The Electra Forums

Hi there! New member here... I've been in love with 'Uncle MAtt's' guitars for years now. The first guitar I bought myself was a used Aria Pro II RS years and years ago, and I've just recently learned some history behind it... Anyway, I'm an amature lutheir (meaning I get paid/trades but I do the work in my apartments second bedroom) and I just took on an interested project, converting a stand-up bass to an electric (including new bridge, cut fingerboard for lower action, EMG blade bass humbucker etc..) Anyway, they guy did't have the $$ for the electronics, so he traded me this old electra for the parts. This thing is beat, the ash natural body is covered with damage, he drew a franeknstein monster on the back with a sharpie, the brass nut is long gone, replaced by a plastic nut that's missing the groove for the low E, a couple of the saddles are missing the height adjustment screws and there was NO sound when plugged in. So it's now sitting here stripped. When taking it apart, the toggle for the fat switch just fell right out of the switch body, and the switch is broken in half. SO - this is the 3 singal coil fixed bridge phoenix (incase I got the model # wrong..) I need to know a source for a brass topnut (with the slots filed, preferablly) and what the fat switch does, and how it would be re-wired. I'd like to at least try the stock wiring before I use the hole for a switch of my own..

thanks for your help!

I believe the fat switch activates the middle pickup, yes? If it also has a 3-way switch for the neck & bridge pickups, instead of a 5-way, then that's the case.

you can get a replacement brass nut from stew-mac, but it won't have the string grooves cut for you- however you should be able to use the broken nut as a template.

SO what type of switch is it? I guess it doesn't really matter, when it comes down to it... I think I'll wire a DPDT so I can get the middle pickup in series with the neck and / or bridge

thanks for your help!

it only takes a spdt, a simple on/off. if the pickups is wired in parallel (as it is stock) then you just connect it to hot and the master volume affects everything.

I like your idea though, you could wire it to be in series with either pickup.

The 3-way is shot to... So, I'm gonna wire it like this. a 3 way for neck and bridge pickups. Wired in paralell, for neck / both - paralell / bridge selections. Then the fat switch will add the middle in series to whatever is selected on the 3-way. I was going to go all series (my prefrence for singal coils) but I find that 3 strat pickups on in series is a bit to muddled for me.