Gilmour Switch installation

I've thought about redoing mine with the recessed toggle... or just ditching it altogether LOL. I don't use it either.

you can get parts here (a bit pricey though)

https://www.stratcat.biz/4031p.shtml

or probably wing it yourself with a dremmel pretty easily.

I've contemplated using a ruler to draw lines on the underside between the tone and volume pot and the screw holes for the switch. Wherever these lines intersect is your center point and you can figure it out from there.

 

Here's how I did it in my SX Strat-oid (left in avatar). I went with master volume/tone, kept the standard (upgraded) 5-way and used the rear tone hole for a two way mini-switch, supported by appropriate washers. Up engages the bridge always, down has it follow the 5-way.

 

you guys... just use a push/pull switch.. that way in a few weeks when ya are thinking, "that was a lotta effort for nuthin'....", you can pull it out, put the original pot back in and be back to a normal "null" point with no extra holes anywhere.. how sweet is that?

r

 

When I did mine I just used a dremmel tool free-hand. You need a steady hand but it's pretty simple.

 

Or just leave it as is and play it looking normal with the pot in the down position.

 

perhaps you may want to pull yourself together and not criticism someone for sharing almost 60 years of experience with installing mods, then uninstalling them for clients... Most like this are. . Yawn!!

But that aside, welcome, plug in and put the beer in the 'fridge..

r

 

Buy new s. Plate (10.$ u.s.) then you and your Dremel can make your dream hole without fear.

 

I bought one at Harbor Freight for less than $20 and it came with everything I needed. Good luck, man...I really liked that mod!

 

When I did a Black Strat build, I was able to order the scratchguard with the slot installed: https://www.strat-talk.com/threads/it-begins-gilmour-black-strat-build.389521/
Outside of springing for the new guard, it depends on the tools you have available. A router would be optimal and give you the cleanest result, but drilling two small holes in a line and then working them together with a file to form a slot would also work if you take your time with it.

 

My mini toggle

I'm on board with Ron though as most all "add on" switching I've done (which is quite a few, teles and strats) I did via push-pull.

Rigging up different Strat pickguards (pup changes) I've had through the years, I did have a mini toggle in the parts box leftover from tearing up a pickguard I had it on (for neck on) as well as a p/p for series.

So decided to use it up on this geetar.

Simple small hole to drill is all.

 

In answer to your hole question, for a person without a dremal tool, I should think if one took the slot width appropriate drill bit diameter, marked on the bottom of the pickguard the slot needed, then drill a hole on each end of slot marking, you could file the middle piece out nice and neat.


As far as your rebuttal to Ron's first post, I just want to KINDLY say;

When you start a thread on these sites, you are going to get all kinds of opinions/suggestions that can end up different than what you EXACALLY want to know/do as we all like to just talk shop.

So you get, I did this, or I did that.......................because of whatever reason.

We should all try to not feel injured by what someone else posts by taking it as any personal slight or attack. People by nature like to voice there opinion or suggest their way of doing things for reasons of pride or more often,
they want to help the next guy by offering OPTIONS in a way to go about things.

So take those posts for what they are worth, or just scroll on and find what you need.

One can learn a ton of things from those like Ron on here that have hundreds of been there, done that projects they can share with us.

I have found that a person can never take for granted how invaluable, or time saving, knowledge from actual experience can be.

So what gets posted usually isn't intended by nature to bash what the OP is looking to do, but just to throw another option out there for consideration.

Sometimes in jest, the wording could be taken wrong when we don't personally know each other, so it can be easy to take offense sometimes.


Happy Pickin !

 

G&L mounted the switch "above" the knobs on the S500, closer to the edge of the guard.
Recessed mount is going to be more difficult because you need a bracket to hold the switch, and that bracket has to mount to the bottom of the guard in a way that won't show on the surface... with means securing it using the volume and tone pots, or glue.
Glue is a problem if the switch needs to be removed, and also prone to breaking loose if the switch is hit.

I'd agree with Ronkirn that a P-P pot, or a Fender S-1 switch, would be the cleanest and retain the stock appearance.

 

+1 on the push/pull.