Electra X-2RD Futura

Mine features the factory tuners and bridge also EMG 81.Sanded the back top edge smooth so it is more comfertable.Cool hardshell case that is still in good shape.

I played this guitar through many rigs, the best was an Ampeg sc140 head and crate vintage 30 cab. Currently play through a Tech 21 Trademark 300 and line 6 celestion cab. What a beast!

The smoothest playing guitar ever until a Gibson Les Paul XPL found it's way to my house( I truely believe it was destiny ). Anyway I started playing this guitar 25 years ago and went through dozens of guitars trying to find one that plays as well and found none for 19 years untill the Gibson found me.

This thing is a beast! I giged with this thing off and on for 20 years playing Thrash/Death Metal( the stories it could tell...)it's had more beer spilled on it than most barroom floors. It still looks like new.I gigged for years with no backup. I retired 6 years ago put this thing in the case and put it in a corner, recently got the fever again bough a new amp got the electra out of the case after 6 years and the darn thing was still in tune and no rust on the strings( I swear this is true). Unbelievable!

never needed

I freakin love this guitar. I bought this thing used in 1983 with money I saved from my paper route. I would be crushed if something happened to this guitar and I would buy 10 of em if I could find them.

This is a very unusual looking guitar, with a very futuristic Strat-based shape (hence the name).
Red gloss body paint, and the neck is flat black.
Bridge is classic Strat-style flush-mount tremolo. All hardware is black.
Tuners are sealed no-name, Gotoh style.
Neck is fairly fat by today's standards; medium width feels very Strat-like. Maple, bolt-on, 22 medium frets. Bone nut.
Came with fitted hardshell case.
Made in 1982, in Japan.
Solid body, thick Canadian maple. Very heavy.
Controls are: Separate volume and tone for each pickup; phase switch on one of the tone controls, coil tap on the other; 3-way pickup switch.
2 passive humbuckers. Not sure of the make, but the mounting plate on the back is stamped MMK.

I play metal and this is a metal guitar. One look tells you that. However, without a doubt it's also the most versatile sounding electric guitar I've ever played. Because of the separate volume and tone controls for each pickup, phase switch, and coil tap, you get an unbelievably wide range of tones. This was a budget guitar when it was made, and the wiring could have been done better. Could use some better shielding, but I've found a good use of noise gate removes unwanted buzzing. The stock pups aren't very powerful, so I replaced the bridge pup with a Dimarzio Fred. Wow, what a difference! I still like the stock neck pup, because it has a really great Strat-like warm tone that sounds great on some leads. Other than the annoying buzz that sometimes cuts through the gate, I just can't compain about the sound, because I can really make it sound like just about anything I want.

Action and finish from the factory was flawless when I bought it in 1982. Considering what I paid for it, it was the deal of the century. Made in Japan with impeccable Japanese craftsmanship that has held up for 24 years (and counting).

Reliable? This guitar defines it. It is a TANK. I've been playing this axe off and on for 24 years, and has withstood everything I've thrown at it, and still looks almost new. It is the toughest guitar I've ever strapped on. By the way, I currently own 17 guitars, and have had many others over the years, and the Futura is by far the most durable of any of them. Everything on it is rock-solid. I have used it in many gigs without a backup, and never a problem with it.

Never needed it. Good thing, because Electra went out of business many years ago.

I have been playing guitar for about 30 years. I own so much other gear, I couldn't list it all here, but I currently have 17 guitars, some of which are: B.C.Rich Bich, Ibanez RG320, LTD MH400, Jackson DX10DFS, Peavey V-Type, etc.... The Electra doesn't sound quite as good as most of these others, for my style, but it holds its own. And it plays wonderfully. When I bought it, I passed up on a lot of other guitars simply because I loved the feel of it. The neck has a very comfortable feel and is VERY fast. Though the look on it is metal, it's really great for playing just about any style. The only drawbacks are the slight buzz in the electronics (which could be fixed if I wasn't so lazy), and it's weight. It is HEAVY. Make of thick solid Canadian maple, this baby really packs some heft. The upside is that equates to sustain - forever. This unit came with a Strat-style flush-mount trem bridge; I would prefer a Floyd Rose. But thinking about that, I probably wouldn't have bought the guitar at the time if it had a FR, because I wouldn't have been able to afford it. Overall, it's really a great guitar, and even the original hardshell case is still in excellent condition, so the whole package has held up well over the years.

Made in Japan in 1983 (they were only made 1979 - 1983). Body is Canadian Maple painted red, custom shape with cutaway. Black anodized tremelo, thru-body strings. Neck is bolt-on hard rock maple painted with black epoxy, reverse headstock. Black closed tuners. 22 deep fret rosewood fingerboard. Bone nut. 25 1/2" scale. Dual open coil Humbuckers with 2 volume and 2 tone with push/pull coil tap and phase reverse. 3-way selector. No active preamp.

Came with custom fit case.

I took my 17 year-old son shoppong for an electric guitar (I play acoustic). We went to three music stores and five pawn shops so he got to play about 30 guitars, both old and new, before selecting this one. This guitar had the widest variety of sounds (except it doesn't make that Danelectro "Ventures" surf guitar sound that I'm particularly fond of). It also had the nicest playing neck of any that he tried with the exception of a 80's Gibson Explorer.

It's been played through several cheap amps, but mostly through a Peavey TNT 115. It seem rich with both humbuckers working and clean when using a single coil. No noticable hum or distortion at the vloume levels I can stand. Could be bad at extreme volume - I don't know.

Got it used so can't speak about factory set up. It stays in tune remarkably well and intonates properly. The fret wires were done well. The only problem was that the tremelo arm threads were stripped, but he palms the tremelo without the bar anyway.

It has a truss rod, but played so well right off the bat that we didn't adjust anything.

The case is pretty much shot - the handle is gone and the hinges need to be replaced so it's safe to say this guitar has been around the block. Everything still seems in very nice condition except the tremelo threads (see comment above). Finish is still shiney.

He has a backup guitar and would be stupid to gig without it (strings break at the worst possble times).

N/A

My son has been playing a year or two - I've been playing 30. I love this guitar - perhaps I will hide it when he gets ready to leave home ;-). When looking for this guitar, he played guitars from the following manufacturers: Peavey, Jackson, Dean, Danelectro, Gibson, Hondo, Hagstrom, B.C. Rich, Fender, Samick, Ibinez, and 3 or 4 others that I can't remember the names of. This guitar won hands down. I would have paid twice as much for it and been happy.

I like the variety of sounds and the body style is comfortable to play (it doesn't dig in anywhere), but it is heavier than the acoustics I'm used to (maple body). It doesn't bother my son, but I play sitting down.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd be pretty upset because I doubt I could find another.