Members Notes_Norton Posted June 28, 2019 Members Share Posted June 28, 2019 I've learned a lot on this thread https://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/forum/guitar/acapella-41/32534316-guitar-switch-1-01-help-please and bought two of the wrong switches. I found I need a spdt on/off/on switch with a 7/16" diameter shaft and no deeper than 1" pickup switch. The problem is I can't find one anywhere. Being a sax player and guitar is my 7th instrument, I don't know all the parts places. I tried StewMac, Sweetwater, GuitarCenter, Musician's Friend and they all seem to sell the standard LP toggle, but that isn't what I need. I definitely need on/off/on. Does anyone know where I can find one? Hopefully of top-notch quality? Thanks, Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted June 28, 2019 Members Share Posted June 28, 2019 You'll probably have to look other places than guitar part sites.Something like this may work.https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/e-switch/100SP3T7B13M1RE/100SP3T7B13M1RE-ND/3777893They have lots of other options, you'll just have to wade through the data sheets and search filters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted June 28, 2019 Moderators Share Posted June 28, 2019 also try Mouser, Allied, and Grainger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted June 29, 2019 Author Members Share Posted June 29, 2019 Thanks. Not looking in guitar sites seems to be the key. I guess on/off/on is unusual for a guitar. The recommended Digikey looks nice, and so does this one: https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bender-GSW-13-Electrical-Terminal/dp/B000BVXWF8/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=Gardner+Bender+GSW-13+Heavy+Duty+Electrical+Toggle+Switch%2C+SPDT%2C+ON-OFF-ON%2C+20+A%2F125V+AC%2C+Screw+Terminal%3A+Gateway&qid=1561761905&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr0 I think I'll order one or the other today. Thanks again,Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted June 29, 2019 Moderators Share Posted June 29, 2019 neither the Gardener-Bender or the DigiKey unit is not going to fit your shaft hole...15/32 vs 7/16...you could ream it open, though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted June 29, 2019 Author Members Share Posted June 29, 2019 Thanks for the warning. That would not be a big problem. I can't seem to find a guitar sized switch. I think there is a little wiggle room in the hole anyway. It seems odd to me that Sweetwater, GC, Musician's Friend, Stew-Mac, and a dozen other music stores don't have a switch for my guitar. Certainly there must be some other guitar that works that way. Perhaps not, Ken Parker was pretty innovative and this concept came from the older Fly guitars. Unfortunately when US Instrument bought Parker they didn't promote the brand well and let it die. I guess they saw the decline in guitar sales and put their efforts into their synth brands. Along with the brand, the Parker forum is the tiniest fraction of what it once was, and there are a couple of folks there wanting me to report on what works. I really like the guitar, and although I don't blend the piezo pickups with the mags often, when I do it adds a nice sparkle and twang to the tone. I like the 25"scale, the 14" radius, the master volume near my picking hand, it stays in tune, the frets are hardened stainless steel, the guitar is light, it's contoured, it's well balanced, and has good sustain. Plus I love the P-rails. I could put P-rails on any humbucker type guitar, but I wouldn't get all the rest. So I hope the guitar lasts a long time. Since it doesn't have a cap, just lacquered wood, I can ream the hole if necessary and not worry about ruining the finish. And I'm a player, not a collector so I've never worried about resale value of any of my instruments. I make more money by gigging than I ever could keeping them in a closet. [ATTACH=JSON]{"alt":"Click image for larger version Name:\tNN02_DF522NN.jpg Views:\t2 Size:\t84.2 KB ID:\t32543814","data-align":"none","data-attachmentid":"32543814","data-size":"full","title":"NN02_DF522NN.jpg"}[/ATTACH] I ordered the G-B switch this morning, and it'll come in 5-8 days. July gigs are light, summer is the non-tourist season, so I'll be able to get it in quickly. It'll be my third try, hopefully it will be charmed. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted June 30, 2019 Moderators Share Posted June 30, 2019 fingers crossed for a good match! On-off-on is not a typical guitar set up, even killswitch rigs are typically on-off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted July 1, 2019 Members Share Posted July 1, 2019 Couple more places. https://guitarelectronics.com/ http://forums.parkerguitars.com/index.php?topic=16931.0 You might consider a Fender super switch. Wire whatever was on the old switch to it and use the hole for the hot button. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted July 1, 2019 Author Members Share Posted July 1, 2019 Thanks again for all your help. I put the switch from Amazon in today. I had to get a $25 order for free shipping so I bought some low carb cookies (they taste great). Here is a picture of the switch mounted inside the guitar. I'll test it out later today, and let y'all know. [ATTACH=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","title":"Parker_Switch_New.jpg","data-attachmentid":32544552}[/ATTACH] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted July 1, 2019 Members Share Posted July 1, 2019 Hope it works for ya! Lovely clean wiring and a cleanly routed out control cavity. Looks to have shielding paint as well. Marks of a quality instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted July 1, 2019 Author Members Share Posted July 1, 2019 mrbrown49, yes it's a class act. Sperzel tuners, graph tech nut, and it stays in tune better than my non-whammy guitars. Hardened stainless steel frets, ebony fretboard, Duncan P-Rail pickups, and a body that is contoured and well balanced. If I take my hands off, the guitar stays put - no neck dive. The third knob is to mix the piezo with the magnetic pickups, and it adds some sparkle and twang. With the new switch I can play either mags, mags+piezo or piezo. The piezo sounds quite acoustic, but without the fullness of a flat top - more like an arch top. I have no use for piezo only but often blend it with the mags. It works. Thanks to all for your help. The switch is a little stiffer than the original. It also makes a louder acoustic click (not loud by any stretch of the imagination but not as quiet). It reminds me of those old polarity reversal on/off switches in the old brown tweed Fender amps. The outside isn't black like the old switch, but that doesn't bother me. It now matches the whammy bar and the frets [ATTACH=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","title":"Parker_Switch_New2.jpg","data-attachmentid":32544719}[/ATTACH] I got my favorite guitar back. After the holiday weekend gigs, I'll probably take the screws out of the terminals and solder the switch in, as I think that would be a more reliable connection. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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