The Electra Forums

Hi Everyone! What a great website and good people too!
I remember wanting an MPC when they first came out but couldn’t afford it. Now I have a couple.
Sorry I haven’t chimed in earlier but I have been waiting for the thumbs up from the legal dept. Didn’t want to get ahead of myself.
I know there is a lot to talk about and I want to hear from everyone (good or bad!).
It is time to start thinking about prototypes and we would like know what you would like to see be made. It would even be fun to do a forum designed guitar!
I am thinking…. let the vintage be vintage and make newer versions. Maybe one reissue a year? It’s a lot to consider. I do have some unpainted mock-ups almost done and I will post them soon. There has been a lot of interest from dealers and we are even talking with a couple of artists. We will probably show 4 to 6 guitar models and a bass or two for the January NAMM show. Forum members and dealers will always get a sneak peek first!
Thanks, Ben

Out of curiosity, are you going to only doing Electra originals, or also copies of Electra copies (for example, the Explorer.)

I'm still pitching the "Evolved LP," or "1 1/2" cutout styled bass, with Jazz and Precision options available.

I have milliuons of drawings of Electras I've thought up, I'll dig a few out and maybe you'll see something in them.

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Addicted to Matsumoku.

If I could get a set neck LPC Electra and an 84-styled Explorer Electra I'd be content. They'd probably be on par with Gibsons at a smaller price.

I'm looking forward to the basses, my Phoenix X640 has become my most played. Will the Phoenix series be making a comeback? And an Endorser bass would be cool too... based on this Phoenix, I can say that twin P-bass style split coils sound outstanding.

As far as pickups go, would the Magnaflux/Magnabass series be making some sort of a comeback? The Magnaflux RBs in my Rail basses sound outstanding. Speaking of which, if the Electra brand takes off would there be a chance of saving the Westone name from the disgrace it's being put through lately? The Thunder line would be a welcome sight... but then that's getting pretty far ahead of you.

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Who needs a Fender Jazz when you can get a perfectly good Spectrum bass for $50?

Spent about 90 minutes with Ben today talking Electras and guitars in general. Brave man and wholehearted on doing these. Tough to offer them as a "new" product but with "heritage" if you will yet maintain a sense of individual brand. I think of it as a Vintage brand with new guitars derived from/inspired by previous models. The 30 minute drive back across Tampa Bay gave me a chance to chew on some of our conversation a bit more too. I think I see that point a lil bit bettter. I think it will be fun to see what hits the streets. There was talk of a "V" and an "Explorer based" model between us. Very interesting idea on making it "Electra" and not JUST a copy of a Gibber.

Dont be disappointed if they are not MPC models at first, then again I'm sure he didn't tell me all his plans either, but Ben does like the idea and after trying a Phase Shifter and an Overdrive today I know why. I need me a couple of those. They were Fun.

Edited to add: Hi Ben!!!

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Free Your Mind and Your A$$ Will Follow......

This is cool. Glade to see it coming together and in such good hands. You have my full support and welcome to The Electra Guitar Page. (We've been waiting)

I think an "Electra Fest 09 Special Edition" would be nice. Limited to a 100 copy run with the few attending members and host getting first crack. If it goes well, maybe do one each year at the fest.
(Surely now, there will be another!)

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SlmGuy

Welcome and what a great idea!

(for those who don't know Ben, go visit his site at http://www.chafincustom.com/ To be brief, Ben was lead designer at Dean guitars back in the day, and now he runs his own shop, he's arguably the premiere boutique guitar builder in the country. Those who thought 'they don't build 'em like the old days' are in for a surprise. Ben's guitars really are the best of old and new.)

Let me throw some ideas out there for the sake of discussion. I can't easily settle on a single guitar or style but here are some highlights:

1. A mahogany Explorer with MPC harness. You tell me how much it needs to deviate from an obvious Gibson copy, but the elusive X910 is one of the most desirable Electras (and might help justify to buyers the price I know a custom guitar like this will carry) MPC harness is a standard connector and we have the wiring diagram that switches the effects in and out of the signal chain.

2. thinline tele Electras. OK, this is out of bounds as it's an obvious Fender copy. But aside from the horns an X130NA is much the same rout. Jsut to draw attention to the beauty of a routed solid ash body, it's really beautiful and if we wind up with a hybrid of several features this is one to consider.

3. H-S-H This is a must. Arguably the greatest wiring combination (and not at all the same as the Ibanez H-S-H) this was Tom Presley's crowning achievement as a designer, he deserves to be remembered for this alone. Intuitive and expressive, it makes the guitar a hugely diverse tonal tool.

The weak link of the H-S-H Electras is frankly the center single coil pickup, it really ought to be an extremely fat and greasy strat pup so you can switch on those ringy strat overtones. Super Magnaflux pickups are by today's standards weak. A modern boutique strat pup would absolutely reawaken the potential of the H-S-H guitar.

4. MMK45 clones. There, I said it. Tom's work on the Super Magnaflux humbuckers was truly noteworthy and almost compeltely overlooked (except as evidenced by the legion of Electra Phoenixes who had their humbuckers pirated to upgrade somebody's big name guitar.

What Tom did that made these different from the same pickup in an Aria Pro was careful experimentation with coil cores. I'm not a pickup expert, but I understand that by altering the mass of the metal core of a coil, you can change the frequency response. Tom experimented until he found two different cores and two different winds to create a humbucker with a 'bass coil' and a 'treble coil'. That's why, when you hit coil tap on an Electra, the low end drops out but the overall level remains.

