David Gilmour switch

[ourclarioncall]

I like the subtle look of the toggle switch on Gilmours Strat . It can be done with a bracket that is held in place by the pots and then you attach the dpdt toggle switch to the bracket .

My problem is I’m going plotless, so have to come up with an idea

Bought a bit of “din rail” and it looks like it could work but it’s a bit long and the holes are not quite right

Another option is a bit of perforated steel. It’s 1mm thick , 2 inches wide by 6 inches long and would fit nicely. The perforated holes are 6mm so these are perfect for the switches and there are so many holes to choose from to balance the position of the switches

[ourclarioncall]

Example

www.stratcat.biz/4035.shtml

[ourclarioncall]

I’ve tried the din rail. Too big , but I can get shorter pieces.

think the perforated stuff will be better, but it’s a flat piece so will have to figure out how to create a bit of space between it and the pick guard. I think I will have to put a bolt or 4 through the pick guard anyway to fix the sheet in place as well as create 6 holes for the switches to pop through 

[ourclarioncall]

Got a selection of 4PDT toggle switches at various prices to compare quality from Switch electronics , salecom, multicom and Apem. A few orange drop caps, and a cheap loaded pick guard on the way 

[thetragichero]

i have no idea what you are talking about but I'm excited to see where this is headed

[ourclarioncall]

Jan 15, 2020 21:26:08 GMT -5 thetragichero said:

i have no idea what you are talking about but I'm excited to see where this is headed

Something like this 
www.stratcat.biz/4002.shtml

[newey]

My problem is I’m going plotless, so have to come up with an idea

I'm clueless. Did you mean "potless"?

Looking at the link you posted, the Gilmore-style switch mounting not only requires some type of bracket to recess the switches, it also requires cutting some oval-shaped holes in the pickguard to allow for movement of the switch lever. Cutting those holes so that they are aesthetically done won't be easy- and it seems like the aesthetics are pretty much the whole point of the exercise. If you drill a hole in the pickguard and try to "ovalize" it with the drill bit, it will be tough to get all three to look the same.

Rather than a bracket to support the switches, why not just build up from the bottom of the cavity with a block (or blocks) to provide a base for mounting the switches? All you have to figure out is how to attach the base of the switches to the block- probably could use some type of adhesive.

But,if you just want an unobtrusive look, you can buy the "micro" toggle switches which are very tiny. Then, you can get plastic slip-on covers to go over the lever "bat" of the toggle. These are available in black or white (and probably in colors as well, I haven't looked), so if you have a white pickguard. get white covers, and from a few feet away you can hardly see the switches. If part of the metal on the switch lever still shows despite the covers, a dab of white-out (or a black Sharpie, if you were using a black pickguard) would hide it.

I have a project in the works, it's now been sitting on my bench forever, but it is a potless Strat with the pickups hidden under the pickguard. I am using a pair of the micro toggles and white lever covers, with a white pickguard, and while the switches can certainly be seen, they are very unobtrusive.

[ourclarioncall]

Newey

Ha, yeah Potless

Yeah the bracket is tricky but I’ve got an idea. Think I will go with the perforated steel plate and some plastic spacers between the plate and the pick guard (about 1 cm) . Then put a couple small bolts through the pick guard , through the spacer(they already have holes in them) and through the plate with a nut and washer to clamp it all together

It looks like if I want a really clean precision pick guard I will have to buy a custom one for about £50 (ouch) , but for now it will just be a rough sketch to get everything working and the switches in a placement I’m happy with

The idea of building from the cavity up is interesting but I don’t have a clue what that would look like . Do you mean attached the sides of the switches to the blocks? As the bottom obviously has all the lugs and wires attached

Your project sounds cool , what stage are you at ?

I was actually thinking along similar lines. One of my ideas was to have a pick guard under the pick guard

The lower pick guard hidden u see earth would obviously be perfect for
Holding and adjusting the pickups . I guess the lower pick guard would have to be trimmed down a bit . I guess you would not need a small section of the lower pick guard if it’s just for pickups . I had though about having the toggle switches attached to the lower pick guard too. They would pop through the upper pick guard but the pickups would stay hidden underneath . I also thought about having the bridge pickup on the top and the neck hidden underneath .

[newey]

As the bottom obviously has all the lugs and wires attached

Yes, I was thinking of a different type of switch.

Your project sounds cool , what stage are you at ?

I've almost got it done, but have run into problems with a piezo pickup I was going to try, and I haven't had the time to get back to it for about 5-6 years now. Several years ago, my work ramped up considerably and I have had 3 or 4 projects languishing since then.

I was calling the project the "Stealth Strat", the idea was that it would have no visible pickups, no pots, and the two tiny toggles as the only controls. The original plan was to have a piezo pickup and preamp as well as a passive HB at the bridge. I'm using a Lace Sensor Alumatone HB, because I always wanted to try one of those, and it's the "lowboy" model because that one fits under the pickguard.

Somewhere around here from way back when, there's a build thread. I'll try to resurrect it for you.

[ourclarioncall]

Getting there, slowly but surely.