4-way switch, Oak Grigsby, hanging up + how to correct it

[ssstonelover]

You ever just plop a new (or used 'blade' switch) onto a Strat pickguard (or Tele plate) and have an issue?
I was installing the 4-way Oak Grigsby on a Strat pickguard yesterday (2 P-90 layout) so I could get the usual 3 positions plus the series connection, something I've done twice before without any issue. After chasing my tail for 1-2 hours with multimeters, etc., old memories came bubbling back reminding me of cautions I'd heard before on the same subject, but had simply forgotten over the years!

The long and the short of it is that in making the switch 4-way instead of 3, the company did not shorten the stroke between clicks (or not enough anyway!) so unless you lengthen the slot on the Strat pickguard (or Tele plate) the switch is really hanging up on one of the intermediate positions just short of where it needs to be (in my case I could not get into "1" bridge) so even though there was the click going from 2 to 1, it really was halfway between. Adding insult to injury there is a slight slop in the keyway between the lever and the wafer (production tolerance) and this added to the "being on 2" issue... Sigh. And I was in no mood to get thin superglue there (and everywhere!).

Therefore before you tear your hair out, and throw things against the wall (LOL) thinking the switch is cursed, or that you've lost your mojo, ensure your switch is operating with full throw range. In my end using a needle file (2mm dia.) and 5 minutes solved the issue by lengthening the slot 1-2mm, hopefully forever.

Oh, and besides the 4-way switch having this issue, I believe I've heard the even rarer 6-way has it too (same throw per 'notch' as a 5-way).

Cheers, all is good again. LOL. Now to do some new stuff...

[newey]

Dec 16, 2022 16:24:32 GMT -5 ssstonelover said:

Oh, and besides the 4-way switch having this issue, I believe I've heard the even rarer 6-way has it too (same throw per 'notch' as a 5-way).

I can attest to that. I didn't do it, I changed my mind on using that switch. As I looked at it, I was thinking that the nessesary increase in slot size would need to come 1/2 on the left and 1/2 on the right to maintain the screw spacing relative to the slot. Is that what you did?

[ssstonelover]

In my case I just needed to increase the slot length on the side facing the back of the body. It might have come down to some vagary in how the slot was originally cut on the pickguard, in other words some +/- in the tolerance, or where the screw holes were placed relative to the slot, but in theory you might be right. I was just happy to get "out from under" the issue. Usually I find slot length is reasonably generous, but 'reasonably generous', when combined with a 4-way or 6-way switch, still ends up on the short side naturally, unless you give it a helping hand.
Also the Oak Grigsby 'blade' is wider than some blades, especially compared to import switches, and this can aggravate the issue. Anyway, I still find these designs can be useful, and obviate the need for push-pulls or other aids in squeezing out another position.

The other 2 times I used this switch (some years ago) I made the pickguard (1 time) and plate (1 time) so the slot was custom made by me and fitted without worry thanks to testing far in advance to assembly and soldering, so that is another (rare) way to control the issue.

In the vein of squeezing things in (barely), and just in passing, I have to mention the Free-way switch, that is the 10-way switch version as used for Strats. No trouble with the throw distances and basically pretty solid, but it is pretty wide. If your control cavity is a little undersized and if you mount the switch 'right handed' on a left-handed guitar (so the tab solder positions are the same) then be mindful that it is asymmetrically wider on one side meaning it can then brush against the cavity wall, something you really don't want to happen at the last moment during final assembly. Certainly it is nothing that a Dremel and a little time can't solve but not fun after the shielding is all on. Yes, a pretty rare occurrence given the paucity of lefty guitars using a switch biased for right hand orientation in its layout but one that pops up from time to time if you do this kind of modification work.

Overall I guess we'd like to assume guitars are standardized designs but newer parts with a bigger feature set sometimes need a little 're-engineering' help to fit with 70 year old guitar architecture, so we can get their benefit, and it's nothing alarming once you catch onto possible interference fits and build in the correction factor. I was watching a Warmoth YouTube last year and the guy was mentioning how they are always rechecking their designs (bodies) to have the maximum capacity, through subtle changes, to absorb a wide array of aftermarket parts. No, not everything can be accommodated, but a lot can. Anyway, sorry for the long digression, but stuff on my mind, and interesting to me.

[newey]

It's not a long digression, you're sharing your experiences, which is, in part, what this Board is all about. If the next person with this problem sees your post, they will be wiser for your experience.

So, "don't go changin' ", as Billy Joel sang