pickup selector problem HELP

[dudelove]

i own a les paul and it has a faulty pickup selector. this problem occurred only recently.

When i switch from bridge to neck position, sometimes the signal becomes lost and there is a huge volume drop. i have to keep on switching back and forth many times to get back to normal volume. the thing is, it happens very unexpectedly, meaning it works fine most of the time. but now the frequency of it happening is increasing.

do u guys know what could be the problem? i'm not very keen to spend more money on repairs since i'm really short of cash. oh, its a gibson so it just shows that they're quality has really dropped since this guitar is like what.. a few months old.

thanks in advance

 

[CardBoard]

Maybe due to the contact of the selector that cause it to be intermittent.You may need to open up the switch clean it up.Some spray WD40 at the switch contact point.Hope it help.

 

[dudelove]

sorry man i'm not knowledgeable abt the parts inside of a guitar. in fact its my first time opening it up.

is it more advisable to send it for repair? i'm just worried abt the costs of repair. i'm not keen on doing it myself because firstly, i lack experience, and secondly i have no idea whats the problem in the first place

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

selector switch is mechanical part, theres nothing much other than metal contacts.

from the way you describe, most likely its the metal contact not touching properly when it should, thus the occasional signal lost or some wiring round there aint connecting with each other properly.

if dont wanna spend money on repair, you will need a multi meter and long nose plier to adjust and test for continuity. But since you mentioned aint too keen, then theres no other way but sending to geetar tech to check and perhaps replace the toggle switch.

most of the time, people will just changed the toggle switch instead of repairing, to prevent recurring problem, which might caused more frustration and hassle plus more money spent.

instead of thinking how not to spend more money, imho, i would think, thinking about how to save money to send the geetar for check up is a better idea plus solving the problem once and for all

the failure rate of electronic components(switches, pots, jacks etc) in geetar aint a good reflection of the qc declining, since the manufacturing of those thingy are often handled by 3rd party company. The quality drop concern, would be more for the construction of the physical instrument itself, the fretwires trimming, finishing, chambering, wood used etc.

 

[dudelove]

thanks for the tip.

there goes more money into my nvr ending save for this save for that list. i starve to get what i want, so u have an idea of my allowance.

any idea how much it'll cost?

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

starving is ok(in school or else where, at home then eat as much as possible. When you are older and having ready income, theres plenty time to eat

not sure bout the cost of geetar tech. Most of them got different rates. If wanna find out, perhaps you can search round the forum here, theres couple of them highly recommended. You can send them a mail to check.

i have seen original gibson replacement toggle switch at davis, if wanna get those, then prepare some money like 40plus or more for it. Original gibson replacement parts are much more expensive then some other brands product, which can also do the same thing. Again, it depends on what you want, to solve the problem with authentic parts or solving the problem with other brand product at cheaper cost but still workable.

for the toggle switch which gibson is using, its slightly different in construction and design to some other cheaper brand toggle switch(, which you can get from davis as well.

 

[dudelove]

may i ask? how can it be the toggle switch thats causing the problem? my first thought was that the connection of the wires being bad.

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

on the toggle switch, when you switch among the 3 positions, you are actually toggling couple of small metal contacts in it, touching against each other.

Once the contact has been established(touched), it will allow the guitar signal to pass through, flow through the wire and to the volume pots, tone pot, output jack etc.

the wires you mentioned, are actally soldered to the point (on selector switch), which are connected to the metal contacts on the selector switch.

so the intermittant problem of geetar signal getting lost when toggling selector switch, usually be either the metal contact point issues(not having proper connectivity between 2 contact points, oxidation/dust/dirt build up on contact points which hinder connectivity/conductibility etc) or loose wirings that are soldered to the selector switch(which are connected to the contact point that facilitate geetar signal flow to pots and output jack)

heh, hope it aint too confusing.

 

[dudelove]

wow ur knowledge is vast.

 

[daryl]

it happened to my sg too when it was still fairly new. i changed the pickup selector to a gotoh one and it has worked perfectly since.