Help me choose physical switch type and location (mini toggle as pup selector?)

[stefan]

Before I drill some big holes in the face of the guitar I want to choose the right pickup selector switch.

With my HH rear-routed strat http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=15675.0, I opted not to get the strat switch slot cut, which I am slightly regretting. I don't like the action on the LP style switch I bought, with the large throw and odd spring return to centre. I'm used to my current guitar with a 5 way strat switch wired with the rear three positions as a 3 way, nice short throw. Whatever I use for a pickup switch I will use 2 on-on-on DP3T mini toggles for parallel/split/series switching on each humbucker.

Any  suggestions? Am toying with the idea of using a mini toggle for the pickup selection too, which would mean 3 mini toggles in total + one vol knob.

• Anyone have any thoughts on this? I've only used on-on minitoggles before, would the throw of an on-on-on be too finicky for pickup selection?
• Where to mount? Three in a row at the strat switch location is the easy choice, but not sure it works functionally or aesthetically...
• Blade-style handles
  
  or bat-tyle
  
  ?

 

[Cagey]

I find the 3 position mini-toggles to be too fiddley to use in real life. It's just too short a throw to hit your mark reliably. But, that's just me. I hate having to pay too close attention to my switches; I just wanna flip it and be done with it, not fondle it for 5 seconds trying to figure out where it's at.

As for bat vs. blade handles, I've used both and I'm not sure there's much difference, but I do like the blade handles better. It's probably an imaginary advantage.

Also, with a rear-routed control cavity, you may have to relieve the space behind the switch hole a bit with a Forstner bit to not only get the wood thin enough to allow the mounting of such small switches, but to clear the switch body. But, I could be wrong on that one; somebody else who's done it could say better.

 

[Steve_Karl]

I'm hooked on the blade style handle. Got 'em in 2 strats.
Yes. You have to get a bit more wood out of the cavity to let the threads come up, but it's an easy thing to do. I didn't use a special bit of any kind.
I probably just used my dremel tool. It was easy enough that I don't remember how I did it.

I didn't have any trouble using them when I used them in live shows. There's only 2 positions so it's either on or off.
I, personally, hate traditional strat and tele blade switches.

 

[stefan]

Thanks for the input guys. On a front-routed guitar I'd just go ahead and try something, worst case  = new pickguard.

Yeah, if I mount them where the blade switch would have gone (Warmoth routed this area thinner in the control cavity by default, even though I didn't get the slot cut) then the wood is probably thin enough, but anywhere else I will have to remove some wood. Still gotta decide if I want them all there - personally I think it looks cleaner with controls mounted further towards the back of the guitar.

 

[Firebird211]

I would use a full size selector switch for the pickups, since that will be the primary one you will be using live while in the middle of playing.  The mini toggles are good to do your wiring changes, since they are smaller you have to deliberatly grab them and set them.  Mini's aren't really meant to be thrown in the middle of performing, eventhough, I do occasionally do that with a push-pull knob or flip a toggle in practice to find what I am looking for on a particullar song.  Placement of these switches is up to you and what makes sense and what is comfortable, but as the guy with too many switches I swept 4 of them right along side of the 5-way.  I have also seen a guy that swept 3 switches right where the 2nd tone pot goes, so they are out of the way. If you didn't want extra visible switches you could have two push-pull knobs do the series/paralel/coil select for both pickups simultaneously if it didn't matter they both switch at the same time.  The only downfall of push-pulls are that both knobs have to be pulled up for parallel, both down for series, then either up seperately would coil select.  That is the P-rail scenario anyway.