The Electra Forums

So I got this from a kind forum member, if he wants to let himself be known then I'll let him do that. Anyway, thought it would be cool to have a strat since I had a tele and a dual humbucker setup so I could have all the classic tones at my fingertips. So after a while I got it and tis a nice looking guitar but it had some playability issues that needed dealt with. Most notably the nut was shot you couldn't even play it the the high E and B were practically laying on the fretboard. It had new saddles that were "fanning out" if you know what I mean, they were too big. Still need to find replacements. And what I thought to be a poor connection on the 3 way switch (yep this puppie has a 3 not a 5) was actually a dead pickup that needed to be rewound. So now it is back and ready to be played it still needs new saddles because they are still alittle wide (they were sanded down on either side to thin them down) and due to their wideness the tremolo bar hole is covered up. Anyway here are some pictures...









Maxon pick ups???? who knew

That looks great! Relic-ed just enough to look cool. And that Electra logo looks so cool on the headstock. Good find!

I'm so glad it got a good home. It wasn't doing that at my place- it needed love and TLC- and to be played! Looks great!

do you know what width of saddles you need? I have some that I have from old instruments that I put graphtech stringsaver replacement saddles on. I think I have a couple sets of the correct style if the width will work for you. I am not using them, you might as well if you can and they'll work. Send me the width you need and I will check.

Also, consider the string saver saddles too - they might be just the ticket for you. They probably make a set that will work for you and may improve the tone and keep it in tune better (and certainly reduce breakage at the saddle).

If you can't find a good set of saddles, check to see if the bridge is a standard enough of an import size to warrant replacement. You can get a better quality one with the bar and you may be better off as long as things line up correctly. Someone recently tried a wilkinson replacement and said it worked for them on their Electra. The GFS guy on ebay usually sells that stuff very reasonably.

Maxon - hmm - kinda points to the same maker as Ibanez huh?

Check to be sure the pickup lead wires are making good connection where they are soldered to the ends of the winding. Sometimes the wire is broken there and can be either jumpered or unwound one revolution and resoldered. Be careful, and only work on your DEAD pickup (else you may create a new dead pickup).

If you are not thrilled with the pickups that work, you may be better off just getting a new set. Good used strat sets can be had all over the place - relatively cheap. Even new ones can be had relatively inexpensively too (anyone try the GFS ones yet?). What you need is a guitar you want to play. It sure looks great now, and you are most of the way there. I am for keeping things stock if that does it for you, but if the tone isn't right you won't play it. Then all it is good for is to look at...

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Thorny

Yep, it does look like Fujigen, doesn't it?

I bet the Maxons are sweet and vintage, but in case you don't like them you might consider replacing the entire pickguard, pickups, wiring and controls- that way you can get teh configuration you like and keep the original intact for preservation purposes.

Hmm, not sure what size saddles I need but they definately need to be thinner than the norm cause my friend had a set and they where too large. Shame i don't have calipers (harbor frieght here I come!) And as far as the pick up goes I rewound it. I tried to to take it back and find a break or something wrong to no avail. So it's kinda still stock I even used the old tape so unless you really now your stuff you probably couldn't tell. It sounds real nice, I have a friend who's a strat hound and he really likes the sound of it. Yeh sure would like new saddles and be able to use the trem arm from time to time. So when I get some calipers I'll measure them and then maybe we can find out if those will work Thorny. Thanks.

How did you rewind it? Do you have a pickup winder?

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Thorny

Well, my buddy does he has a stu mac winder I used the standard reg wire, About 6600 turns and it came out right on the money. I think the neck is 4.5 middle 4.2, bridge 4.6?? Kinda low ohmage but at least I got it in line with the others. Haven't forgot about you 189!! I'm havin some woes.

I jammed the other day with some friends through a 62 Gretsch Country Gent amp with Weber alnico 12's shame I got it with out the Jensens, but It what totally trashed and in pieces so it was free, a buddy and I got it up and running again and good lord what a sweet amp. Anyway our practice space is real tight and I had a terrible time with feed back and the pickups being microphonic. Probably wouldn't be that bad if I could stand more than 2 feet from the amp!!! I've never had to pot pick ups before and not sure if I'd want to with it's "original state" May have to build a pick guard with custom wound PU's and slap it in there?

