Anyone familiar with the Free-Way pickup switch?

[~Maxx]

Hello all. I'm getting ready to wire up a parts-caster, and was interested in using this switch to replace the 5-way and expand my pickup switching options. I always thought I was pretty decent with passive guitar wiring (though I am self-educated), but just can't seem to get a solid grasp on how these things work from the diagrams at Stewmac's website (PDF link for diagrams at bottom of "Instructions" tab). I'm sure that once I can get a meter on it I can figure it all out. But I'd hate to send off for one and find that it's useless to me.

I'm pretty much going for a Brian May type schematic on an H-S-S pickup configuration. I'm guessing I'll need two of these switches to accomplish both coil tapping and phase reversal across the board. Would anyone know if this is going to work for me? Or should I save my $60 and put it toward a crap-load of DPDT switches?

Thanks in advance for any advice!




Edit by ashcat_lt - fixed the link. No "s in URL tags around here.

[newey]

The .pdf file that's linked in the Stew-Mac entry has the switch logic:

www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/i-0040/i-0040.pdf

[JohnH]

I think this switch is pretty new, and I read about it (or something similar) being part of a new sig model for Jimmy Page last year. It was to recreate an HHH Les Paul that he used to have, but with this enhanced switch. I recall that positions 1, 2, 3 did the usual settings with neck and bridge, then pulling it across to positions 4, 5, 6 added in the middle as well, if wanted.

Clearly it could do more than just those functions, but I wouldnt launch into buying them for a Brian May style of switching unless its all worked out first. BTW, we have several BM designs here, using standard toggles or sliders - let us know if youd like links to them.

J

[sumgai]

un,

We've discussed this switch before, but I don't believe any of our members has actually admitted to using one in their mad-scientist scheme. You're about to become our first such member! ;D

Seriously, the only way we can evaluate your chances for success is to see a schematic of your intended design. We can then compare that to the PDF file for the switch, and see if any problems might show up.

Errr, you do already have such a design already, yes?

.......

As for the saving money on the Freeway(s) and buying a crapload of switches, well..... To each their own, but me, I personally like a clean, uncluttered look. Contrast that to CheshireCat's Ultimate Utah, a working guitar that has been discussed many times here in the NutzHouse:






Obviously you'll want to fall somewhere inbetween..... I hope!


HTH






sumgai

[~Maxx]

Thanks newey. I've been pouring over that page though, and I can't seem to grasp the logic. Maybe I'm not as smart as I think I am? How can changing between positions 1, 2, & 3 maintain the same flow of signal to positions 4, 5, & 6 - BUT - positions 4, 5, & 6 will respectively (and differently) change the signal flow to positions 1, 2, & 3? Somethings not adding up. I'm going to have to order one just so I can sleep tonight!

[~Maxx]

Sorry John & sumgai. I'm a slow typist - your replies didn't show up untill after I posted!

Mar 2, 2011 14:34:59 GMT -5 JohnH said:

I think this switch is pretty new, and I read about it (or something similar) being part of a new sig model for Jimmy Page last year. It was to recreate an HHH Les Paul that he used to have, but with this enhanced switch. I recall that positions 1, 2, 3 did the usual settings with neck and bridge, then pulling it across to positions 4, 5, 6 added in the middle as well, if wanted.

Clearly it could do more than just those functions, but I wouldnt launch into buying them for a Brian May style of switching unless its all worked out first. BTW, we have several BM designs here, using standard toggles or sliders - let us know if youd like links to them.

J

I can do Brian May switching with DPDT switches in my sleep. But I really don't need every function, and was hoping to cut down on the number of switches.

Mar 2, 2011 15:03:13 GMT -5 sumgai said:

un,

We've discussed this switch before, but I don't believe any of our members has actually admitted to using one in their mad-scientist scheme. You're about to become our first such member! ;D

Seriously, the only way we can evaluate your chances for success is to see a schematic of your intended design. We can then compare that to the PDF file for the switch, and see if any problems might show up.

Errr, you do already have such a design already, yes?

.......

As for the saving money on the Freeway(s) and buying a crapload of switches, well..... To each their own, but me, I personally like a clean, uncluttered look. Contrast that to CheshireCat's Ultimate Utah, a working guitar that has been discussed many times here in the NutzHouse:






Obviously you'll want to fall somewhere inbetween..... I hope!


