The British Steelies Society

Hi
Ailing Aria (teisco,Jedson) 6 string stringmaster clone needs one new pickup, switch, saddles anybody any ideas. Preferably this side of the pond. Obviously loller could help, or just replace the pickup with a duncan or something. Bare Knuckle could rewind it certainly. all contibution of advice or parts to buy gratefully Aaccepted. Fender or any clone will do.

I assume you mean something like this (actually a Fender Delux 6 clone - Stringmasters have more strings per neck and more necks!):



I've got a Jedsen that looks to be identical and I'd say (after a quick check with a tape measure) that any Stratocaster type pickup would fit perfectly (if you want a matched pair, you might as well replace both pickups - the originals aren't that great anyway). Is the pickup missing or broken? - if not missing, you could probably keep the original cover and put the new pickup inside it to retain the original look.

Not sure what you mean by "switch" - all the ones I've seen don't have one - just a blend control under the chrome cover (like a Fender).
Similarly, mine (and others I have seen) don't have saddles - just a steel bar that the strings go over.

Might be easier if you can post some pictures of what you have and someone can probably help.

Yes like that one, it has an extra 3 pole swith added, so you can have neck or bridge or both pickups on. The pickup is dead but still there. In touch with Seymour Duncan regarding replacement or rewind, and yes I would have both done or replaced.
cheers

There are hundreds of 3 pole switches out there - if you're looking for something similar to what you already have you'll need to give a bit more information.

What's the deal with the saddles?

Saddle as you stated. Heavily cut in so the strings are all different heights. Bought a Les Paul switch so that is sorted, and seymour duncan to come back to me on rewind of the pair, but might put strat pickups on Fat69 and SSL5. Cheers

Re the saddle - wow! never seen that before.
How about just turning the bar over so the worn side is down and the shiny new side is on top?
Yours is like the one in this picture?

No exactly like your red picture and no cover, but with added switch between the knobs.
Actually, because one pickup is not working I may have misunderstood the function of that knob and it might actually be a blend control, but it is not working either as I stated. I just thought the lack of detents was a malfunction, but if it is a blend the good pickup should reduce in volume when turned, now I am confused.

I posted the picture of the white one to show what I thought the bridge was like (the "saddle" as you call it) - which I can now see is the same as yours. What about my idea of turning the bar upside down so the string slots are on the underside? (it should actually be completely smooth with no slots at all - maybe the previous owner filed some slots in it for some reason - can't imagine the strings wearing slots into the bar on their own).

The good pickup would not necessarily reduce in volume with the blend control - as I remember, one of them stays on all the time and the blend control fades the other one in. In any case, it should definitely be a pot, not a switch.

It would originally have been a little wheel under the chrome bridge cover (you can see the hole where the shaft would have come up next to the bridge between the 3rd and 4th strings). It would have looked like the little thumb wheel you can see on this Stringmaster. In any case, I'd hold off on getting a replacement until you get the pickups replaced in case it is working.

Another thought - maybe the previous owner messed up the wiring when he re-located the blend control. Have you tested the "broken" pickup in isolation to see if it works after all - maybe it just isn't wired in to the circuit?

The blend pot has been totally removed, and the wiring is a mess, I have removed the bridge and looked at it under a magnifying glass. Slots been cut in the wrong places then filled in with something to try and level them, , a mess, but luckily nice and smooth and shiny at 180 degrees, the nut is also like new underneath. Took off the scratch plate and is definitely a large and old 3 way whirch so worn the positions do not make contact. I will try and locate the pickup wires and see if I get a reading. Thanks for the input. Found a wiring diagram on this site
http://www.juststeelguitar.com/pickups.html
Now that the hole has been cut, I think I will convert it to a blend

Speak to Ronnie Bennett , believe Ron builds his own pickups for the lap steels he builds, might be able to help with custom made parts, Ron is mechanical wizard.