Reasons to get an 80s Electra?

[waltdogg]

I have my eye on what I'm 99% sure is an Electra X260 Invicta. Set neck, the pickups are good I hear, nifty coil tap switch, but all in all it's just a stripped down Les Paul. I think it would compliment my LP Special nicely. That being said, aside from really a few comments about them that I've seen about them them seem to be nice and highly regarded guitars. Anyone got an experience with an 80s Electra? Preferably one with a set neck like the X260. The one I'm looking at is on GC's ( ) used site for $300. Maybe just a little high compared to what I've seen these guitars go for in the past but I'm not entirely sure of that either.

[MEC]

I had an X280 a while back and there wasn't anything really outstanding
about it but it was a well built guitar and the pickups ripped.
It was definitely better quality than most $300 guitars.

[ChetMagongalo]

I used to own that exact guitar, but with the routing for the effects called MPC. It's pretty heavy, but about as heavy as most les pauls I've had. Anyways it feels very solid and is pretty fun to play, but the neck didn't fit my hands very well, and I don't like humbuckers. I also wasn't into the coil tapping. I got mine for $200, which i think is a great deal. $300 is a fair price imo, but at that price point I would personally rather own one of the squier vintage modifieds.I did really like the frets on it, they were quite round.

I like the electra les paul copies with the rotary coil tapping and exposed pole bridge pickup more, they feel nicer and sound better, worth the extra coin imo.

[rfurtkamp]

VERY crapshoot growing up with them.

Some good, most garbage. I would not pay $300 for one unless I had it in hand and it spoke to me like Satan himself.

[waltdogg]

Well if it doesn't speak to me, I can return it. I'll only have 72 hours, but still.

My LP Special's frets are fairly round as well, I like them a lot. If the neck is anything like a Gibson I can dig it.

Well if I've done my research correctly these guitars were made at Matsumoku in the early 80s, the same time as my Fender/Squier SQ serial P-Bass and that bass is killer.

Thanks so far. I'm thinking it's a good deal, if I hate it I can return it or resell it with little out of pocket. And if it plays well I'll be happy. I paid $450 for my LP and that thing was a mess when I got it, totally worth cleaning up and fixing.

[voerking]

i had an Electra MPC for years:

the neck was great & it had probably the lowest/fastest action of any guitar i've played.
i DID NOT like the pickups, though. very thin & weak.
I sold it, but i wish i had kept it & upgraded the pups (probably could have flipped them since others seem to like them)

[waltdogg]

It's looks like it was really nice. I'm a fan of stock pickups and good setups. Maybe in yours they weren't the original set? Or just not a good set?

[ChetMagongalo]

^ I also had one of these and it was tight. The only reason I got rid of it was because I hated the finish, it was a bursty dad rock orange. I liked the neck on it more than the guitar we're talking about in the OP. It was thicker, more les pauly than the 260. mine also played extremely well and fast. I do remember the pickups being a little thin, but that's a preference for me, it just means I can turn up my fuck overdrive more.

[waltdogg]

Looks are everything! The walnut finish of the X260 immediately gives me the vibe of a late 70s early 80s Gibson The Paul. I'm guessing when you say the X260 you had was slimmer than the LP clone it was a 60s vs. 50s neck? That should work for me because my LP Special has a slimmer than average 60s neck. And SG/baseball bat/50s necks just destroy my palms as I have huge hands for my size but my fingers aren't that long. Welp, I ordered the X260. The GC manager says it has good frets and that it is definitely an X260 not a powered EQ or MPC model. For some reason I feel like the electronics would make it heavier than the solid body. Plus more sustain with less routing.

[waltdogg]

I forgot to ask if the Electra logo on the headstock is inlaid or painted and if it's a bag or case it comes with. Says case on the website though...

[voerking]

Maybe in yours they weren't the original set? Or just not a good set?

pretty sure mine were original. could just be personal preference. i owned it from around 1995-2010, or so. it was never my main guitar, though.

[waltdogg]

Fair enough. Some people hate stock Gibson pickups, I like 'em.

[waltdogg]

Got my guitar today! Spent about an hour setting it up. It plays very nicely with great sustain. It's slightly on the heavy side but body is super comfortable, the neck is a little thick side yet very quick nonetheless. The pickups have a nice "splashy-ness" to them and the coil tap, sounds like a coil tap. In a strange twist of fate, it turns out I was looking at this guitar on Craigslist about a year ago. As soon as I pulled it out of the case I recognized the four filled in holes from where a Bigsby used to be on the guitar. Which was ultimately why I didn't buy it then. Turns out that the holes are unnoticeable most of the time. And the rest of the guitar is stupid clean with no buckle rash at all. Just a few dings here and there. The case is probably original but falling apart. Oh well. Just gotta put some heavier strings on it when the time comes but I'm very happy.

[rfurtkamp]

Well, that's what matters. Cases on them weren't anything to write home about anyway, and for the $$$, you paid for a beater case anyway at best.

The thing also is you can toss on a Bigsby whenever you want without damaging it further too!

[waltdogg]

Yeah... Whatever.