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Bummer on the pickguard.

I can't say that refurbishing a pickup will be an easy task. You'd probably have to rewire the pickup because my guess is there is a break in the copper wire. Stewmac has some 42 and 43 awg wire but recoiling would be an impossible task by hand. So you'd have to buy some ridiculously priced winding device or be resourceful and make your own. I can't find the link at the moment but there is a while page about winding your own at home. It's got some info on taking an old calculator and turning it into a counter for each coil.

That is to say if the magnets haven't lost their power, maybe there is just a loose connection in the wiring or a bit of a short. I wouldn't recommend taking apart the pickup until you're sure all is lost.

I believe hurb made a couple of pups but as I recall they didn't have a high enough ohm rating for his liking so be wary of that as it's hard to get an exact rating by diy methods.

the bronco pickup should be fine, bronco and mustang pickups are the same. the frets don't look that bad to me, mine are worse i'd say, and it still plays fine:
if there are any dead ones you could look into a refret but see how you get on playing it first.

ian850 wrote: How would a late 70's Bronco pup sound in the bridge position (I have a spare) .

Better than the hot rail to my taste, but tone is super subjective, right? I mean it won't sound un-mustangy or anything.

When I got my Bronco I thougth the frets were fooked, but I attacked them with a radius block and 400 grit sandpaper and a cheap fret crowning file I got off ebay and it's fucking awesome now.


Radius block
Crowning file

Search around and find whatever works for you. Them frets ARE salvagable.

Thanks for that, I will look into getting the fret tools.

The original pickup still works, but its in a bad way (rusty) is there anyhting that I can bathe it in to clean it up?

Do you think that the 78 Bronco pup will be better that a brand new kent armstrong pup?

if it's only cosmetics i wouldn't bother trying to clean it up, just get a plain pickup cover and you'll never see it.

you already have a bronco so presumably you know what the pickup will sound like?

What I meant was, would it be better, as in truer to the mustang sound? I have never heard an original mustang bridge pickup so I cant compare.

HOLY FUCK someone did a jimi to this guitar... but it reeks of mojo... wow! i drool with envy. that's the one i like to pick up, keep and ROCK. it's not like they haven't seen that before!

get a nice beat up guard for it and don't clean it - ever!

the Rock Gods have smiled at you, be thankful and do your duty.

Pat.

ian850 wrote:I have never heard an original mustang bridge pickup so I cant compare.

bronco, mustang and musicmaster pickups are all the same. there may be slight differences in output or whatever over the years, but they're completely interchangeable.

This baby's got personality - oohhhh yeah! That does suck that the pg fell apart, did u score that vintage one off ebay?
I'd go with the 70s Bronco pup, yes indeedy!

Boyfriend walks by, sees the mustang on the screen "I dunno... I don't care how beat up a vintage guitar looks, it's gotta be functioning. I wouldn't want chunks of the pickguard falling off while I was playing."
Me - "The pickguard fell off, he's replacing it."
Bf - "Cool, is he gonna refinish it in Ocean Turquoise?"

Any updates??

Willem wrote:Any updates??

see here for the full grisly details:

http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=37658

Now thats what I call "Road Worn!"