The Electra Forums

Hi All,

New owner of an Electra 2259 SG seeking information on pickup replacement or suitable alternative(s).
The original pickups are Maxon; neck measured 8.35K and bridge was found to be open circuit.

I am hoping the wealth of knowledge and experience here will provide me with some idea of my options and if restoration is worth the effort and money.

I have tested the guitar on my Vox AC30 and with the neck pickup alone it sounded impressive. I have a re-issue tele but I considering restoring the Electra as a back up guitar.

Any advice will be appreciated. Pics will follow as soon as I learn to attach pics to a post.

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RCSBlues

some are fairly easy to repair.or have repaired..i have had several where the lead is broken where they attach to the pickup wire...easy fix, however I recently had one broken deep in winding and requires complete rewind..there are several companies that repair pickups if u decide to keep the git original.....A rewind is tough..very small wire and a ton of turns...I have a winder i rigged from a old 12v drill with variable power supply that works ok but i use primarily for small inductors for crossovers.....too much hassle for pickups trying to feed fine wire evenly from spool. I always try to keep the gits as stock as possible

Depending on the pickup, you may be able to find one on e-bat. Maxon pups do turn up from time to time. 8.3 for the bridge is in the normal range for a PAF. There are many on the market. Guitar Fetish makes inexpensive ones that get good reviews.

Thanks for the response. I was offline for some time and put the project on hold. Now have it all stripped down and had the good fortune to have it seen by a friend who has offered to do the paint job . He has also taken the worn grubby scratch plate. I will post some pics when I get the 2259 back.

Another feelgood story - it all seems to be falling into place. After a friend offered to do the paintwork on the 2259, I visited a local guitar shop and the the owner (who just happened to be an Electra fan) - offered me the choice of a box of pickups left behind by owners who upgraded their humbuckers.

I picked up two Maxons - one with the original number from the 70s and I am hoping it is from the "Super Seven" vintage. Both test at approx. 8.25Kohms.

Now I am looking for advice/suggestions on the best cost effective options for following:
1) replacement keys
2) the right screws for scratchplate
3) Strap buttons
4) availability of replacement options for 2259 Bagsby tail pieces (the Stewmac range looks good but out of budget)
5) The original pickups as well as the replacement pickup covers are tarnished and rusty - replace covers or new pickups?

Stewmac has some really good options but would appreciate some advice from someone who has restored a 2259 before I make any purchases.

1) replacement keys
I don't know of anything good that will fit the original holes, but a set of grover rotomatics are always a good upgrade, or if you went with a set of vintage style Klusons (Grover makes some too) they may cover some of the holes in the back. Most of the ones from GFS are pretty good too.

2) the right screws for scratchplate - don't have one handy, I would probably look at ones for a strat pickguard - you can buy them in packs pretty cheap on the net (ebay). GFS may have a packet too.

3) Strap buttons
Don't sweat this, find a nice set on ebay or other parts supplier. GFS has some nice ones. You might even consider strap locks.

4) availability of replacement options for 2259 Bigsby tail pieces (the Stewmac range looks good but out of budget)
I think the bigsby version is a B5 for that. So I'd look for a used real B5. I always buy used when I can = I bought one used a while back off of The Gear Page - another site to check if ebay fails you. And if you need a bridge there is a wilkinson roller bridge that is really fantastic and cheap - you can find them very cheap on ebay brand new.

5) The original pickups as well as the replacement pickup covers are tarnished and rusty - replace covers or new pickups?
Metal polish from an automotive department in Walmart or your local AutoZone store should remove just about any tarnish. But it won't remove pitting or if the finish is completely worn off. I really would not worry about it too much, most guys on the gear page pay extra to get their new pickups to made to look OLD You get it on yours honestly.

