The Electra Forums

So, I paid way over the money for this X130:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWNX:IT

because I'm a sucker for 1981/1982 Electras.

Obviously the fretboard is thrashed, which is okay because I happen to have a very good 1981 X130 neck on hand. As long as I have it apart, however, and since I'm about to create a non-original guitar... might as well make it sound/work better.

Any ideas for upgrades? I'm currently thinking about doing some kind of big-name zebra PAF install, swapping the tuners, polishing the bridge up.

You don't like the stock pickups? If you do swap them out,I would take the stock ones off your hands,maybe help offset the replacement cost. joe

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"If it ain't been in the pawnshop,it can't play the blues" R.L.Burnside

I don't think you paid too much for that guitar, and I think the neck looks pretty d-amn cool! I find myself thinking any guitar with that much wear on it must be a good player. This being a collector site, and many of us being the recipients of 'modded' guitars, I can't offer too much encouragement for altering it toooo much. Another observation is that the serial number is on the neck, so if you swap that for another, well the Electra Gods may be irate! I think it looks pretty sweet, if you don't warm up to it, give me first refusal. Enjoy, Mike.

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

I have this clean Feb 1981 example


Got it from the original owner in Indiana, a solid 8.9 out of 10. The Pickups sound great, and has one of the best both-pickup blend of any of my guitars. It's a nice collector piece, but I think your newest relic looks better, and has some street cred, I like it alot.

I can understand that craving to do a project, I had to put some after market stuff on a 2238 Tele recently and it was a lot of fun, but about the only thing original on it was the wood and the bridge plate when I got it. I don't know man, do as you see fit, but put some new strings on it and give her a fair shake first. How many other Phoenix's do you have? Show us the group when the new one comes in!

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

I agree that you did not overpay for this one. If anything you got a good deal.

Maple fretboards tend to look like that when the finish has worn through. Some people like it and think it has mojo; others don't. I would not switch out necks even if you don't like the look. Some gentle sanding and some freshe nitro (try stewmac or rerach) and you are good to go.

As for the pups, try them for a while. You may come to like them. If not, change them but I would suggest keeping the orginals so you can put it back like it was in the future if you choose to sell it or com to realize what great pups they are.

I agree that at that cost you got a good deal for that model Axe. Of course you are the player and owner so the call is all yours but if it were mine I would clean up the brass and maybe if anthing wax the pups and leave it at that. To have a neck like that she must be a good player or else the neck would look like new. With a little TLC she will look and play great. I vote to clean her up and let her rock.

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

Okay, I'm going to pick it up Wednesday and take a shot at just cleaning it up before I do something.

I have three other X-130s - the blue one I bought new in 1982 (string thru body), a natural-finish string thru body, and a red conventional-bridge model.

I think this link leads to some basic photos of the ten Electras I have at the moment:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... 1eba98172f

I'd really like to build an X-130 that's absolutely over-restored and chock-full of expensive pickups... but maybe this won't be the one. Also, I'm looking for an excuse to use the absolutely perfect neck someone sold me a while ago

I am going to cause a flame war here

It is your guitar - do with it what you want! I mean, you spent less than $200 on it, and you bought it to play. Most of us here want to restore these, so you can expect the answer you got. But when it comes down to it, those are excellent players and if you want to try different pickups try them. You can keep your pickups to restore it should you ever try to sell it again or sell them to someone wanting some for theirs. They ARE PRETTY DARNED GOOD pickups - stock or not. I sometimes pot them if they are microphonic, and even sometimes if not microphonic because potting protects the coils from corrosion.

I would think a duncan JB trembucker for the bridge and a 59 neck model (or possibly a Jazz) would likely sound good. A JB sounds especially good split too. If you are a dimarzio person maybe an F-spaced Norton or Air Norton in the bridge and a PAF neck model. Either of the dimarzio bridge model pickups I suggested sound a bit different than the JB (dimarzios sound like a wah pedal is on while playing - this midrange bump thing). Also, I am assuming the bridge is fender spaced. Also, if you do a single coils switch make sure the stud side of the coil is turned on in single mode - it sounds a lot fuller in my opinion. I might upgrade the keys to something a bit better. The rest really has to do with setup.

The only changes I made to my X189 were the keys and potting the stock pickups. They sound great. I have wondered what a JB would sound like in it, but not enough to take that stock pickup out of it. If I had two alike guitars I might be temped more just to have one that is a bit different. I can relate to that. My experience is JBs sound killer in the bridge position of super strat guitars (as long as they are not Basswood bodies - like Ibanez), so that is why I think it might do well in this. Same with the neck, if you have one that is in great shape and the frets are not all worn, why not use it? You can always keep your original to restore it back, or get it fixed up while using the other one. It is your guitar. You might affect the value in the future some time, but you won't really affect it today. It will be worth close to the same with your upgrades. But it might be just what you want.

If it were a more expensive model, I would probably push more to keep it stock.

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Thorny

No flames from me. I agree but was suggesting that he try less intrusive things first then move on to what ever floats his boat.