I would pot them. That way you can keep the original pickups in there and use them. I did not notice any difference in tone on my Electra pickups after potting (if it was, it was very slight because I have a pretty good ear). Potting is time consuming, but not expensive. I would look for an old cheap double boiler - I found an old one made out of what appears to be tin (maybe a hobby shop has one). And then follow the online instructions. You have to get the wax (about 80% candle wax and 20% beeswax combination) just hot enough to melt. Dunk each pickup (I do one at a time to keep it under control) and let them stay in there until the windings get as hot as the wax so that the wax will penetrate. It works very well. I have done tons of pickups and haven't ruined one yet. Surely your buddy that rewinds will pot them. If he doesn't yet have one, then offer to pay for the materials and set him up - he NEEDS to do this. Just about every modern pickup is potted. If the feedback is microphonic, it cures it when done properly about 95% of the time. It also protects the pickup from inner corrosion! Check the instructions online - they are a lot more detailed.

Follow safety requirements for handling hot wax - and no flames, or direct burner contact! Don't want a fire! I have not caused one, but we had a grease fire once, and that one cost us several months of hell and over $30K! Just like smoking is bad while pumping gas - there are some things you just DON'T want to do!

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Thorny

This isn't entirely germane, but I wouldn't say that the ohmage is all that low; the Super-Humbuckers in my L6-S (sorry, OT!) are only 5.3 ohms, and they have *plenty* of power. I think mid-4's make perfect sense for single coils. I bet they sound great!

Oh yeh they do sound great I just now alot of times people like em hot. So the 4's seem kinda low for some people. My self wound Humbuckers are around 7.5 and 8.5 so thats about the same I reckon. I had a dimarzio before that in my electra it was 14.00 ohms aye aye yi!! Thanks tree, my buddy has an L6 and he loves that thing, very light. Ever heard of Glenn Philips, guitarist from the defunct Hampton Grease Band?? He plays an L6 with a Jag trem and all other linds of little mods. I really dig the grease band and Phillips is an exceptional guitar player.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4PUnrnxS3c

If you do like the sound of the stock pickups then I would pot them so you could use them. They still are the original pickups, and most people would consider it "original" even though you potted the pickups. It is kind of like fixing a small hole in an original speaker - still the original speaker and original cone, just it works better. Or another example is putting new electrolytic capacitors in an amp that needs them - the amp is not playable with the originals in there so you put the quality ones of the same value and the original amp lives on.

In this case, you may fix the original pickups (well, one not totally original because it was rewound, but as close as you can get). I think having the guitar as original as possible but be working is very important.

Now, if you are NOT happy with the pickups - or the wiring -
then put some new ones in a new guard wired the way you want and be done with it.

As far as the ohms - I would not worry too much as long as it sounds balanced with the originals and sounds cool when played together. Those pickups are not really just like strat pickups anyway (metal bottoms for instance, and magnets? wireguage?), and all the parts work together to make it sound the way it does. If it sounds great, then GREAT! Who cares what the ohms say? As I always say, "Close enough for rock-n-roll."

As far as the Phoenix I have, the MMK45s were about 12K and the middle single coil was about 6K - so they appeared to be 1/2 the bridge pickup. The single coil pickup had a magnet on the bottom, not like a strat pickup. I don't know about the pickup wire guage. So the single pickup was not really that much like a strat - although it was a single and the coil was near a strat's resistance. Truthfully, I think a bit hotter in the bridge, a bit less in the middle, and a bit less in the neck sounds the most balanced - but the "real deal" was not done that way most of the time until more recently. Even the MMK45 pickups both were 12K - neck and bridge. It might have sounded better to have 13K and 11K or so - but I just raise and lower them until they sound balanced - no biggie.

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Thorny

Thanks for the L6-S info, I will check the Grease Band out!

I would not consider re-potted pickups to be "not original" in any way. Potting is just maintenance, pure and simple.

That guitar has about NOTHING in common with mine (very modified), but that is an AMAZING clip! I have listened to it 5 times now. Rare for me, as I am not a lead guitar sort of guy. If anyone else is reading this thread, I quoted the above clip for a reason...
*edit* Ultima: is that song on an album? I am loving that clip... I would love to hear a studio treatment.

Wow - Cool clip! New player to me.

Ebow, and some sampling effects repeated - and the leads remind me somewhat of some of the Phil Keaggy or maybe even Yes/Steve Howe stuff - clear, sustained, fluid, and fast (not all the time, but tastefully done).

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Thorny