soggybag Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 I have a guitar with one of those Les Paul style toggle switches. The switch works in the down position. But, it's iffy in the up or center position. It's funny, the sound sort of fades in and out, rather crackling on and off. It's not working and needs some help. I figure I might be able to repair the switch, if not replace it. The problem I'm having is getting started. My guitar looks great and there's no little circular Treble/Bass plate under the switch. The nut is black and one of those knurled ones, not the hex type. The question is how to get the nut off and back on again without scratching the guitar. What's the best tool to use? I don't have a fancy wrench for this. I'm reluctant to buy one at the prices charged by Stew mac. I figure I can put something down on the face of the guitar for the repair. But, nut is very close to the surface, so it's hard to get a grip. It's on pretty tight, I don't want to damage the nut trying to get it off. I need your best and most ingenious ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mender Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 Get hold of a strip of wide sticky tape, about an inch wide should do it, and preferably vinyl (insulation tape is great). Cut a hole in the center exactly the same diameter as the nut. Put it over the switch assembly so it covers all the wood around the nut. Now get a bit of very hard wood, beech or oak is good. Drill a hole though this slightly smaller than the diameter of the nut. Now chamfer the hole slightly on one side so the opening is exactly the same size as the nut, but only about 1/16 of an inch taper, so when you place this over the nut and press it fairly firmly, the bottom of the wood doesn't touch the guitar. Press down and turn. There should be enough grip to turn the nut, and it shouldn't mark the guitar if you do it right. I think this picture should show what I mean about the hole in the wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soggybag Posted June 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 Get hold of a strip of wide sticky tape, about an inch wide should do it, and preferably vinyl (insulation tape is great). Cut a hole in the center exactly the same diameter as the nut. Put it over the switch assembly so it covers all the wood around the nut. Now get a bit of very hard wood, beech or oak is good. Drill a hole though this slightly smaller than the diameter of the nut. Now chamfer the hole slightly on one side so the opening is exactly the same size as the nut, but only about 1/16 of an inch taper, so when you place this over the nut and press it fairly firmly, the bottom of the wood doesn't touch the guitar. Press down and turn. There should be enough grip to turn the nut, and it shouldn't mark the guitar if you do it right. I think this picture should show what I mean about the hole in the wood Thanks for the reply. Tricky solution, let me give this some thought. The goal would be to get the hole in the wood just the right size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 A proper Gentleman uses one of those specific knurled nut toggle switch wrenches like StewMac sells. Well, I'm not quite a proper Gentleman (a bit closer to a hobo that got pushed off a speeding train inside a tunnel- OUCH ! ) so I use a home-made tool, which I totally got the idea from by a repairman named Mike Hansen (Although I believe he went back to being a chemical engineer or something like that). It's a home-made "toggle switch nut wrench", consisting of a piece of copper pipe, with an inner dia of something around 9/16" ??? (anyway, it's a standard piece of pipe- didn't special order it or anything like that) And then the business end has 3 or 4 slots sawed in it, to give that " 9/16" ID some wiggle room. and then over that slotted end, a hose clamp. And then I just happened to have an old wood screw driver handle that tightly press fit over the other end of the piece of copper tube ( I guess the copper tube is about 3" long). So you slip the slotted copper pipe end over the round knurled nut, slide down the hose clamp near the guitar body suface (good idea for thin cardboard with a hole cut out over the toggle switch), tighten that hose clamp which makes the copped tube tighten on the knurled nut and if that nut's on there with a typical tightness, this hobo "wrench" should get it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim37 Posted July 3, 2010 Report Share Posted July 3, 2010 it sounds to me like one of the blades is a little weak you may be ablt to get in there and bend it a littel without removing the switch. thats if your trying to save the switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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