Dodgy 4 and 5 way switch

lapua65 · November 2022

Recent build with a purchased prewired loom on a 4 way switching Tele (off the bay) and 4 way was noisy and selecting the bridge was hit or miss. Changed to a new Oak Grisby and this one is noisy too. The pickup select is working but still noisy. Neither of the pots are noisy and all grounds seem to be good. I've now finished a build on a strat and wired this one myself. This switch is noisy and selecting the bridge pickup is also unreliable. I've given both plates and arms a good wet clean with switch cleaner but still has issues.
Considering how simple these switches are I am surprised if it is a common issue but thought I would ask if is? I've bought a Kaish 3 way as it looks better constructed.

CasperCaster · November 2022

Lots of cheap switches out there which look just like Oak Grigsby switches but aren't, and are really poor quality. Had one myself are couple of years ago. If that's the case, buy a switch from somewhere you trust.

However, first check if the lever is touching the end of the slot. Many slots are fractionally to short (or the throw of the switch is fractionally too long), which stops the lever moving forward enough and the switch wiper doesn't quite make proper connection with the contacts, hence bridge or neck selection is a bit flakey (of course, only relevant at the end positions of whichever switch you are using).

If this is the fault, either file the slot in the pickguard or control plate so it is fractionally longer at each end, or mark the lever of the switch and file a small notch into the lever itself. Be careful not to get any filings/ crap into the switch mechanism or elsewhere.

BillDL · November 2022

When you say "noisy", do you mean it creates a noise when switching between positions?
What kind of noise? Snap, Crackle or Pop?
Back in July in a question about this type of switch @ICBM spoke about some switches being "make before break", i.e. they make contact with the next connection before breaking connection with the last, and "break before make", i.e. they completely break the connection before connecting with the next contacts.

Dave_Mc · November 2022

lapua65 said:

I've bought a Kaish 3 way as it looks better constructed.

I've noticed those switches in the past on Amazon and avoided them! Maybe it's just prejudice, but I equate a lot of those things with those "fake" brands (as I call them, that's not a technical term!) on Amazon whose stuff is best avoided in case it's not safe etc..

You can get known good stuff for not much more money, I think. Granted- Amazon is very easy to buy from and you can put the order in with other stuff to get free postage etc..

Funkfingers · November 2022

Guitar manufacturers adopted Switchcraft, CTS and CRL components partly because they were available cheaply as military surplus after World War 2.

The US military adopted those brands because they had been rigorously tested for reliability and, then, proven their durability under combat conditions.

Anything that can remain operational at high altitude, in high humidity or at sea might manage to withstand the abuse meted out by a touring musician.

Dave_Mc · November 2022

Funkfingers said:
The US military adopted those brands because they had been rigorously tested for reliability and, then, proven their durability under combat conditions.

Yeah you wouldn't want your guitar to cut out when you're under fire, you might look silly

ICBM · November 2022

I’ve seen quite a few quality problems with recent Oak Grigsby switches. They can be fixed by bending the faulty terminals slightly so they make a better contact, but at the price they are it just isn’t good enough.

Break-before-make switches are inherently noisier than make-before-break, as already said. Whether this is why Leo Fender chose the MBB 3-way for the Tele and original Strat or whether it was a happy accident, I don’t know - but without it, the Strat in-between sounds may not have been discovered (or not as easily, at least).

Funkfingers · November 2022

ICBM said:

Leo Fender … happy accident

No accident. Leo Fender habitually spent as little as possible. If Macassar ebony had been dirt cheap, the Broadcaster/Esquire would have been made from it.

Dave_Mc said:

Funkfingers said:
The US military adopted those brands because they had been rigorously tested for reliability and, then, proven their durability under combat conditions.

Yeah you wouldn't want your guitar to cut out when you're under fire, you might look silly

On which note, it is almost the anniversary of Darrell Abbot's exit.

lapua65 · November 2022

Thanks for the responses. The actual noise is partial connection noise, so not static but more like a dirty connection only just making contact now and then. As the connection doesn't always "make" it is a problem. I shall take a look.

Dave_Mc · November 2022

Funkfingers said:
On which note, it is almost the anniversary of Darrell Abbot's exit.

Funkfingers · November 2022

The Dimebag devotees on tFB get very touchy about any humour they perceive to be at Abbott's expense.

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Dodgy 4 and 5 way switch

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