HTH






sumgai

It's a catch 22. I can't draw up a schematic unless I know how the switch works! ;D Maybe I'll just order one for now. I'm fairly certain I can make use of it on my next project (pair of p90's).

On a side note - that's one crazy guitar! I love the single-sized double coil in the full sized humbucker slot! How does he remember how to use all that?!

[~Maxx]

Went ahead and ordered two. What the heck?! They look just as cool sitting in my tool box as they do on a guitar.

"Hey Maxx - what's that?"

"A Free-Way switch."

"What does it do?"

"Everything!"

(Let's hope so!)

[sumgai]

Mad Scientist, errr, un2maxx,

Well good for you, pulling the trigger and ordering those things. Do keep us posted on what you find, OK?

What I meant was, do you intend to insert these into an already built circuit, in the hopes of reducing the parts count? (Sounds like that's your goal.) If so, then we'd like to see the diagram from which you're working. There are many ways to accomplish the Brian May tonal pallette, I'm sure you'll agree.

Also, you just said that you don't need/use all of the functions of the "standard" BM scheme. Again, even if you can 'do these in your sleep', it'd be nice to share with your fellow Nutz just what it is that you're looking to keep, and what's gonna get axed outta yer axe. Ideas like this are what keep the lifeblood flowing here in The NutzHouse, if you know that I mean.

HTH


sumgai

[JohnH]

BTW - when we do Brian May switching around here, we get parallel as well as the standard series options, and it pays to be very much awake when wiring them up!

[newey]

How can changing between positions 1, 2, & 3 maintain the same flow of signal to positions 4, 5, & 6 - BUT - positions 4, 5, & 6 will respectively (and differently) change the signal flow to positions 1, 2, & 3? Somethings not adding up.

Oh, you want to know how it works, not just what connections it makes?

I dunno, just treat it like a black box, don't worry about the innards. You have the connections it makes and can therefore suss out the wiring. And there's a bunch of pre-made diagrams to use with the thing anyway!

Of course, it's only "not adding up" if we make the unstated assumption that the switch is mechanical- which it probably is. But if someone had told you in advance that it was a digital logic switch, then you wouldn't have thought twice about how it could do that.

But we don't want you to lose any sleep over this, and it will be a few days before the actual switches show up in the Post. So, if you really have to know how it works, click on the link. There is a patent number listed on the switch. I suspect that the patent number could lead a clever sort to the patent itself, via the google webs. ;D

And the patent must of course explain how the switch works, or they couldn't have patented it. . .

Now, of course, I could have done this for you, and posted a link, but you're the one losing sleep, not me!

[~Maxx]

Mar 2, 2011 18:35:39 GMT -5 sumgai said:

What I meant was, do you intend to insert these into an already built circuit, in the hopes of reducing the parts count? (Sounds like that's your goal.) If so, then we'd like to see the diagram from which you're working. There are many ways to accomplish the Brian May tonal pallette, I'm sure you'll agree.

Also, you just said that you don't need/use all of the functions of the "standard" BM scheme. Again, even if you can 'do these in your sleep', it'd be nice to share with your fellow Nutz just what it is that you're looking to keep, and what's gonna get axed outta yer axe. Ideas like this are what keep the lifeblood flowing here in The NutzHouse, if you know that I mean.

I absolutely understand where you're coming from. I'm not working from anything on paper right now, but I'll have to draw something up before I do the wiring. I'd be happy to share it. Though my artistic skills are surely lacking compared to others here. What do you all use to draw up your schematics on the computer? I still do the old pencil and paper thing.

Mar 2, 2011 19:41:36 GMT -5 JohnH said:

BTW - when we do Brian May switching around here, we get parallel as well as the standard series options, and it pays to be very much awake when wiring them up!

Heh heh... Well said JohnH. Nothing ruins a good nap like a hot soldering iron! ;D In the past I've used 8 DPDT switches to accomplish full series/parallel and signal reversal options. I've always been suspicious that there might be a more efficient way of doing things, but that's the way I figured it out in the early 1990's, and I can wire it from memory. So that's what I've stuck with over the years when I want that sort of wiring (which I've gotten away from of late).

