Non"invasive" toggle switch options?

[BadAspen]

What are options in a Strat for adding a dark switch that aren't visually invasive?

I like this idea, but can't justify $30 for a mounting bracket. Plus I don't know how I'd drill for it.

https://www.stratcat.biz/4022.shtml

I'm also considering a slider switch like on a Jaguar, but it would still be a pain to route.

Maybe an S1? But again that's still expensive.

[Top-L]

Buy a push pull pot. You wont see anything.

[Mincer]

Push/pulls (or push/push) are not too expensive, and you won't see it. They work the same as any 2 position switch and the circuit is separated from the pot they are connected to.

[eclecticsynergy]

You could also get a black mini toggle. Wouldn't show against a black pickguard.
But a push-pull would be invisible until pulled, and mighty inconspicuous even then.

[orpheo]

Oh that looks like a fun task. If you have a pillar drill, it would be easy to make that bracket. Otherwise, it'll be a challenge.

[BadAspen]

It's less about not being visible and more about ease of use, all the places I've drilled for a toggle switch on my "scrap" guard has been a bad spot in terms of my hand hitting it. I've considered an S1 switch on account of not liking push pull pots on a strat knob, and push/push pots not having enough visual feedback to see which position it's in.

[BadAspen]

Oh that looks like a fun task. If you have a pillar drill, it would be easy to make that bracket. Otherwise, it'll be a challenge.

How would I do that? I'm pretty handy with tools, but I don't necessarily know the best way to approach it. perhaps buying a full guard shield and then soldering a curved piece of metal to it with a hole drilled for the switch?

[orpheo]

How would I do that? I'm pretty handy with tools, but I don't necessarily know the best way to approach it. perhaps buying a full guard shield and then soldering a curved piece of metal to it with a hole drilled for the switch?

I'd first grab a piece of milled steel, that's not too hard on your tools. Mark out where you want the pot holes to go (the pots hold the bracket in place), then use a pillar drill and a drill bit with milling oil to SLOWLY drill the piece. The bend it in a vice to shape, and use a clamp+caul to drill the toggle hole. Mount the bracket on the pickguard, and use a pillar drill to drill a 3.5mm hole in the pickguard, with the hole for the toggle as your locator guide. Then, I'd use a small file to file the slot as large as it has to be. off the top of my head, I'd guess, 8mm?

So in short.

drill
bend
drill
file.

[Top-L]

Do you really need two tone knobs?

If you can't stomach a push pull, then turn one of the tone controls into a rotary selector. And you could have mutliple settings of "dark".

[jeremy]

i get push/pull can be a pita with strat knobs, but i dont have an issue with the push/push i have on a few guitars. ive never had an issue with knowing if its up or down, but is the tonal change you want so subtle you wouldnt know if its active or not?

[Mincer]

It's less about not being visible and more about ease of use, all the places I've drilled for a toggle switch on my "scrap" guard has been a bad spot in terms of my hand hitting it. I've considered an S1 switch on account of not liking push pull pots on a strat knob, and push/push pots not having enough visual feedback to see which position it's in.

I will say that the S1 is pretty clear when seeing which position it is in.

[BadAspen]

I'd first grab a piece of milled steel, that's not too hard on your tools. Mark out where you want the pot holes to go (the pots hold the bracket in place), then use a pillar drill and a drill bit with milling oil to SLOWLY drill the piece. The bend it in a vice to shape, and use a clamp+caul to drill the toggle hole. Mount the bracket on the pickguard, and use a pillar drill to drill a 3.5mm hole in the pickguard, with the hole for the toggle as your locator guide. Then, I'd use a small file to file the slot as large as it has to be. off the top of my head, I'd guess, 8mm?

So in short.

drill
bend
drill
file.

That doesn't sound too bad, I think I can do that.

[BadAspen]

Do you really need two tone knobs?

If you can't stomach a push pull, then turn one of the tone controls into a rotary selector. And you could have mutliple settings of "dark".

Hmm... Maybe I could change from two 22 nF tone controls to a single 47 uF tone control for the neck and middle that I use for really dark sounds, and the second tone control becomes a master 5 nF tone control that I use to fatten my sound up a little bit.

I like the rotary selector idea too, but I have no clue how I would wire it.

[BadAspen]

i get push/pull can be a pita with strat knobs, but i dont have an issue with the push/push i have on a few guitars. ive never had an issue with knowing if its up or down, but is the tonal change you want so subtle you wouldnt know if its active or not?

I suppose there aren't too many situations where I would need to tell if the switch were on or off but didn't have the time to look.

Hmm...

[Top-L]

Hmm... Maybe I could change from two 22 nF tone controls to a single 47 uF tone control for the neck and middle that I use for really dark sounds, and the second tone control becomes a master 5 nF tone control that I use to fatten my sound up a little bit.

I like the rotary selector idea too, but I have no clue how I would wire it.

I believe it would be wired like a tone control, but each position would have its own set of resistors/capacitor.

I don't know how you are intending to add a "dark" control that isn't the same thing as a tone control, to be honest.

I can tell you from experience, any time I have added "more" controls, modified the guitar to accept another control, or implemented a complicated switching setup, I have regretted it.