'Smoother' 3/4/5-way switches?

[Ace Flibble]

I've had the CRL brand 3-way switch in my Warmoth Tele for a while now, and I'm a bit tired of it. It's very 'clicky' and stiff, I have to really focus and think about what I'm doing when I'm changing pickup selection otherwise if I treat it like the pickup selectors on my other guitars, it stubbornly stays where it is or I'm quite used to flicking from bridge pickup to neck pickup, and I frequently find it stopping in the middle position instead.

On the other hand my MIM Fender Strat has a very smooth 5-way switch that reacts just perfectly, always going exactly where I want it without me having to put much thought into using it, it never stops short or slides too far.

Just wondering what good 3-way (or maybe 4-way) switches there are out there that will give the same smoother action that my Strat's selector has. So far on our various UK hardware sites, all I can find is the CRL switches (again), Fender-branded switches, and Oak Grigsby switches which also claim to be used by Fender. Are either of the Fender or OG switches what I'm looking for? Is there another brand out there that will do it?


edit: in case it matters, which I can't imagine it does, it needs to fit the same dimensions as the CRL switch, as my Tele is rear-routed and the switch slot and screw holes are already there and I don't really fancy filling and re-drilling it and making it look a mess for the sake of one switch.

 

[dudesweet157]

My CRL was stiff when I got it, but now, after 4 years of playing it, it has broken in quite nicely and is very smooth.  I don't remember how long it took for it to break in though.

I would just keep the CRL and play the heck out of the thing to break it in.  I've never had a guitar switch that moved easily when it was new.  I'm sure your Mexican Strat had a stiff switch when it was new too (I've played a few recently, and they all had clicky switch syndrome).  Just play the thing brother, and it will soon go away.

-Rose