Mar 2, 2011 22:36:47 GMT -5 newey said:

How can changing between positions 1, 2, & 3 maintain the same flow of signal to positions 4, 5, & 6 - BUT - positions 4, 5, & 6 will respectively (and differently) change the signal flow to positions 1, 2, & 3? Somethings not adding up.

Oh, you want to know how it works, not just what connections it makes?

I dunno, just treat it like a black box, don't worry about the innards. You have the connections it makes and can therefore suss out the wiring. And there's a bunch of pre-made diagrams to use with the thing anyway!

Of course, it's only "not adding up" if we make the unstated assumption that the switch is mechanical- which it probably is. But if someone had told you in advance that it was a digital logic switch, then you wouldn't have thought twice about how it could do that.

But we don't want you to lose any sleep over this, and it will be a few days before the actual switches show up in the Post. So, if you really have to know how it works, click on the link. There is a patent number listed on the switch. I suspect that the patent number could lead a clever sort to the patent itself, via the google webs. ;D

And the patent must of course explain how the switch works, or they couldn't have patented it. . .

Now, of course, I could have done this for you, and posted a link, but you're the one losing sleep, not me!

After studying a bit (okay - a lot more I've realized that it's the A1 & A2 connections that are confusing me. The others are fairly obvious, but the "A"'s seem to be a bridge between the two sides. I hadn't thought of looking up the patent. That's pretty smart! I may do that if I get desperate, but to be honest I'm rather enjoying the challenge of picking this thing apart on my own now that I've gotten into the spirit. We'll see where my little brain can take me on its own. Thanks!

[~Maxx]

Since this has turned into a full-fledged discussion I may as well take a few minutes to explain the origin and details of the guitar I'm assembling. I apologize in advance for such a long post ...

Over the last several years I've been slowly rebuilding a late 90's model American Deluxe (I think?) Stratocaster. I've finally got things pretty much how I want them on this guitar, so I'm planning to tear it down one last time this spring and refinish the body and neck. Since it's currently the only decently playable guitar I own (other than a sad little 1960's model Silvertone Kay) I'll need something else to play while I do the body work (I'm planning on using tung oil - so it will probably take a while). After scrounging around amongst my spare parts I located a Strat-style body from a cheap Harmony guitar I owned in the early 1990's, an old 22 fret Kramer neck, and enough hardware to put together another guitar - including a set of three Gold Lace Sensor pickups that I pulled out of the afore-mentioned Strat, and a Red Lace Sensor that has mysteriously appeared in my electronics box. I'll spare you all the gruesome details, but once I got everything assembled I started thinking about wiring possibilities. I had kept things fairly simple on the Strat, so I figured I may as well go a bit over the top with this build.

Among the first things I considered when planning the wiring was that this guitar was not going to have much in the way of primary tone. The body is made of some junk plywood, after all. In addition, I had removed the Lace Sensors from my Strat because I didn't care for the sound of them (at least not for a blues guitar). So I decided to go for more of a rock set-up that wasn't as reliant on the guitars natural tonal qualities (or the lack thereof). Given that the Gold Lace Sensors are fairly lightweight in the way of output compared to most rock guitar pickups, it occurred to me that some sort of active circuitry might be beneficial. I had played around with a friends guitar years ago after he had a set of EMG's installed, and didn't much care for them. But I'm mostly a blues player, so that's not surprising. From what I remember, though, I think the sound of the Lace Sensors will lend itself well to an active setup. And it will give those Golds a boost. The adjustment knob for the active circuit will replace one of my tone knobs, and I'm going to wire a bypass switch to a push/pull pot. on the vol. knob. That way I'm not screwed when the battery dies. I'm thinking that the remaining tone knob might serve well as a switch for a dual tone capacitor setup. I did this on my Strat for the first time a while back and have found it to be quite handy. I'm also curious to see how the different caps behave with the active circuitry.

When it came down to the pickup configuration I had a bit of an odd pairing to deal with. I don't recall the exact numbers, but the output of the Red Lace Sensor is well over twice that of the Gold. So obviously the Red would go in the bridge position. I have four pickups to play with, so I figured I may as well create a home made Red/Gold Dually humbucker. And if you're going to have a humbucker on a Strat it has always seemed most useful to me at the bridge anyway. I have a feeling I'll wind up finding a more suitable partner for that Red at some point (which would open an opportunity for a Gold Dually at the neck ;D). But for now I'm just working with what I've got. So I think what I'll be going for with the wiring is something that will allow me to use the bridge and neck pickups either individually, in parallel, or in series. And given the physical distance between them I thought a signal reversal would also be handy. And since there's such a large difference between the two bridge pickups I figured I'd be best off approaching them with the same philosophy.

