Les Paul switch shaft and nut too short- help!

timmypix

Right, go on, get your short shaft giggles over and done with.

I have a 2017 Les  Paul Classic which I love very much. However, in recent years Gibson have taken to selling guitars without switch chips, which is frankly sick and wrong.

So, I have bought a switch chip, but the extra width seems to mean that the switch is further from the nut that sits on top of the chip. So much so in fact, that I had to sand the chip down to get the two to meet. This worked - guitar had chip and switch was seated - but because the switch was lower, the switch tip was hitting the edge of the nut when I switch to to the bridge or neck, which meant the switch wasn't travelling all the way and would ping back to the middle position. So I sanded down the switch tip until it cleared the nut.

However, at band practice last night the nut somehow worked loose and it and the chip came off, and it's a right pain in the bum to get it back - even after sanding the chip, it's still thick enough that I can barely get the switch to thread to the nut.

What am I missing? I bought one of these mounting nut extensions, but it's the same size as the mounting nut I've already got, so that hasn't solved it. The chip itself can't get much thinner without becoming paper, and I find it hard to believe that Gibson used the absence of the chip as an excuse to fit a shorter switch. 

While I resort to swearing at my clumsy fingers and trying to get the switch out of the body the right way round and connected to the nut again, can anyone offer any advice?

SteveRobinson

I think the wood is thicker on those guitars, it's just not designed for the escutcheon.

You could always rout it a bit thinner!

ICBM

Is there a serrated washer on the inside? If so, remove it. That will probably make the nut work loose quite easily, but you can put a bit of nail varnish on the threads to lightly lock it.

If not you're going to have to remove wood from the inside. A large-diameter hand countersink will do the job - you just need to go very carefully and keep test-fitting the switch until it's just right.

SteveRobinson

Maybe you could fit the short Switchcraft switch which has a longer threaded shaft, together with the deep nut you have. 
https://www.allparts.uk.com/products/toggle-switch-short-straight-switchcraft

You may have to pack the rear with a washer or two though.

jonnyburgo

timmypix said:

Right, go on, get your short shaft giggles over and done with.

SteveRobinson said:

I think the wood is thicker on those guitars.

ICBM said:

 That will probably make the nut work loose quite easily, 

If not you're going to have to remove wood from the inside. 

SteveRobinson said:

a longer threaded shaft, together with the deep nut you have. 

You may have to pack the rear with a washer or two though.

Sorry @timmypix, I need more to work with here.

timmypix

Thanks for the responses, guys. I haven't had a chance to start poking around the last couple of days but I'll look out for that serrated washer, and failing that try a new switch. 

I've seen plenty of other 2017 LPs around with switch chips and no one's mentioned this issue as far as I can see, which surprises me. Unless I bought an unusually thick chip? Who knows. I'll have a fiddle.

That last one's free, @jonnyburgo ;