But if it drives you crazy, you can always get new or newer pickups. I'd look for a good used set of something you like better - duncans, dimarzios are not too bad used. Tonerider Alnco IVs are good, and so are a used set of Epiphone Probuckers (get the Probucker though, as it is a really good copy of the Gibson Burstbuckers). If you buy new, GFS pickups are not bad (great used too if you find the right one) or Giovanni's are quite nice for the money but are getting harder to find (right now about $65 a pair on ebay new and pretty awesome for that kind of money). I buy pickups used if I can for about half to 2/3 the new street price. Some people change pickups like underwear. Let them pay full price. You can go other way too, with Sheptones, Fralin, Duncan Antiquities, Lollar, WCR, Bareknuckles and others for LARGE bucks if you really love the guitar but want the best. It is all a matter of subjective opinion. I have some Sheptones in a couple of my better Electras and they were expensive. He sometimes runs a special on them in the fall and in the spring, so you may contact him and see, but still a lot. I also have a Harmonic Designs humbucker in one of my Electras - they are big bucks too - and they sound GREAT. If you want a hot-rodded sound, you have all kinds of Duncan, Dimarzio and other choices.

But try your originals first, they should sound pretty good. You may have to "pot" them or as some people say "wax" them if they are too microphonic and squeal. Most replacements you won't. But potting *can* slightly remove some of the top-end from your pickup (it is subtle usually, but you may notice it). There are LOTS of good choices out there.

Good luck!

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Thorny

Re. the pickups, I'd have to endorse what Thorny points out; that you'd really have to love the guitar to put - for example, Bareknuckle Rebel Yells - in what was, for all intents and purposes a mid level guitar, price wise. I've just ordered a set of Irish tour pickups for my strat, and the wife isn't talking to me yet!!
What I've found, I have to say, is that putting premium pickups in any guitar WILL make the listener sit up and take notice, whereas a set of GFS may not elicit much of a reaction... YMMV, and I've found that clean sounds of an expensive pup at dining room volume aren't really that much different from cheap ones; the difference comes at high gain values, and distortion effected tones, which on the Duncan in my Vantage Invader will rip your face clean off but is as gentle as a lamb on the bench!

It's a journey, mate, and one with many stops along the way; bloody good fun though!!

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"... and on the eighth day, God created New Zealanders.

Because even the Australians need heroes."

Well, I am almost there - if you can ever get almost there with a project guitar. I picked up a Maxon pickup for $5 (wiped the underside clean and found a stamp : "Maxon XXX74" 8.3K on the bridge. Have tried it and sounds awesome. Assembled with some scratchplate scews still needed - pics coming up.

Feel free to post any comments constructive criticism will be appreciated - this is a first project!

Looks good. What color was it before the re-do?

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SlmGuy

Thanks.

It looked like it was painted with a toothbrush - a horrible brown varnish looking concoction was used in repeated coats.

Before starting the project I did not know what I was dealing with so was hesitant to start scraping - in case it was a genuine Gibson SG!! (only a dream!!) but I am not disappointed -i love the way people's jaws drop when I drive it through my Vox ac30 with greenbacks. Real old time British bluesy feel!! I love it. I had some pics on my iphone somewhere and would like to post them here as 'before and after' but cannot find them.

Would like to see a closeup of the headstock, and of the heel where the neck bolts to the body. I have a feeling this is a 'sandwich' body (layers of wood laminated together front to back) like Arthur's. These were probably made in the early 70's, and possibly distributed by PCM, not SLM. Regardless, if you like the way it plays and feels, that after all is what matters. Those strat knobs look out of place, you might want to try to find some bell shaped ones. Here is a nice thread on some of the many SLM 2259's that we've seen out there, cheers:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5093

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Electra Guitar Videos ===> http://www.youtube.com/user/mjm33mjm?feature=watch

I will try and post headstock pics - they are nowhere near the 2259s you posted. And i agree re: the knobs - just could not find suitable bell shaped tuners locally - and those that were available were ridiculously priced. I would replace them at the drop of a hat if I could find a nice set.