Whew! Outside of that, I've got a Rockinger tremolo stabilizer that also came out of my Fender Strat (I blocked the trem on that guitar in favor of a better primary tone). I thought I may as well try it out since blocking the trem on this partscaster is likely to make it sound worse. I replaced the bridge with one that has a full-sized steel sustain block (hopefully that will help the tone a bit), and I decided to try my hand at installing a Fender LSR nut since the trem will be floating. And that's the story of my newest project so far.

The counter below says I only have 55 thousand 5 hundred and... umm... wait... 4 hundred and... some-odd characters left before the word police come to shut me down. So I'd better close up before this thread swallows me alive. I appreciate everyone's comments, and I'll be sure to update my progress.

Thanks for the space to yak and carry on!

[newey]

All those characters used up, and you still haven't told us where the Freeway switch fits into the picture!

Perhaps it's here:

So I think what I'll be going for with the wiring is something that will allow me to use the bridge and neck pickups either individually, in parallel, or in series. And given the physical distance between them I thought a signal reversal would also be handy. And since there's such a large difference between the two bridge pickups I figured I'd be best off approaching them with the same philosophy.

So, does the Freeway control the neck and bridge pickups? And how is this at all related to the Brian May setup, which is based on individual pickup switches?

I'm not sure the Freeway switch will do OOP as well as series/parallel, we'll have to take a look at that.

You also haven't mentioned the mid pup, how is that going to be controlled?

JohnH said:

I recall that positions 1, 2, 3 did the usual settings with neck and bridge, then pulling it across to positions 4, 5, 6 added in the middle as well, if wanted.

Looking at the switch logic, I think John's right. How much the original intended use limits this switch is a question yet to be explored.

Of course, you could use the Freeway in the same way with a Strat to control all 3 pups, and then use other switching for the phasing, etc. Your desired set-up seems to be heavy on the neck-bridge combos, which this switch would provide.

[~Maxx]

Mar 3, 2011 6:11:09 GMT -5 newey said:

All those characters used up, and you still haven't told us where the Freeway switch fits into the picture!

So, does the Freeway control the neck and bridge pickups? And how is this at all related to the Brian May setup, which is based on individual pickup switches?

I'm not sure the Freeway switch will do OOP as well as series/parallel...

Heh... I guess I wasn't too clear on that, despite all my rambling, huh? Maybe I can clear it all up... There won't be a traditional Strat 5-way switch. And since the DPDT switches weren't working out, I ordered two of the Free-Way's. I'm not entirely sure how it's all going to work out since I don't yet know exactly how the switches work (decided not to stress myself about it untill they arrive and I can get a meter on them). But I have a feeling it's going to wind up going something like this: One switch will control the neck and mid pups such that position 1 will be neck, position 2 will be neck/mid parallel, position 3 will be mid, position 4 will be mid/neck series with the mid first in the chain, position 5 will be off, and position 6 will be neck/mid series with the neck pup first in the chain. And the second switch will control the two coils that make up the bridge pickup in the same way. So I'm not necessarily doing a true phase reversal, but rather changing which pups are first in the chain when they're run in series. Actually, if my assumptions about how the switch works are correct, I may have to flip-flop the functions of positions 5 and 6 (or 4 and 5, either way). Slightly less intuitive in my mind - but still quite usable.

So I suppose I'm only emulating the Brian May setup in the sense that I'm coil-tapping. Granted I'm working with 4 coils instead of just 3, and I won't be doing anything fancy with the neck and bridge pickups together. Plus (as I said) - not a true phase reversal.

Anyhow... Hope that paints a better picture!

[newey]

I don't see how the order of the pups in series will make a difference in the sound. We'll also have to look at the switch logic to see if series/parallel is doable with this switch- it probably is, but unexplored as yet.

[~Maxx]

Mar 3, 2011 9:54:23 GMT -5 newey said:

I don't see how the order of the pups in series will make a difference in the sound.

