Why the VLX91 Switch?

jaymenon

With a HSH set up, a simple 5-way can give you the conventional five switching positions.

So then why do companies like Ibanez use the more complex VLX91?

https://i.imgur.com/sYjPZXm.jpg

ICBM

Possibly because it allows them to standardise the switch across the whole range? I don’t know.

Why do companies use barrel jacks when open-frame ones are cheaper and better?

Why does Yamaha wire the bass-cut switch on the Revstar in the most complicated and unreliable way possible?

These and other mysteries...

Dave_Mc

I've been putting off rewiring my Ibanez because of that switch... trying to decide whether it's easier to rip it out and put in another switch or stick with it and hope I can decipher what's going on... 

jaymenon

Dave_Mc said:

I've been putting off rewiring my Ibanez because of that switch... trying to decide whether it's easier to rip it out and put in another switch or stick with it and hope I can decipher what's going on... 

If your Ibanez is rear routed, it might be easier to unscrew the switch, lift it out of the cavity, solder the connections, and then 're-implant' the switch.

If the switch is pickguard-mounted, then should be simple enough...?

Dave_Mc

It's rear-routed, I think to get at the single coil I'll have to do that. At that point it's almost easier to fit the new switch! Hence my reluctance to bother... 

Roland

ICBM said:

Possibly because it allows them to standardise the switch across the whole range?

Very likely this because of the simplicity and cost savings it provides. It allows them to buy in bulk to get better prices. They only have one switch type to test. They only have one stock item to manage, and they’re never going to be holding different stock items to service the repair market.

jaymenon

Also on a HSH config, you can get both humbuckers in position 3 (rather than just the single coil)

So hum-cancelling in all positions (though the single coil sold is possibly more distinctive than both humbuckers on, which is a sort of 'neither here nor there' tone)
https://i.imgur.com/YDi2MRl.jpg

Dave_Mc

^ Thanks I was going to try to wire it with the tone control splitting the pickups, and then the volume adding the bridge pickup so I could get all of those options. I know how to do that with a regular switch...

You can do that type of thing you're talking about with those Schaller megaswitches, too, the problem is I kind of like the middle single as well... both humbuckers together is the obvious "useful" tone missing from "standard" HSH wiring, but I don't want to lose the middle pickup to get it!

jaymenon

I always find that both HB together tends to sound like one pickup or the other, most commonly very similar to the neck pickup…

Funkfingers

The OTAX VLX91 is a four-pole PCB type.

It can be configured to do almost any circuit worth having … and a few that aren't.

It is more compact than the CTS style alternative. 

Most importantly of all, to paraphrase Douglas Adams, it is slightly cheaper.


Where this switch earns its keep is on fancy two pickup circuits such as the Jerry Donahue Telecaster and DiMarzio/Ibanez five-way HH.

ICBM

jaymenon said:

I always find that both HB together tends to sound like one pickup or the other, most commonly very similar to the neck pickup…

I don't find that at all - maybe it's a problem with some pickup combinations, but I always find it a very distinctive sound, usually my favourite on a two-humbucker guitar.

Whether I want it as an alternative to the middle single coil depends on the pickups, and the guitar.

Funkfingers said:

Where this switch earns its keep is on fancy two pickup circuits such as the Jerry Donahue Telecaster and DiMarzio/Ibanez five-way HH.

It's also physically less tall than the standard CRL/Oak-type switches and even some of the other cheap standard 5-way types, which can matter in some Ibanez models.

ThePrettyDamned

ICBM said:

Possibly because it allows them to standardise the switch across the whole range? I don’t know.

Why do companies use barrel jacks when open-frame ones are cheaper and better?

Why does Yamaha wire the bass-cut switch on the Revstar in the most complicated and unreliable way possible?

These and other mysteries...

I was looking at barrel jacks for my new build, thinking "oh, neat, the jack and plate are one piece - that's bound to be really sturdy! Costs a few quid more... I'll just check reviews".

"don't buy this, get a switchcraft or even an import open frame" etc. Surprised me! Why over engineer unless you're really, properly, over engineering?! 

ICBM

ThePrettyDamned said:

I was looking at barrel jacks for my new build, thinking "oh, neat, the jack and plate are one piece - that's bound to be really sturdy! Costs a few quid more... I'll just check reviews".

"don't buy this, get a switchcraft or even an import open frame" etc. Surprised me! Why over engineer unless you're really, properly, over engineering?! 

Exactly. The problem with barrel jacks is that the contacts are flimsy - and being deep down inside a sealed socket, cannot be re-tensioned or even cleaned properly if they go iffy... you have to replace the jack, which is not cheap. And yet, for some reason they seem to be seen as an 'upgrade'.

Dave_Mc

ICBM said:

jaymenon said:

I always find that both HB together tends to sound like one pickup or the other, most commonly very similar to the neck pickup…

(a) I don't find that at all - maybe it's a problem with some pickup combinations, but I always find it a very distinctive sound, usually my favourite on a two-humbucker guitar.

Whether I want it as an alternative to the middle single coil depends on the pickups, and the guitar.

Funkfingers said:

Where this switch earns its keep is on fancy two pickup circuits such as the Jerry Donahue Telecaster and DiMarzio/Ibanez five-way HH.

(b) It's also physically less tall than the standard CRL/Oak-type switches and even some of the other cheap standard 5-way types, which can matter in some Ibanez models.

(a) I wouldn't say it's my favourite tone, but it's a very nice one- I like it for cleaner tones, a bit like Strat in-between tones, it's a bit more complex-sounding than one pickup alone. As you said, I guess it could be a problem with some very specific pickup combinations, but to me as well it usually sounds pretty good and pretty distinct.

(b) It's also a bit of a pain to get at all of the contacts- at least on a rear-routed guitar. I rewired the guitar yesterday... it was a bit of a pain. The middle single coil especially was a real pain to get at. I probably should've taken the switch out to get at it better...