TL build 3 way switch not working in middle position.

[McCreed]

If you've decided to just replace the switch, you might look at Guitarparts.co.nz (RealTone MUsic)

Just thinking it may be quicker, possibly cheaper for you. They're a great mob and where our Realparts.com here in AUS originated.

[Simon Barden]

So they'll sell a large subset of the Allparts range of products. Which is good, but also bad in the current situation as the Allparts works/warehouse in Albany NY, USA, has been closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, so you'll probably find (certainly the case here with Allparts in the UK) they've now run out of stock of most parts.

[McCreed]

Guitarparts.co.nz website shows Oak Grigsby 3-way in-stock.

[Simon Barden]

Slightly cheaper CRL one at Pitbull, though postage may make a difference to the final cost. https://www.pitbullguitars.com/shop/...ch-st-tl-kits/

[Suggynz]

Yep....they are just up the road thanks

[Suggynz]

Well got the New switch spent time on u tube....thought I did it right. But just a loud buzz when plugged into and and total silence when I screw it back into cavity. Any ideas pic attached

[Suggynz]

This is a better image I hope....

[king casey]

Total silence when inserted in cavity due to shorting out on the copper shielding.
I usually put some insulation tape on the copper under the switch.

cheers, Mark.

[Suggynz]

Thanks but I was only getting a scream from the amp plugged in out of cavity.
I wonder if the switch is wired back to front....hence no pickup connection?..

[Simon Barden]

I can't see a ground wire from the output jack to the back of a pot. It may be there, but not in the photo.



The blue circles are your pickup connections to the switch common contacts, and the switch output wire is wired appropriately for that. The solder joints aren't great, but should do. You really need to get the joints a bit hotter and the solder will flow better. The common output wire looks a bit close to a switch tab (yellow circle), so I;'d bend the tab away from it a bit. If it touches it won't stop it working, but it won't select the pickups properly.

Not sure what's going on with the red circle,. Are you just using the screen of the screened wire as a ground for something?

The green circle is the ground connection of the volume pot. It looks to be folded flat against itself, but is supposed to be folded against the edge/top of the pot and soldered to it. There looks to be a solder bridge to it, but worth checking that with a meter. Try and keep and solder bridge lengths to a minimum. If in doubt, use a piece of wire to link them, as on some pots, the tabs are too short to fold up against the pot body.

It's always best to run some copper screening tape underneath or close to a screw hole. Then you have positive pressure holding the control plate down on the copper tape to create a good conductive ground path. I always run a tab of tape up under each end of the control plate on a Tele/

If you've run copper tape inside the output jack cavity, there's a good risk of the jack socket signal tab touching the copper when
a plug is inserted. So as has been said, insulating tape in those areas where there is a risk of a signal wire or connection shorting to the copper.

With the cover off, put a meter across the tip and sleeve of the end of a cable plugged into the output jack. Turn the volume and tone controls fully up. Measure the resistance, and you should be getting a figure in the 6-9k ohm region with the bridge or neck position selected, and half that in the middle position.

If not, and you only get a open circuit reading, then the circuit is broken somewhere and you need to use the meter to trace back from the output jack on both the signal and ground sides until yu find where there's no continuity.

Or if you read a very low resistance of a few ohms, you've got a good short between signal and ground somewhere.

If you get a normal resistance reading, then a screaming pickup could be down to a microphonic pickup, especially of the pickups haven't been wax potted (or not potted properly). This is when the pickup windings themselves are vibrated by the amp volume, and as they act like a load of very short guitar strings, you get a high pitched scream which doesn't stop when you damp the strings.

It's unlikely you'll get two new microphonic pickups at the same time, though it is remotely possible. Unless they aren't wax potted types (there are sonic benefits to non-potted pickups as long as you play fairly cleanly and with not too much gain or volume), they tend to go microphonic over time as the wax dries out and shrinks, allowing the coils to move.