Really? Hmm... I could see if I were dealing with two standard humbuckers that the difference in sound (if any) would be negligible. But it's been my experience that, especially when coil tapping the neck and mid single coils on a Strat-type setup, there is a very noticeable difference in the tonal qualities. And if I had a standard humbucker at the bridge I wouldn't bother with the signal reversal there. But since there's such a big difference between the Gold and Red Lace Sensors that are being combined to make up this particular double coil pickup - I figured it would be worth the effort. But who knows? This is how we learn, right?

[newey]

But it's been my experience that, especially when coil tapping the neck and mid single coils on a Strat-type setup, there is a very noticeable difference in the tonal qualities

Not sure what you mean by this, or what it has to do with the order of coils in series.

Whether the coils are similar or dissimilar, in series both are daisy-chained together and both are operating. None of the parameters which could affect the sound of those two (or more) coils together would vary based upon which coil was first in the chain.

So I can't imagine how the order would make a difference.

[JohnH]

Mar 3, 2011 9:54:23 GMT -5 newey said:

I don't see how the order of the pups in series will make a difference in the sound.

Agreed
J

[JohnH]

I had a further look at the pdf info for that switch. I think there could be some interesting possibilities along the lines that you describe.

The switch needs to be assimilated into our collection of useful gadgets, so I had a stare at the switching logic. I found it helpful to try to sketch out an equivalent schematic for the internal contacts. I can post that later if needed, but so far as I can see, the left and right sides of the switch are completely separate (until wired together externally), and each includes a pole that functions like a standard 3-position ‘Gibson’ type toggle, with a centre common position. These operate up and down.

Each side of the switch also has a further two position switch pole operating left to right. These are wired differently on each side. On the right, it connects lug A1 to the common, which would be useful for functions such as connecting an additional middle pup, into B, B+N and N combos. On the left side, the left-right pole disconnects the common from the up-down switch and connects it to lug A2.

The wiring diagrams that come in the pdf all seem to be based on either bringing in an additional function or pickup by the left-right switch action, or sending the signal into a different loop, and back such as via an active system.

It is not at all obvious to me whether or not series/parallel functions can be wrought from these gadgets. It should be possible given all the poles, but I suspect it may result in some redundant positions out of the 6 settings.

What might be possible would be to use one switch for coil selection and one for active boosting.

The coil selection (based on an HSS equivalent that you describe), could be maybe:
Bridge Hb
Bhb+N
N

Then, moving the switch across:
Bridge single coil +M
Bsc+M+N
M+N

It would be nice to have a Bridge single alone though – it might be possible

With you set up, I thing Id consider putting the two Golds to form the bridge pup, and the hotter red at the neck, so they are similar. Then bringing in the M pup will bring down the output of all settings.

On the other switch, left-right could be active/passive, and on the active side, set 3 levels of active boost, different in terms of gain and tone. A very simple JFET circuit could do this

Just thinking.

I see a couple of installation watchits though. This switch, at first glance, would seem to be an attractive option for Les Pauls, to add functions such as coil cuts. But to fit an LP in the upper switch cavity, the rear recess needs to be extended, and also, there is not enough thread length without further routing to get through the top and add a washer, cover plate and nut on the front face. Shame. Both of those jobs need special tools and skill if not to risk damage.

Cheers
J

[~Maxx]

Mar 3, 2011 13:28:20 GMT -5 newey said:

But it's been my experience that, especially when coil tapping the neck and mid single coils on a Strat-type setup, there is a very noticeable difference in the tonal qualities

Not sure what you mean by this, or what it has to do with the order of coils in series.

Whether the coils are similar or dissimilar, in series both are daisy-chained together and both are operating. None of the parameters which could affect the sound of those two (or more) coils together would vary based upon which coil was first in the chain.

So I can't imagine how the order would make a difference.

First off let me apologize for misusing the term "coil tapping". Oops.

When I started toying with this stuff years ago it made sense to me that the coil closest to the output would be more prevalent than the one that goes directly to ground. By that logic (as I said above) it would make sense that a true double coil would display very little, if any, difference in sound when reversing the signal flow since the coils are matched and they're basically in the same position on the body. But again, based on my above train of thought (which is apparently and not surprisingly flawed ), the neck and mid single coils on a Strat setup, when wired in series, could present a noticeable tonal variation upon signal reversal based on the difference in string resonance above each respective position.

