Megaswitch and the 5 way blade switch route?

[ChrisMC]

I’m patiently awaiting my neck and body (hopefully mid to late May arrival time). In the meantime, I’m researching every inch of my build, and trying to prepare for any issues that may arise once the neck and body get here.

Mine is a Soloist build.

I am going with two humbuckers and a Schaller Megaswitch E 5 way switch (master tone/master volume). I read where ONE person had issues with the Megaswitch’s screw holes not quite lining up with the pre-drilled holes from Warmoth, and the holes on the switch itself needed to be ovaled out and then rigged with the proper size nut for the machine screw thread to get those switches to work with the existing holes.

....but it was an older thread and only one person that said it. Not to say that it wasn’t true and correct, but it was also from years ago IIRC, and who knows what may have changed since then.

Has anybody experienced this with the 5 way blade switch route (ie Soloist, rear routed Strat, etc) and a Megaswitch (Schaller)?

Just curious. I already have it. I already have EVERYthing (Thornbucker pickups, pots, cap, barrel jack, conductive shielding paint, potentiometer knobs, wire, solder, pickup mount screws for direct mount, foam for underneath the pickups, locking tuners, brand new original Floyd Rose unit, R3 nut, D-Tuna, brass claw and screws, big brass block, potentiometer knobs, etc etc etc...), just trying to plan before it arrives.

I’m curious if anybody had to modify their Megaswitch to get it to work and line up with the Warmoth 5 way blade switch route/screw holes. 

Thanks!

 

[stratamania]

Is there a reason you are using a Megaswitch which more than likely will fit. An alternate would be a super switch or a Freeway blade which could give you more wiring flexibility.

 

[Rick]

Love the freeway switches

 

[ChrisMC]

Is there a reason you are using a Megaswitch which more than likely will fit. An alternate would be a super switch or a Freeway blade which could give you more wiring flexibility.

I have a couple Super Switches in my parts box; I don’t have a Freeway, but in checking the wiring diagrams, it looks like it gives me one more position than the Megaswitch does, and it costs $50, and it’s the pickup position I use the least (if ever, which is all four coils of both pickups on at once). Megaswitch gives me 5 positions, including coil splits, and that’s all I really need. My Strats both have 14 pickup positions (I don’t use single coils on my Strats, but Dimarzio rail single coil sized humbuckers).

There are dozens of ways to wire these circuits, and although I would gain one more position with a Freeway...I’m not sure I’d use it very often.

Super Switches are...cool but the Mega gives me the same thing I’m looking for and is a whole lot easier to deal with (...but I’ll just use the Super if the Mega fit gives me issues).

I’m just doing:

1. Bridge full humbucker
2. Bridge outer coil
3. Bridge + neck outer coils
4. Neck outer coil
5. Neck full humbucker

Again the one I’m missing is all four coils at once, but I don’t go there very often.

 

[Rick]

Try this ...

It misses your 4, and half way to your 3, but gets you a lot of other options.

 

[ChrisMC]

Try this ...

It misses your 4, and half way to your 3, but gets you a lot of other options.

Dang it!!! I’m trying to keep this build under $2K! LOL! I do like that option, I hadn’t seen that particular diagram when I looked. Sheesh. A $50 switch. I might do that...it’s a good thing I bought a years worth of StewMAX with free returns. Okay, off to think about pickup selections.

Two things:

1. For the life of me I don’t understand why the big manufacturers choose to load an HH guitar with only a three way switch. What a waste (and I’m looking at you, too...Gibson). Except for Ibanez, which leads me to...

2. I’m used to Ibanez wiring with the 5 way on HH guitars, and I was going to just be happy with that, but I’ve always been a firm believer in building as much versatility as practical into the wiring of a guitar (as in...not four knobs, six mini toggles, and two blade switches! LOL).

So...maybe Freeway 10 way is the way to go.

 

[Rick]

The problem is when there are more than 6 options, for most people, it's hard to keep track of them.  We'll maybe, that's just me.  That said, by putting all the options into the one switch it makes it intuitive to get from one to the next.  I have one guitar with two switches, one 5 way and another 3 way, and it's hard to know where I am.  The freeway is a much better solution.

I got that diagram by describing to the Freeway people what I was looking for, and they gave me this as the closest.

They're made in england.

 

[ChrisMC]

Welp, it looks like I’m going riding on the freeway...of tone. LOL.

I just ordered the SB5-01 from StewMac. Thank you for helping me round out the expense of this build.

