Minimum clearance around 1/4" Holes for Toggles?

[s1player]

How much clearance should I leave around 1/4" holes that will be drilled through the face of the guitar in to the rear body rout? What is the minimum distance these should be from the Volume hole/pot and the Tone hole/pot? How for from each other?

The holes will be used for On-On Toggle switches to control the pickups, and I want to ensure I leave sufficient space for the toggle controls and the wiring and the tone and volume pots as well.

I appreciate the help with my question.

 

[Cagey]

Tough to say. I replaced the blade switch with three toggles on this Strat...

To answer your question directly, I put them 5/8" apart on center. That seemed to be a comfortable spacing and if I were to do it again, that's the dimension I'd use.

My thinking was that it would be possible to get any combination you wanted, which you can't do with the standard 5 position blade. Doing it this way gets you 7 combinations - 8 if you count "all off". Reality? Not so useful, and actually a pain in the shorts.

When you want to change pickup choice, you not only have to select the ones you want, you have to de-select the ones you don't. It sounds like a petty bitch, but seriously, in practice you don't want that kind of aggravation. You don't have time for it in real life. Blade switch is better.

Incidentally, that's a bleach/arctic/sterile/bright white finish. Camera is lying due to poor lighting. Also, that body as shown is for sale. First $200 gets it. I can do more pictures if anybody's interested. It's very light, that's a Wilkinson bridge, and I think those are Neovin pickups. Have to open it up to check. Noiseless, in any event. Helluva deal. Had an Ebony over Pau Ferro neck on it that's getting re-purposed.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

That is a great deal.

Yeah, the three toggles thing always struck me as being a pain. The best way to get those extra two combinations is surely to wire a switch (or push/pull or whatever) that adds the neck pickup in to any combination.

More likely though, you're only after the "neck + bridge" option (all three is a but of a "nothing" sound). For people who want that, I ask if they ever use the middle pickup alone. They'll often answer no, in which case I'll use a super switch and put neck + bridge in the middle position. Minimum hassle.

 

[Cagey]

It would be interesting to go back in time and see what Leo went though when designing the Strat. It's possible he found the same thing I did - the bridge+neck combo is not very useful, nor is the "all on" combination. Also, "all off" sounds like a good idea, but in reality you already have that with your volume control, so that's a useless switching feature.

It was a waste of time and money, but I'm glad I did it because now I know not to do it again.

Incidentally, if anybody's interested in that body, I'd be happy to replace the pickguard and switching arrangement to suit for an additional charge.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I don't think he went through any of that. He put three pickups in, wired them to a three-way switch to choose which one was active, and left it at that. I don't think he liked the sound of two pickups together - don't forget, the Tele didn't have that option when it was first built either.

I don't think much of the neck+bridge either. I have a "neck on" push/pull on one of my Strats and I never use it - to the point where I was surprised to find it there when I pulled the pickguard recently.

However, if you've got an HSH/HSS strat, or you're using rails or single-sized humbuckers etc, it can be a good sound.

 

[drewfx]

Funny, I've recently found the neck + bridge option on my W strat to be very, very useful.  :dontknow:

 

[Cagey]

I'm sure it has to do with which pickups are installed. Also, what you like to hear. On mine, it was a failure. Didn't sound bad, per se. Just not interesting or inspiring. To me. Somebody else might love it.