Guitar Gear Forum

Hey guys, might be a dumb question, but I had to ask.

I have a B.C. Rich Zoltan model and it has a three way toggle selector switch. I've replaced it numerous times with various brands, because it seems like it never sets in place properly signal wise. Meaning, I'll have it in the bridge position and sometimes you'll hear it jump between the bridge and middle position. Gets so annoying.

I've looked at the John Petrucci 3 way toggle with the circuit board, but it looks more like a mini toggle to me and that's probably incorrect of me. And I've looked at the Freeway 3 way toggles, but that seems complicated. So if anyone has any suggestions as to what could be the issue, I'm all ears.

I've also tried troubleshooting the issue by wiring one pickup at a time, to ensure it wasn't shitty soldering on my part (I've gotten mucho better in that department btw).

So the last resort is to get some sort of routing tool and drop a 5 way blade style switch in its place. I wasn't sure if that was possible or if anyone had ever done that. I'm guessing a routed type bit would be needed or something.

Sorry for the long winded post, but that's where I'm at. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

not saying it's impossible.... I'm saying it will look like dog shit if you route the guitar for a 5 way blade since you'll have the circle cut for the toggle switch still there.... unless you have a solid colour top and are really good at paint matching...


that being said... you have any gut shots of the wiring? which brand 3 way switches have you been using?

Marc G wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 3:09 pm not saying it's impossible.... I'm saying it will look like dog shit if you route the guitar for a 5 way blade since you'll have the circle cut for the toggle switch still there.... unless you have a solid colour top and are really good at paint matching...


that being said... you have any gut shots of the wiring? which brand 3 way switches have you been using?

Ah, yeah, it's the quilt top model, so there'd be no way for me to color match and all that jazz. I've already dinged the thing due to the stupid strap button on the horn being on the rear and my strap slipped off, so making it look worse is definitely not what I want to do. Just kinda at wits end.

The three brands I tried was a cheap Chinese one from my Agile, an All Parts branded one, and currently a Switchcraft one. I don't have any gut shots on me at the moment as it's holed up in the basement currently.

The all parts and switchcraft should have worked just fine.... send pics when you can

If you tried several different brands and you are having the same problem, the issue is most likely something that is rubbing against the switch inside of the cavity. First, make sure all wires are out of the way of the switch path of movement. If that doesn't work, I'd suggest removing the switch and carving the wood around the hole (on the inside of the cavity) to give the switch more room to move.

Toggle switches don't pop out of position for no reason, especially several switches of different brands. Something is causing it to move, it's either wood or wiring.

If you want to go with a blade switch, you can add another volume or tone pot where the toggle is, then route it for the blade. But you should be able to solve this without resorting to that.

Switchcraft toggles are pretty bulletproof UNLESS you accidentally bent one of the contact plates. In that case, you can disassemble the switch and bend it back. Like Billy said, if it's popping out of place, and you don't have anything bent, it means the switch is pushing against something inside the cavity.

I strongly advise against using a 5 way blade. The toggle hole is huge, and it will not look good with a 5 way. (FWIW, I have far more problems with blade switches than I ever do with switchcraft toggles.)