But just because it makes sense to me doesn't mean it's correct. I'm eager to play around with it now.

Mar 3, 2011 16:41:04 GMT -5 JohnH said:

...so far as I can see, the left and right sides of the switch are completely separate (until wired together externally)

I don't know John. When I look at the schematic on page 2 it seems that it wouldn't work correctly unless the A1 & A2 points were connected internally somehow. I also have to wonder about the holes at the top of the casing. Perhaps there's some parameter that can be adjusted further to make the switch behave differently? Can't wait to get these things on a meter. Stewmac sent them via standard mail in stead of FedEx. So I'm assuming they won't be here until Monday at the soonest. Patience is a virtue. Just not one of mine! ;D

On a side note - the active circuit arrived today. For the curious I ordered the EQ boost preamp from GuitarFetish. I didn't realize that the EQ was actually adjustable. Thought it was just an overall boost. So I'm going to have to leave it hanging outside the guitar after I wire it - restring, and play with the settings before I can fully install it. Between that and the Free-Way switches this is going to be a rather grueling process.

[~Maxx]

Switches arrived today! I haven't had a chance to look at them yet, but I'm off from work tonight so I should be able to hash through them and come up with a schematic or two. I'm on the fence now about weather I should try for my original plan or go with some of the excellent suggestions that johnh mentioned. We'll see what happens...

[JohnH]

Good luck with your schematic wrangling! I get the impression that for you, as it is for me, working out the design is half the fun. Those switches have enough about them to do some interesting things, and its time to push the envelope (and also 'back-of-envelope') and see what you can make them do.

BTW, for when you get time to play with them, do they seem like good quality units with a nice positive action?

cheers
John

[4real]

I'm keen to hear about the quality of this switch, had been considering it as a possibility on a future project...some way in the future I believe...but all the same...it lists for $20 odd dollars and if the quality is there, it might well be a decent cost effective proposition once you add up the cost of trim pots and such...

[asmith]

Mar 3, 2011 20:34:05 GMT -5 ~Maxx said:

But again, based on my above train of thought (which is apparently and not surprisingly flawed ), the neck and mid single coils on a Strat setup, when wired in series, could present a noticeable tonal variation upon signal reversal based on the difference in string resonance above each respective position.

Is your thinking based on, "If I stick chorus after distortion in the signal chain, I get a chorused distortion effect, whereas if it's the other way around I get distorted chorus?"

I'm not clued up on the electronics theory, and I think it'd be very helpful and much appreciated if this was explained by one of our resident gurus (or at least alluded to in a helpful link) but as far as I can tell, the whole "It's a circuit, it works whichever way" works with transducers (pickups) and all the gubbins that happen to be inside the guitar, but it doesn't work like that with what are essentially chained modules of the circuit.

Looking forward to reading and seeing your results.

[~Maxx]

I pretty much spent the weekend figuring out what to do with this switch. I drew up a few interesting schematics, but the more I tried to think outside the box and incorporate both of the Free-Way switches I ordered, the less functional the schematics became. So I took a break last night and went by a guitarist friends place to clear my head over a few beers. Over the course of a 12-pack we discussed at length what was truly useful in a guitar (which, of course, is entirely subjective ). In the end I've wound up scaling back to one Free-Way switch and basically using one of the standard schematics from among their instructional diagrams. I deviated slightly, using one of the push/pull pots to bring in the mid single coil where it was absent. Below is the final result including the active EQ circuit. Any comments or criticisms would be much appreciated. I believe everything is in order, though I wasn't 100% sure weather or not the "sleeve" terminal on the jack should have a lead going directly to ground. I left it off because it isn't shown in the original schematic for the circuit.


As far as the Free-Way switch? Overall I have to say that I like it, and am glad to be adding it to my guitar (so far ). Though I must admit that I have some mixed feelings and minor reservations about it. I think it might be a bit more useful if more of the signal were wired externally. Keeping in mind, of course, that it was designed for use with a Les Paul configuration. And it seems to cover all the bases in that regard. But because of the internal wiring it seems to be more difficult to create a sensible switching configuration for a three pickup setup. Especially when using single coils with series/parallel switching. The switch logic diagrams make perfect sense to me now that I have read each connection in each position with a meter. JohnH seems to have been dead on in his earlier post. I must apologize for promoting confusion by questioning his deductions. I've always been a bit more of a "hands-on" sort of guy .

