The Electra Forums

Hi, I'm new to the forum but, I own an Electra 2228 I got new in 1975. What was thought to be a switch problem has now been diagnosed by a tech as a dead bridge pickup. (MAXCN 13724 thats what is stamped on it but its probably supposed to be MAXON fron what I've read) Repair has been on the back burner for a while, but its time to fix her up. No luck finding a replacement pickup as yet. Anyone have any info on an original or after market replacement pickup, or a different make or model pickup that would fit the original pickup rings? I'd prefer to keep the original appearance since its in such great shape but, I'd like to get everything working. Thanks for any help, Oilcan Harry

Hi Harry,

If I wasn't comfortable doing electronic troubleshooting I'd get a second opinion on that pickup.

If it does prove out to be shot, and you REALLY love the way it looks, you could always get it rewound. A number of pickup manufacturers, large and small, provide this service. Not cheap, but neither are quality pickups.

Long shot... this kind of stuff does show up on eBay if you're patient.

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"... can't seem to hit that Bb right."

Welcome Harry. Can you post a picture of that pup in question?

I happen to have an extra Maxon here but it may not be the correct style.

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...throw me a frickin' bone here, people...

How did he determine the pup was shot? It is actually a bit uncommon, without some outside interference, for them to go. Also the lead may just have come loose inside the pup. That is a fairly easy fix.

Metesky, I am not a tech at all so the electrical stuff is a mystery to me. I will see about a second opinion. Sorry, stupid question alert! Can they just test the pickup alone [ Its out] or would I need to take the guitar in? Thanks

Iceman, I will see if one of my daughters can help me out with some pictures of the pickups. My tech said its larger than anything he had on hand. Its chrome, it looks like a humbucker but, its a single coil and its marked Maxon 13724. The dimentions of the pickup are : 2 & 15/16" long, 1 & 5/8" wide and 3/4" deep measuring the cover. The mounting legs are 3 & 1/4 " apart center to center on the screw holes and stick about 3/16 " down from the cover. Thank you

Workingman, I believe he tested it with a meter of some type but, I don't know for sure, I dropped it off for a look see. But he didn't seem in a rush to sell me on a pickup replacement. I wanted to try and retain the original appearance and he couldn't find anything in his parts stash that was a good fit. He was concerned that the only pickup he thought might work was smaller than the holes in the mounting rings, and would require drilling new holes in the body, and was sensitive about fit and finsh issues. I appreciate that. Its had pretty good care all these years and still looks nice. And while I'm not a sticker that wouldn't change out the pickup or pickups if I have to, I'd rather not cobbled this up. Thanks
I appreciate the help alot guys. This is a terriffic forum.

You can test a pup without removing it. You can test with a multi-meter. Most single coil pups will have a resistance in the range of 4.5 to 7.5 K ohms. If he got infinite resistance there is a break either in the lead wire (pretty simple fix) or you have a break in the coil (requiring a re-wind or replacement). If he got very low or no resistance the lead wire is shorting on the ground. It may be touching the metal cover or the lead wire tab was bent to touch the ground wire. This is a fairly simple fix.

Iceman...can I email photos to you? Not sure how to upload pics on forum.

PM sent...

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...throw me a frickin' bone here, people...