxit cleaner while I was in there looking things over to see that it was stock and what the controls did. Actually, I forget if it is two volumes and a shared tone or a single volume and two tones as I write this. The pickups are "stock" PAF class output - not very hot. They sound excellent.

This guitar is in amazing condition, excellent, and as close to mint as I have seen. It even has the plastic on the back of the three way switch cover. It has been played, but shows very little signs of wear. I will say it is the best I have seen.

Given that - it has been played and is not a NOS mint guitar. I the interest of full disclosure:
- some slight belt buckling in the back, but not enough to show up in the pictures (and not as visible on this ash body).
- a little dark spot around the 3rd fret on the second string on the maple board
- a few fine scratches I am sure
- This is all very minor, I am just being extremely picky in the interest of full disclosure.

I am asking $449 + shipping for it. I feel it is more than worth it since this is in such excellent condition, a superb example of quality, and rather uncommon. Please email me directly with offers or responses. If you have questions, please put them on the board. A good chunk of the procedes will go toward the renewal of this website as I just renewed it for another year, the rest will go to my creditors or in my gas tank

Thanks all!

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Thorny

Sale is pending! Man that was FAST. It will be going to a good home. I will remove the listing when the sale is completed.

Thanks!

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Thorny

Now we can start the guessing game....hmmm....
Or the lucky person can just come forward.

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Addicted to Matsumoku.

They can chime in if they want to -

It is going to someone that had one when they were young, and always wanted one since. Now that is GREAT.

This is a fantastic guitar! I wish I could have kept it myself but I have too much stuff the way it is.

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Thorny

I guess I will go ahead and fess up now as I am eagerly awaiting this beauty. I am the very fortunate and lucky one indeed to get this beauty. Thanks again John as I have been searching for some time for this model and it is my favorite. As John said I owned one just like this one and bought it new in early 1982 when I was a college kid. lol (Just an old fart now) and I kept her until about 3 yrs ago and had to let her go. This is like being united with an old friend again after a long time away. Thanks again John.
mortarman120gang11c aka Arthur W. Herin Semper Fi!!

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Always give thanks for everyday, It may be your last so Rock On Semper Fi!!

So Thorny, you sold this beauty and then picked up the Epiphone and a Cort..? Hmmm, very curious... I'm not sure everyone on this forum would have done the same! Cheers all the same, Mike.

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Electra Guitar Videos ===> http://www.youtube.com/user/mjm33mjm?feature=watch

Well, on the surface one might assume that. I sold a Michael Kelly to buy the Cort and the Epiphone - and didn't think to mention that. So we are not talking apples to apples. I had pickups I wanted to put into the Cort and Epi and various electronics. The X260N was simply too nice to hack into, and truly has some collector's appeal too. With the current economy, I can't afford to be much of a collector so I have been thinning the herd.

I also sold a REALLY NICE X340 for instance. I have had MANY MPC Electras (most of the models in fact) at one time or another. I don't own them all now. I *continue* to have more Electras than any other brand! I still have my original X330 that started it all for me.

Also, not a darned thing wrong with the Cort or even the Epi. They are great cheap guitars and excellent bang for the buck. That $200 Epi is a better guitar to play than the 70s bolt neck Japanese one I had years ago like it (and that one would sell for around $450 today). Maybe not everyone's cup of tea... but Electra has been looked upon the same way in the past - that is why in the early days you could pick them up for a $200 in a pawn shop. You can't NOW (not typically). That Cort is a fantastic guitar, unbelieveable for a $200.

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Thorny

Sorry Man, didn't mean to give you a hard time. You make good arguments for all three guitars, and if your Michael Kelly played like my Deuce Phoenix does, you probably don't miss it much! I got mine a few years back, and it's kind of a pig, huge neck and woofy pickups, I don't play it much, and keep it... to torture myself I guess.

Your enthusiasm for the Electra line is well documented and this site directly benefits from that, thanks for all you do man. That X260n above was toooo clean, I'm holding out for one that barely has any finish left on the fretboard... stock and played to death. Keep the faith, Mike.

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Electra Guitar Videos ===> http://www.youtube.com/user/mjm33mjm?feature=watch

No problem.

The Michael Kelly was fantastic... but after I spent a while setting it up. Mine was a prototype from the artist rep, and I just could not get used to the ebony board and was later decided I didn't want the vibrato bridge on it. They have worked to improve their pickups - the Rockfield ones are really quite good - especially for stock pickups.

Here you go -



I tried the Duncan Prail pickups in it first, but didn't like the way the poles (on the P90 part of the pickup if you are familiar with it) did not match the vibrato bridge. So after playing it a little I decided I wanted a fixed bridge version of the guitar. I put the Rockfield Mafia pickups back into it and sold it. Really, there was not a darned thing wrong with it. If it had a rosewood board and a tuneomatic bridge I would have been happier with it, but it was a killer guitar. They used to make versions with a fixed bridge like that but they were discontinued. So while I was trying to find a used one, I found the Cort (and I am a sucker for a cool cheap guitar).

I changed the wiring from being push/pull humbucker/single-coils per pickup, to a setup that allowed the inner coils, outer coils, or both coils in-parallel, or both coils full humbucking in series. It screamed.

I moved the Prails in the Cort and wired it the same way (seems like something Electra would have done if they had thought of it). The only problem on the Cort is I want a good push/pull knob as the speed or bell knobs are not as easy to grip for a push/pull operation. The cool "celtic cross" knobs on the michael kelley were awesome (very easy to grip and I liked the look). Unfortunately, I haven't seen them available and they go with the guitar, so I will need to find something I like just as well elsewhere. The only real choices I see out there are the knurled brass type knobs that are painted or plated - but I don't like the way they look on that particular guitar. The ones with pearl and abalone caps aren't much better to me either. They don't make that Electra one that was made for push/pull on the phoenix.

Well, I have worn this thread out.

And it has swayed off track!

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Thorny