Oddball 5-way switch used by Samick and some others
Jun 4, 2024 3:30:30 GMT -5
mikecg and stevewf like this
Post by ssstonelover on Jun 4, 2024 3:30:30 GMT -5
There is a real oddball switch you may encounter on (older?) Samick-built guitars including Korean-made Epiphone Strat-copy models, etc. I've personally run across it twice.
Generally speaking I prefer replacing it, but as it is pickguard mounted, and as the attachment bolt spacing is different from the convention used by virtually all other suppliers, this forces you to buy a new pickguard, and that may not be what you want to do, nor necessary, as the switch does work fine.
The solder lugs are quite non-standard in location, so I finally broke down and make a drawing, and here it is.
I include some options for the tone cap placement and quantity, plus of course you can decide which pot controls work with which pickup (including bridge).
Edit: June 4 late morning. I decided to flip around the switch to put it in what would represent the "installed position" which in turn makes wiring more intuitive. On the other hand, and not to be disregarded, is the use of even simple ~$7 multimeters which would also tell you the same thing plus are terrific for solving all sorts of connection issues, as you work each solder joint, so you can get it all right (and step-by-step) before closing up the guitar and stringing it up, so a perfect 'truth check' as you go along. Rant over.....enjoy!
Edit: July 18: This other main thing about these switches is that the hole pattern is often 1-1/4" (31.75mm) instead of the common Fender/CTL/Oak Grigsby standard of 1-5/8" (41.2mm). This is not an issue unless you are going to reuse the switches onto a new pickguard, so check to see what you have, as there is more than one maker or variant of the basic switch pattern.
Generally speaking I prefer replacing it, but as it is pickguard mounted, and as the attachment bolt spacing is different from the convention used by virtually all other suppliers, this forces you to buy a new pickguard, and that may not be what you want to do, nor necessary, as the switch does work fine.
The solder lugs are quite non-standard in location, so I finally broke down and make a drawing, and here it is.
I include some options for the tone cap placement and quantity, plus of course you can decide which pot controls work with which pickup (including bridge).
Edit: June 4 late morning. I decided to flip around the switch to put it in what would represent the "installed position" which in turn makes wiring more intuitive. On the other hand, and not to be disregarded, is the use of even simple ~$7 multimeters which would also tell you the same thing plus are terrific for solving all sorts of connection issues, as you work each solder joint, so you can get it all right (and step-by-step) before closing up the guitar and stringing it up, so a perfect 'truth check' as you go along. Rant over.....enjoy!
Edit: July 18: This other main thing about these switches is that the hole pattern is often 1-1/4" (31.75mm) instead of the common Fender/CTL/Oak Grigsby standard of 1-5/8" (41.2mm). This is not an issue unless you are going to reuse the switches onto a new pickguard, so check to see what you have, as there is more than one maker or variant of the basic switch pattern.