And that's not normal. On most Matsumoku-made giutars, like an Aria Pro or a Skylark (the ultimate generic Matt) hitting coil tap jsut about cut the level in half, too. Tom's solution turned coil tapped humbuckers into genuinely useful things.

I'm sure with modern manufacturing, you could unwind an MMK45 and then pretty much make the identical pickup. If someone does, I really hope Tom Presley is remembered as the originator of this technology. It's a darn shame he got hired at SLM instead of at Gibson, his designs would have become world standard.

I would definitely suggest if anyone does this, that they start with an MMK 45 from a premium guitar, like an X199, or a Dim IV. These were the last generation, exceptional pickups even among the rest of them. Unfortunately there's no external markings to tell these from any other Electra pickup, so it'll have to be removed from the guitar. (I could help with this, I might have a worthy donor)

This is awesome news. I would place my vote for the harder to find models like the X910 or maybe one of the pointy models as a start. The Futura models were very nice and unique also.

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

How about a reissue of the XV3GR Dynasty, with a natural finish? Something like this:



This one was stripped and refinished in tung oil by a cabinetmaker for his son, and it's one of my favorite Electras. You can clearly see the canadian rock maple body (neck is the same under the paint) The straight-leg Dynasty is a very very cool thing, the shoulder makes it effortless to play sitting without a strap. I'd love to see this in a set neck version, with the original H-S-H wiring and remakes of the best of the unbalanced coil MMK45's.

Paul speaks the truth; MMKs blow my socks off and I must add my plug for a H-S-H with 45 clones bridge and neck! TP was indeed something of a seer and deserves more acclaim than he has now!

A S-H-S a la X195 would be nice...

Oh, and welcome here, Ben - and the very best to your endeavour!

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"... and on the eighth day, God created New Zealanders.

Because even the Australians need heroes."

I know this probably would be for something later, but -

Some kind of set neck LP style (Les Paul tribute?) MPC re-issue / anniversary model would be great;

Anything similar to any of the Ultima / Workingman models;

And any of these because of their rarity:

Electra Explorer Model similar to the X910;

Any of the 335 style models- another Elvin Bishop or a B.B. King tribute;

Also the X510 Howard Roberts style;

But then again I am sure that Ben has something up his sleeve in regard to very unique models for the next chapter of Electra guitars ......

This is dream come true!

Thanks, Ben!

RCSBlues

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RCSBlues

Great ideas all! It is good to know we are all kind of on the same page.
We definitely want to use the Electra shapes, Phoenix, Vulcan, Outlaw, and the LP too.
The Outlaw and Phoenix Basses are a definite and so is the X910 and V.
One thing I would like to do is consolidate headstocks. It would help solidify the brand (and avoid lawsuits!).

What would you think of an X910 with the Phoenix headstock? A V with the Outlaw headstock?

The Thinline Tele will be fun. How about one with Charlie Christian pickups in it?

H-S-H…Phoenix…with a Floyd? I found another trem that works really good too. It’s called a Trem King. They make one for a Tele also.
Anything that works well and sets Electra apart is a good thing.

I do want to have the Super Magnaflux pickups redone. We can tip our hat to Tom and call it the TP Super Magnaflux The MPC’s will be fun to redo too. I have someone that can design them for me and even make new mods. We want them to work with old and new guitars. The problem with the pickups and the modules is the molds are long gone and will have to be remade. This will be the most expensive thing that we will have to do. I am going to contact Maxon and see what they have laying around. Maybe they are packrats like me! I am pretty sure they made the effects and some of the pickups. I know that Bill Bartolini still has the specs on pickups he made 30 years ago. That’s how we were able to do the Jeff Berlin bass at Dean. So maybe Maxon has kept the records too.

…….and then there is the cases!!

Wow - now this is EXCITING!

A couple of ideas I had Ben already mentioned. A modern trem on some of the vintage bodies would be nice as an option. Some of the later Phoenix models would benefit greatly from a modern locking trem. A good hardtail model, and then the floating / locking trem as an option would be awesome. Similar to many of the Jackson line....

Also, as Ben mentioned, I think an update to the MPC models with current tech electronics would be cool as well. Not necessarily a modelling guitar per se, just a current tech MPC style model. Of course, some NOS MPCs would trip my trigger all day long as well.

As far as headstocks, I'm kinda partial to the wave myself. I thought it was quite unique to the Electra line, and rather sexy as well!

Cases - I thought Electra had some of the best hardshells around for their time. The non-standard gold toned lining, extra hidey-holes, and pretty solid construnction put them at the top of the line. Only downfall was the poorly designed (or implemented) piece of cloth that held the top half from opening past 90 degrees or so. Fix that, keep the rest, and it'll be a bit of super solid throwback sweetness!

At any rate, this sounds like nothing but good news and good times ahead for some of our favorite guitars. A big round of applause to Ben and BTMN and all involved for making this happen.

Cheers gents!

The X910 would look fine with a Phoenix headstock or perhaps the Dimension headstock. As far as making a V goes, I'd bring back the Dynasty line and call it a day. The Phoenix headstock should be the trademark 6 to one side head, with the wave returning for the 3 to a side guitars, although exceptions to the rule are fine (for example, the Dimension and Dynasty, and Westone's Monark and Raider pointy guitars). Then again, I think I'd like the look of a V with a wave headstock... especially in bass form...

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Who needs a Fender Jazz when you can get a perfectly good Spectrum bass for $50?