Electra was a brand of electric guitars and basses manufactured in Japan and distributed in the US by two companies owned by brothers
Saint Louis Music
(SLM) and Pacific Coast Music in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 2013, the brand launched a successful comeback led by renowned luthiers Ben Chafin and Mick Donner. Unlike most other brands of imported guitars which were sourced from a single manufacturer, Electra guitars were ordered from all the Japanese factories and distributors. As a result, early models especially vary in details and quality. Later, as all models came to be made by

Matsumoku Matsumoku Industrial was a Japanese manufacturing company based in Matsumoto, Nagano, between 1951 and 1987. Established in 1951 as a woodworking and cabinetry firm, Matsumoku is remembered as a manufacturer of guitars and bass guitars, incl ...

, Electra guitars offered high quality at competitive prices. However, the brand never entirely lost its association with inexpensive 'copy' guitars and the brand name was transitioned to Electra Westone in 1984 and Westone in 1985. The same qualities make them popular among collectors today. In 2013 Ben Chafin, former head

luthier A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Etymology The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...

Dean Guitars Dean Guitars, commonly referred to simply as Dean, is an American importer and maker of stringed instruments and musical products with its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida. Its products include solid-body electric guitars, bass gu ...

, acquired the rights to Electra Guitars and is now producing new Electra Guitars. The first model available was a reissued and updated single cutawa
Electra Omega
followed by th
Omega Prime
After rave reviews and a growing roster of artist endorsements, Electra Guitars unveiled a number of new models in 2014 including th
InvictaTalonPhoenix H & S Guitars
and th
Phoenix Bass
More about the current company and their guitars, basses, accessories and merchandise can be found at their official websit
Electra Guitars

MPC Guitars

In 1976 Electra MPC (Modular Powered Circuits) models featured a pair of cartridge slots in the guitar body, which allowed effect modules to be plugged in and controlled from the front of the guitar. Today the unusual thing is that the effects are on board, but even offering electronic effects to consumer musicians was fairly new at the time and offers an interesting alternate way to do it. There were a total of 18 guitar models which carried MPC circuits. The most notable was the Super Rock, which was a Les Paul copy. There were 12 total MPC modules offered.

Table of MPC modules

In the assortment of modules offered was a "Mini Amp" module, which contained no effects but was a headphone amplifier for the guitar. This mini amp was actually the number 11 Module, Frog Nose. It did nothing except send a fairly weak clean guitar signal to headphones via the jack.

Endorsers of Electra guitars and basses

Peter Frampton Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English-American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who rose to prominence as a member of the rock bands the Herd and Humble Pie. Later in his career, Frampton found significant success as a s ...

Peter Frampton's Official Site
*

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*Allen "Free Bird" Collins of

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

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Rick Derringer Richard Dean Zehringer (August 5, 1947 – May 26, 2025), known professionally as Rick Derringer, was an American musician, producer and songwriter. He gained success in the 1960s with his band, the McCoys. Their debut single, " Hang On Sloopy", ...

's brand was the X910 guitar also known as the "Derringer" model *

Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist of thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 until 1989, as well ...

(uses in live performances/workshops etc.) *

Dickey Betts Forrest Richard Betts (December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as a longtime member of the Allman Brothers Band. A co-founder of the band when it formed in 1969, he was central ...

endorsed the X930 MPC model in the October 1981 issue of Guitar Player magazine. * Aum Mu Ra

Sources

* Article from the original Electra fan site * Details of MPC guitar wiring *{{cite book , url = http://www.rivercityamps.com/electra/c77.php , last = , first = , author-link = , year = , title = The Electra Guitar Collection 1977 , publisher = , location = , id = 1977 full line catalog including MPC guitars and modules

External links

Electra Guitars
Official Website of Electra Guitars
The Electra Guitar Page- Index of Models
latest known listing of guitar and bass models
The Electra Guitar Page (original)
archival mirror of original Electra fan site
The Electra Forum
fan community of collectors and players *

Industrial- One manufacturer of Electra guitars
The Guitars of Matsumoku
information on Matsumoku-made guitars Manufacturing companies established in 1971 1971 establishments in Japan Musical instrument manufacturing companies of Japan