avengers63 Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Switches_and_knobs/Free-Way_Pickup_Switch.html I bought two of these last year. I finally got both of them installed. Both of them are crap. For positives, all I can say is that 1) they're a great idea, and 2) the wiring diagrams are both explicit and easy to read. Switch #1 was installed in the yellow Iceman. It has RAD's blade strat set in it, so the free-way seemed like a good match to utilize all of the pup combos. At first it just bizzed like carzy... some kind of grounding issue. Then all of a sudden it started working right. Before too long, position 4 completely died. Switch #2 was installed in the Super-Thin mkII. With the shorter profile, it seemed like it would be an ideal solution to the switch depth issue no the uber-thin body. I wired it up for HH on one side and SS on the other. When first wired up, the signal was VERY weak; the single coil side was almost undetectable. When I re-wired it, the signal returned, but position 4 was dead, just like the first one. When I read the reviews, this seems to be a common issue. The reviews also have a LOT of negative experiences with them. It kinda makes me feel better - knowing that it's not just me - but the $40+ is still wasted. I now have an unusable hole in the top of the Super-Thin, and I'll need to make another p/g for the Iceman, so the final cost is a lot more. Overall, I advise you to avoid the switch until they make some major improvements in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 I did a lot of research into these because a 5-way does not fit in an S9... and I read that they suck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 nice idea but il looks totally unreliable... and $40 is a steal! maybe rotary switch isn't too cool but they're 1000 times better IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ansil Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 a five way or blade style switch can fit in anything if you are creative. have you ever seen one mounted sideways? and still switched from the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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