In the way of construction I'd place it at about mid-grade. Not as bad as many of the cheap switches out there, but certainly not as good as the better ones. The six holes shown at the top of the casing are actually indentations for a ball bearing that clicks the switch into each position. The ball rests in a horizontal shaft that is connected somehow to the bottom of the main lever. I can see how some users might have had issues with "misfires", as evident in some of the user comments at StewMac's website. The action is fairly stiff, which makes the unit not good for fast switching. Between the action and the internal design I'm guessing you pretty much have to grab the shaft and place it in the position you want. "Flicking" doesn't seem to be an option. Or is, at best, taking a big risk.

I'm hoping to take the time in the near future to dismantle this second switch and take some photos so everyone can see the internal workings. But first I'm going to get to work wiring up this guitar. So the pictures are going to be on the back burner for now. If anyone wants some shots of the casing at angles not provided on the net let me know and I can post them. I'm eager to see what you folks are able to come up with in using this switch. Perhaps we should start a dedicated thread where we can discuss it outside the confines of my current project.

Looking forward to further comments. Thanks so much to all of you who have taken part in this thread. It's been extremely educational for me, and I appreciate every bit of input and conjecture!

[~Maxx]

Heh... I realized this morning after work that I'd better figure out where this switch is going to go, now that I know what it's going to do. I'm thinking of pushing it up near the lower horn by the neck pickup like Nuno Bettencourt's N4...

[4real]

I like a gibson style toggle (see also my tele) and used one in my very old phase-o-caster thing in that lower horn kind of position and was a great place to put it functionally. I also like my switches at a bit of an angle as well....all my guitars have been twisted in this way.

This guitar also had some of those brian may kinds of sounds...there are three phase switches and the selector operates the bridge and neck pups...the centre tone control is a volume for the middle alone in any position...so kind of a dial-a-quack control...LOL. Interestingly, having the middle pup out of phase made a kind of 'reverse quack' on this guitar giving it a kind of mid range boost (the middle pup is kind of physically 'out of phase' to get that hollowed kind of sound, so reversing the phase electrically has an interesting sound, at least on this guitar).

You don't necessarily have to have three phase switches of course, but it makes for a good visual of what is going on and easy to use. But then, phasing may not be everyone's cup of tea.

As for the plywood guitar...LOL...this guitar was a $50 pawnshop number and is effectively a kind of block board within plywood. Figuring that a strat is already a kind of hollow body, I wanted to see how far you could take this and a lot of wood has been removed under the pick guard, pickup routings and the whole guitar is silly light. But then sustain is not everything and with this having a sustainer as it happens, not of primary concern at all.

I eventually wore the guitar out though...and I am not sure structurally if this is really the way to go...and there is a risk of being neck heavy...but it had an interesting sound. For blues guitar, depending on your approach, something a bit different is not such a bad thing...traditionally it was quite common for blues to be played on some cheap or trashy instruments and added to the 'vibe'.

Lace pickups are a decent pickup but do have a kind of neutral kind of tone to them that a lot of people don't like so much...generally because they are compared to traditional fender pups...EMG's also very neutral, they are great for some things (especially taking effects) but not so great for character it seems. Still, a lot of great players used them for a while there including Beck and Clapton. Lace have been responsible for some weird and wonderful pup designs and continue in that kind of vein (eg aluminitones) and there are a host of patents by lace that never went into production over the years if people are interested in that kind of odd ball thing...I recall one that uses that kind of rubberised fridge magnet materials in them LOL...

You could go active...but I dare say you could add a preamp like an effect to get a similar kind of effect and use it on different guitars as a booster as an alternative.

[4real]

Oh...and my interest in the free way was with a guitar I have in the waiting that I have thought to combine 4x lipsticks and a piezo system in it...I like a few options but a clean look and on an LP, this would do the job well if the switch is reliable.

[thetragichero]

bit the bullet and ordered one of these along with some shielding tape (i ran out and my bass is in DIRE need of a good shielding job!)

[thetragichero]

i'm thinkin this will work for my blacktop jazzmaster, just wanted comfirmation