Electra 2242

I played this guitar for about 5 years gigging. It was an Electra 2242 with a black finish, ivory trim, rosewood fretboard with mother-of-pearl inlay. It is a Japanese Les Paul copy, and VERY well done. The guitar was well-balanced and a dream to play. (they don't make them anymore, so it wouldn't do any good to lie about it). Mne had the old style head, shaped like a Gibson head, so my guess about it's date of manufacture would be about 1972. It had a 3-way pickup switch for 2 pickups and a volume and tone control for each pickup. That's all she needed.

I played blues and rock behind a Joplin-like female singer. The warm sound of this guitar was perfect for for blues (played it thru a Fender Bandmaster).

The guitar came with the bridge tuned perfectly (don't know if that was factory or the dealer). I raised the pickups and lowered the bridge when i got it until it just started to buzz, and then raised the bridge a hair. It was always a precision guitar.

As I said, I played this guitar in saloons for 5 years. The only durability problem was that the gold-colored finish wore off of the tailpiece where i rested my hand. Functionally, it stayed perfect.

Never had to repair it, nor deal with the manufacturer.

I'm a geezer now, and don't play. Along the way, I lost the guitar, but would buy it again if I found one. The best feature of this guitar (outside of the sound) is the weight and balance of the guitar. I played a Telecaster and a Strat (the strat tuned to an E chord for slide). This guitar wasa more comfortable than either, especially the strat.

I'm really not sure what year it was; I don't even know for sure this was a 2242 model. However, judging from the <a href="http://www.rivercityamps.com/electra/">research</a> I have done, my guitar was made somewhere between 1976 and 1981.

Stats: 22 frets; black laminated top with an ivory lining, black pickguard; mother-of-pearl tuners and inlays; standard 3-way Gibson setup; 2 humbuckers; rosewood fretboard, but the rest is laminated; thin neck; steel-lined hardcase with light gold fur on the inside.

Basically, she looks exactly like a Gibson Les Paul "Black Beauty." I believe this one is actually called a "Black Rock," which makes sense. The main difference is that she is lighter than any real LP I've ever held; I don't know what everyone else is talking about, with their heavy Electras. My guitar is only a little heavier than a Squier, but with much better fretplay and sound.

My style varies from song to song, but only from Pink Floyd to late Beatles. I play her through a Hemke bass amp, which shows off her wide range of available styles. She can easily go from a muddy, smooth jazz sound *not my favorite, but necessary* to a light, barky ska sound *also a necessary evil* to an overdriven "Day Tripper" sound. I don't use pedals often, but when I have, there are no unintended surprises.

She isn't noisy, but she is very responsive. No matter what the setting, you will hear your fingers scrape against the strings. That is what I call snappy, though it is occasionally inappropriate.

I have no idea how she originally looked, as I got her in 2004 from a used guitar salesman *who has since gone out of business, or I would recommend him*. However, she still has a nice shine to her all over -- with about two old chips, which is good for 25 years of life -- with everything in its proper place.

Here is where my girl loses points. When I found her, she was in the hands of a fix-it-and-sell-it, junkyard-type guitarman. The 25 years had taken their toll. I sat down and played her for 30 seconds and liked the sound I got, when suddenly it cut out. Turns out the old 3-way switch had broken down in those 30 seconds of playing. Fortunately, Dave *the salesman* offered to replace the part for free, and the new one has yet to break down.

What <i>did</i> break down, though, was the wiring connecting to the jack; two wires would touch, causing a short-circuit and, thus, no sound. However, I fixed this by opening her up and soldering everything in place.

Some of the screws had come a little loose over the years, and she has her scratches. Aside from those superficial bits and the aforementioned electronics, she has caused no problems. However, if you find one of these, be prepared to do some surgery. After that surgery, though, this guitar is good to go. I never play without a backup *what if a string breaks!?* but I have never needed said backup. If you keep the screws tight and the finish polished, this guitar will not fail.

They ain't alive no more, son, though I'm sure they were plenty friendly at the time.

I've been playing guitar for six years *really? six? Oh, my*. My first guitar *in 1999* was a Squier Strat Pack thing. Two years later, I started getting lessons. A year later, my dad's friend sold me a Martin Dreadnought acoustic. Two years later, I decided I wanted a guitar based on the wisdom I'd acquired over the years, and after I'd lost a Telecaster to another buyer *she had a lacquered fretboard!* I found this Electra and decided to pay the $300 -- this included the hardcase.