Switch failure analysis.

[Artie]

A short time ago, a forum bro posted about his Tele install where the neck pup didn't work, but it metered out ok. We finally figured out that the 3-way was faulty. That's unusual for a new 3-way, and the forum bro was kind enough to send it to me so I could look at it. Wherever that topic is, I posted pics of the torn up contacts. I could only figure out that someone must have hit the wiper bar with a good amount of impact to twist it up that bad. Not sure how anyone could do that without knowing they did it.

So, I've had this switch sitting on my computer bench, and pick it up and look at it from time to time. Just this morning, with my coffee, I noticed something I hadn't seen before. Whoever soldered this, allowed solder to flow down the contact and wick up into the butterfly contacts, thus creating a solder dam. (Red arrow.) As soon as the switch handle was moved to the center position, the wiper, (green arrow), hit that dam, and ripped the wiper assembly out. Blue arrows show additional excessive solder that flowed down on the other contacts, but didn't happen to wick into the contacts.

So anyway, I don't mean this post to beat up the bro who sent this to me. But just as an FYI for those who do soldering. Use the minimal amount necessary to do the job. It don't take much.

 

[beaubrummels]

FWIW - I've had a notable number of new switches have their tabs, flanges, lugs, etc. get bent and jacked up from storage, packing and shipping. It's not always direct human intervention that caused it.

 

[Artie]

Yup. And I hate those AllParts vacuum packed switches/pots, where you darn near destroy the part trying to get the vacuum formed plastic off of it. Opening their output jacks is the worst.

 

[PFDarkside]

I was confused with one of mine, it turns out I had dropped blob of solder on a contact. Oops!

 

[Liam1963]

I just experienced the opposite issue: I purchased an instrument from a well-known guitar/bass manufacturer, and the 3-way switch was intermittent. Upon opening up the switch assembly, two of the pickup ("hot") wires were NOT soldered to the contacts at all, they were "placed" into the contact holes on the switch, but were not soldered. Not sure how this instrument passed QC, but it did...

 

[Artie]

That's odd. I've had new switches that were intermittent, but I've never seen that. :11:

 

[ehdwuld]

I had a 3 way switch from a Well Known manufacturer that was intermittent
the wires were stretched tight over the toggle and must have ground out on the frame of the switch occassionaly

I replaced the pickups and wiring and havent had any troubles since

it may have been the molex plugs for the pickups that Gib... ah-hem, the manufacturer used

 

[Artie]

My brand new Gretsch Electromatic Jet Club came with a bad 3-way toggle. I didn't return it because I do a lot of their warranty work. They would have just handed it back to me and said fix it.