5 way selector switches

[The Madness Here]

The the switch arms longer on switches used on rear routered guitars than switches used with pickguards? It seems like the wood around the switch is thicker than a pickguard so the arm would need to be longer to stick out.

Im wondering because I need to know what kind of switch to use on the guitar body Im building.

[frankfalbo]

The mighty mite switch is pretty good, and it has two slots in the knob. one regular for bodies, and one that's recessed deeper for pickguards. Most rear route bodies have one depth for the cavity and then go a little deeper around the switch area. Since it's just around the switch, you don't lose the support from the rest of the cavity thickness.

[Rich]

Ibanez used the same YM50 in both guard mounted 777's and body [plus guard thickness] 77's

[The Madness Here]

I know that, what Im wondering is if there are two different lengths for the lever part of the switch. One, shorter, length for pickguards and one, longer, length for non-pickguards.

EDIT: this is directed towards frank, rich beat me to the response. Rich, what about non-ibanez switches? are they different lengths?

[Rich]

Like I said, the *same* switch

[frankfalbo]

Originally Posted by The Madness Here

I'm wondering if there are two different lengths for the lever part of the switch.

With the mighty mite switch you've got it backwards. The shaft is long enough for either application. But the knob can sit deeper onto it one way than the other. And when you choose the "longer" one, it is in fact much taller than a standard switch, and can be loaded through a thicker space. Besides that, nobody really makes a switch for the different applications. You just have to route the cavity to the appropriate depth. If you're asking if there's, like, a YM50 long and a YM50 short, there's not.

[The Madness Here]

thats what I was wondering, thanks.

[Scott of Actual Time]

Originally Posted by The Madness Here

I know that, what Im wondering is if there are two different lengths for the lever part of the switch. One, shorter, length for pickguards and one, longer, length for non-pickguards.

_some_ switches are made with levers of two different lengths, but most are not. the Yamaha 24 pole switch that stewart macdonald used to sell was like this, made in two different models with different length length levers. i bought the long length to install in a non-pickguard Ibanez, but because of the thin extra rout inside the cavity like frank mentioned, the switch lever sticks way out.

the mighty mite design sounds like a great way to make a switch that could be used in both applications, but on any rear-routed guitar that has the extra thin routing at the switch, like an Ibanez, you can use any normal length switch.