 

[ChrisMC]

...I honestly forgot those even existed when I bought the Megaswitch. It totally slipped my mind; I’d not needed to “hunt” for a switching solution in quite awhile so I totally forgot about the Freeway switches.

 

[Rick]

They're great.  I have the 3b3 on my jazzmaster and it's great.  Almost two years now and no problems, only joy.

 

[Logrinn]

I've used both Schaller's Mega-Switch and the Freeway switch (the 10 sound version) on my Warmoth's.

Firstly - there's no problem fitting the Mega-Switch.
Secondly - the quality of both these switches and brands are not bad, but I don't find them as sturdy as a regular superswitch. They're prone to "shorting out", ie sometimes the sound cuts out.
Thirdly - I've come to realize that all the sound options available - at least on paper - from these switches is just a lure. When it comes down to playing I tend to use a maximum of three sounds and all the other options are never used.

My advice: don't buy a switch based on the options it gives you. Instead, ask yourself what sounds you want (really want) and then wire the guitar to get those sounds using the necessary switch. Chances are you can do what you want with a regular 5-way or at least a 5 way super-switch.
As an example I also like the full bridge humbucker in position one as the OP mentioned. But the outer coil of the bridge pickup in the 2:nd position? Yes, it sounds logical and good on paper - but in reality? I never use it. Doesn't sound good in my opinion. So I removed that from what I wanted my wiring to be.

My preferred choice is actually a 3-way toggle switch. Sometimes less is good enough.

 

[ChrisMC]

Try this ...

It misses your 4, and half way to your 3, but gets you a lot of other options.

Did you actually wire this one up and try it ever? Just wondering. I’ve been searching around for different wiring schematics for that particular switch, and surprisingly there doesn’t seem to be a lot out there...but I’m guessing the wiring options are a lot more than what they have on their site.

 

[Rick]

As I said, I asked freeway for the diagram.  You won't find it anywhere else but here.  Or you ask freeway. I've only used the 3b3 switch and I found the quality excellent.  I'm saving that 5 way diagram for a future build. 

I've had 3 way plain lp switches and plain cts pots that shorted or otherwise proved to be junk so it can happen to any component.  The good news is they can be replaced.

Logrinn speaks the truth that you'll probably only use a few of the options but you'll never know until you try.  I say go for it.

 

[ChrisMC]

I like a lot of versatility in my rig. My pedalboard, for instance, is considered a bit “ridiculous” by some...but do I use every pedal on it? Of course, just not on every gig...I have a similar mindset when it comes to my guitars. I’m the type of player that prefers to own only a few guitars, each with a ton of versatility built into them, than having a higher number of guitars, each of which only capable of covering so much ground.

As I think I mentioned previously (I think?), I’m all about versatility of it’s not too over the top (ie a row of mini toggles, individual volume and tone pots per pickup, multiple selector switches, etc etc)...but if you can build  in more versatility without it LOOKing like you did...I love that.

My Strats both have 14 pickup selection options, and the only thing that doesn’t look stock on the controls is the addition of a mini toggle. I dig stuff like that.

Chances are, in the studio or on the stage, I’ll find uses for just about any pickup selection, at some point. Some will most definitely get used more than others, but they’ll all get used at some point.

 

[Logrinn]

The Freeway switch is very easy to wire up.
You just connect the wires as indicated and - voila - done.

I wired one of my 7/8 Strats with their "traditional" wiring and got these 10 different pickup/sound combinations:

 

[rauchman]

The Freeway switch is very easy to wire up.
You just connect the wires as indicated and - voila - done.

I wired one of my 7/8 Strats with their "traditional" wiring and got these 10 different pickup/sound combinations:

I've never seen this switch before.  It looks like there are 2 banks of 5 way switching?  How are the banks selected, or am I totally misreading this and there are 10 notches in the switch?

 

[mayfly]

From what I understand the switch also moves perpendicularly to the usual 5 way switch travel, giving you another 5 selections.

Kinda like a 4 speed transmission on steroids.  I don't think there is a 'neutral' position mind you...

 

[Logrinn]

From what I understand the switch also moves perpendicularly to the usual 5 way switch travel, giving you another 5 selections.

Exactly so.

 

[rauchman]

From what I understand the switch also moves perpendicularly to the usual 5 way switch travel, giving you another 5 selections.

Exactly so.
[youtube] https://youtu.be/mrLKZZ5B8b0[/youtube]

Thanks for the video.  Helps explain how the switch works.  For me, my right hand would wind up inadvertently knocking the switch into a different position.  Cool idea though.