best gibson-type switch?

i've been improving my tele deluxe reissue one part at a time, putting in a switchcraft jack, cts pots, ect. i've never felt comfortable with the selector switch and want to put the sturdiest replacement in that i can. does anyone have an opinion on who makes the best right angle type switches?


here's the fender:
http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/0053694000.jpg

and the gibson, which i'm leaning towards:

http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/elegib3.jpg

or switchcraft again, though the extremely low price of their switch concerns me:
http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/switchw1.jpg

any others i should consider?

That bottom one looks like a Gotoh. It's price might reflect its lack of "branding" rather than its quality...:grin:

http://luthierssupplies.com.au/images/Right-angle-toggle.jpg
Gotoh 3-Way

I put that exact same Gibson switch in a Squier '51, and it's a little noisy when switching. Don't know if I got a bad one, or if it's just the nature of the beast. Just some static when switching. Not real loud, and for me... I can live with it. But for a pro, it might be annoying.

You can hear it in this short little "reader's digest" (halfarsed, amateur) version of "Stairway" I recorded.

At about :42 and 1:34 is where I switch p'ups.

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6388228

FWIW and IMHO, the best leaf spring switch is the short straight Panasonic - much better in build, design and materials than the Switchcraft and the only leaf spring pup switch I've been using for the last coupla years. It'll fit any style of guitar.

http://www.allparts.com/store/images/fullsize/EP_0066-000.jpg

the toggle in my J5 tele is failing me big time. I'm so fed up with it I'm going to wire in either a blend or tone control in it's place.

FWIW and IMHO, the best leaf spring switch is the short straight Panasonic

the terminals look like they have a different layout than the fender and gibson type. would it have to be wired any differently, or are all the same terminals there?

also, if branding truly is the only reason the gibson switch costs $15 more than this panasonic type, may god help us all.

i'm about to try the panasonic, but beforehand want to confirm the wiring setup i have will work with that switch. my current switch has four wires connected in total, two running from the lugs of the neck and bridge volume pots to their respective lugs on the left and right side of the switch, then on the switch's two center lugs there's a bare ground wire that connects to the chassis of one of the pots, and a final wire carries the signal to the output jack of the guitar. there are no good pictures of the panasonic, but i only see 3 tabs; i'm an amateur when it comes to the electronics so i have to ask how i'd wire this up, otherwise i'll just go with the gibson. thanks for the advice

There is no functional difference between the Panasonic and Switchcraft leaf spring 3-way switches - except the Panasonic is built better, with better materials.

Just look at the Panasonic switch and you'll see the two outer lugs are for pickups and the two inner lugs get soldered together for the output - the rear of the switch has a fat lug for the ground wire.

Rob I see two sources for what I believe to be said switch... one is Sam Ash, the other here?
http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/ESHORTYTOGGLE.jpg
That her?

Rob I see two sources for what I believe to be said switch... one is Sam Ash, the other here?
http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/ESHORTYTOGGLE.jpg
That her?

Looks like a Panasonic. I get mine from All Parts.

Just look at the Panasonic switch and you'll see the two outer lugs are for pickups and the two inner lugs get soldered together for the output - the rear of the switch has a fat lug for the ground wire.

ah! thank you

Rob I see two sources for what I believe to be said switch... one is Sam Ash, the other here?
http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/ESHORTYTOGGLE.jpg
That her?

i noticed that allparts, guitar parts resource and sam ash use the same code for the switch, EP 0066-000. i assume that means it's the same part all around

i went with the panasonic, and only after a long night of rewiring did i find that it doesn't fit inside the tele deluxe route. with the pickguard screwed down, the grounding lug on the back of the switch is pressed against the cavity wall and prevents the switch from standing up straight in the guard. i'm debating whether or not to modify the switch by grinding the ground lug off enough to clear the walls of the cavity, leaving just enough to solder my ground wire to. would you recommend this, rob, or is it time to try a different switch?

i'd rather keep the panasonic than buy another right angle type. i'm not sure what the technical term is but the two 'arms' that extend from under the knob itself to the pickup solder tabs are longer and flimsier in the right angle types, making the switching action feel loose and floppy. the panasonic has much shorter arms in comparison and feels noticeably tighter.

Modify the switch to meet your needs.

just wanted to let you know that the switch is working great, rob. the way the panasonic clicks feels just right to me; i don't have to worry about how flimsy the switch feels every time i change pickups now. i wound up grinding the ground tab off completely and drilled a new hole for the ground wire on the main body of the switch itself, which is the same piece of metal the grounding tab was protruding from. there have been no problems with the ground wire touching any other tabs and shorting things out. thanks for the advice, i can second rob's recommendation for anyone else looking for a switch like this.

FWIW and IMHO, the best leaf spring switch is the short straight Panasonic - much better in build, design and materials than the Switchcraft and the only leaf spring pup switch I've been using for the last coupla years. It'll fit any style of guitar.

Thanks Rob. I got one from Stew Mac that looks like the same switch and just installed it in my CS336. The middle position on the old switch was intermittent and it was driving me crazy.

I also moved the tone pot inputs to the wipers of the volume pots...another great mod.

Wiring a CS336 [or any ES style Gibson I suppose], is a labor of love, but it was well worth the effort!

A nice mod to contemplate is making the tone pot(s) no-load, as this will fully remove those caps outta the circuit and at somewhat higher volumes you'll hear the full potential of yer pickups.

Yeah, working on semi and full hollow body guitar circuits ain't exactly thrilling. :mrgreen: