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Anyone installed a freeway switch?

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  • Anyone installed a freeway switch?

    Specifically the 3x3-03 switch. I have a 3 humbucker guitar with 2 volumes and 1 tone. Found the diagram and it seems do-able.....even though there is a lot going on. The biggest thing my googley searches haven't found is that it looks like a couple of the pads get jumpered? Not totally sure?

    Anyone done this? Thanks!

  • #2
    Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

    I never heard of some 'pads' in relation with a circuit ;-/...

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    • #3
      Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

      Oh, well let me help you then. It's not a circuit. It's a switch. And it has soldering pads.

      Overview of Free-Way products. Free-Way 6-position Toggle switches to suit various guitar formats including pre-wired models. Free-Way 6 & 10 position Blade Switches for S-type and T-type guitars.

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      • #4
        Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

        My tech wired the 10 position, 5-way switch on my Jackson DK2 which has a Full Shred trembucker, a Vintage Rails middle and a Cool Rails neck. Tons of different tones, and is a very sturdy and versatile switch. The difficult part is remembering what each position does, but I'm getting there...

        No experience with the 3-way, though. Try e-mailing the company, if you have any doubts the PDFs on tneir pabe won't answer.
        Guitars:Gibson LP Trad ('57 Classics); Ibanez SEW761FM (TB-16/STK-S7 m&n); Charvel DK24 (TB10/SSL-6/A2Pn), DK22 (HRb/SSL-6 m&n), SoCal Style1 (Distortion set) & SoCal Style2 24 2PT (Fluence OCC); ESP LTD MH-1000HS (TB-14/Lil59n); Effects: Line 6 Helix Floor, Digitech Drop & FreqOut, ME EP-1L6,Shure GLXD16, Headrush MX5;

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        • #5
          Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

          I haven't used that one
          But I looked it over a bit some time back

          I decided to go with a set of triple shot rings on mine

          But I may have to give it another look

          Thanks for reminding me
          EHD
          Just here surfing Guitar Pron
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          • #6
            Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

            I have used the toggle and blade versions.

            In short. The blade is amazing and near indestructable. The toggle is weak and breaks way too soon.

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            • #7
              Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

              Originally posted by orpheo View Post
              I have used the toggle and blade versions.

              In short. The blade is amazing and near indestructable. The toggle is weak and breaks way too soon.
              ha well poop. On the toggle can you verify that you might have to jumper a couple locations?

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              • #8
                Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

                Originally posted by blakejcan View Post
                ha well poop. On the toggle can you verify that you might have to jumper a couple locations?
                yes but that's not a biggy. The switch is very shallow.



                the problem in that is that the momentum applied on the toggle when you switch positions is quite large and that force (energy) is transferred to a very tiny arm switching over the wafer itself and that is prone to breaking. Also, the joint is very, very weak. It acts like a gearshift in a car and you can get easily stuck between 'gears' (to keep up with the car analogy) and if you do that once, you can simply discard the entire switch immediately.

                The 10 way blade, though, is (in its latest iteration) very, very difficult to break.

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                • #9
                  Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

                  Thank you. I have the swtich in hand and yes, it feels like you could just flip it to another setting too quickly and it would all jam up. Even trying to screw the tip onto the switch I think I almost broke it. Bummer cause it ain't cheap.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

                    Originally posted by blakejcan View Post
                    Specifically the 3x3-03 switch. I have a 3 humbucker guitar with 2 volumes and 1 tone. Found the diagram and it seems do-able.....even though there is a lot going on. The biggest thing my googley searches haven't found is that it looks like a couple of the pads get jumpered? Not totally sure?

                    Anyone done this? Thanks!
                    You mentioned that you have 2 volume controls. *Assuming* that each is a fully indepedent volume conteol and that you value continuing to have the 2 function that way, then the Freeway switch probably is not for you, because it cannot support that.

                    When you browse through all the diagrams across all their switch models on their website, any time there are two volume controls in the diagram scheme, one is a Master Volume control and the other is specific to one of the 2 pickups. So *not* two fully independent volume controls.

                    Also, when i paid for a custom diagram from Freeway this past summer for the 3x3-05 model, i was informed i could not have two fully independent volume controls, just the alternate config i described above.
                    Last edited by Jack_TriPpEr; 01-23-2020, 01:22 PM.
                    Sanford: "The hardest part about tone chasing is losing the expectations associated with the hardware."

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                    • #11
                      Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

                      Thanks for the heads-up. I'm going to try this wiring setup. Looks like in positions 1-3 the volumes work as normal.


                      Click image for larger version

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                      • #12
                        Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

                        Originally posted by blakejcan View Post
                        Thanks for the heads-up. I'm going to try this wiring setup. Looks like in positions 1-3 the volumes work as normal.


                        [ATTACH=CONFIG]102961[/ATTACH]
                        That's good news. Maybe what makes the difference for the potential for two independent volume controls is when the scheme is free of complexitiies like coilsplitting, Out Of Phase and/or master series-parallel functionality, like the scheme in the diagram you found (?). Hope that works out for you!
                        Sanford: "The hardest part about tone chasing is losing the expectations associated with the hardware."

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                        • #13
                          Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

                          Here's a pic of my wiring (I did this 7 years ago):

                          Click image for larger version

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                          And here is the diagram Free-Way provided for this:

                          Click image for larger version

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                          I hope this helps!

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                          • #14
                            Re: Anyone installed a freeway switch?

                            super helpful and looks like a hot mess. Ha! Not much room in there.

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