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.

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

Matsumoku Industrial was established around 1900 as a woodworking manufacturer of various items but is best known as a manufacturer of high quality guitars and bass guitars.- History :...

, 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

Westone (guitars)

Westone is a brand of guitars and basses started in the late 1970s. Saint Louis Music acquired an interest in the company in 1981 and began importing the brand to the USA as a replacement brandname for the Custom Kraft-brand instruments manufactured by Kay and Valco in the mid-1950s. Electra was...

 in 1985. The same qualities make them popular among collectors today.

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 onboard, 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

1	Phase Shifter
2	Fuzz
3	Treble & Bass
4	Tank Tone
5	Overdrive
6	Filter Follower
7	Auto Wah
8	Tube Sound
9	Octave Box
10	Flanger
11	Frog Noise
12	Compressor

Also 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 Noise. 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 Frampton
  Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
  
   - Peter Frampton's Official Site
• Leslie West
• Electric Light Orchestra
  Electric Light Orchestra
  Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
  
  
• Allin "Free Bird" Collins of Lynyrd Skynyrd
  Lynyrd Skynyrd
  Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
  
  
• Outlaws
• Rick Derringer
  Rick Derringer
  Rick Derringer is an American guitarist, vocalist, and entertainer.-1960s:When he was seventeen years old, his band The McCoys recorded "Hang on Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, which became the number one song in America before "Yesterday" by The Beatles knocked it out of the top spot. The song was...
  
  's brand was the X910 guitar also known as the "Derringer" model
• Marty Friedman
  Marty Friedman
  Marty Friedman may refer to:* Marty Friedman , musician* Marty Friedman , basketball player and coach-See also:*Martin Freedman, Canadian judge*Martin Freeman...
  
   (uses in live performances/workshops etc.)

Sources

Article from the original Electra fan site Details of MPC guitar wiring 1977 full line catalog including MPC guitars and modules

External links

• 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
• Matsumoku
  Matsumoku
  Matsumoku Industrial was established around 1900 as a woodworking manufacturer of various items but is best known as a manufacturer of high quality guitars and bass guitars.- History :...
  
  Industrial- One manufacturer of Electra guitars
• The Guitars of Matsumoku information on Matsumoku-made guitars