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Selector Switch on Riviera


Kylef

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Ive had a couple of problems in the past with the selector switch on Korea Riviera, and id like to change it for a genuine Gibson one.

 

Ive had a quick look at the options, but i havent looked inside the Riviera to see what type it is. Gibson has an 'L' shaped one, and a straight one. Im guessing the straight one, but its good to be certain which one it is?

 

Ive never found a switch tip that fits my Riviera either, only the one it came with. Will be good to finally change it for a genuine gibson one aswell.

 

Also, how hard are these to fit?

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Ive had a couple of problems in the past with the selector switch on Korea Riviera, and id like to change it for a genuine Gibson one.

 

Ive had a quick look at the options, but i havent looked inside the Riviera to see what type it is. Gibson has an 'L' shaped one, and a straight one. Im guessing the straight one, but its good to be certain which one it is?

 

In my Riviera a straight short switch was built in. Changed it for a straight long Gibson switch. The L-shape switch is for the SG as far as I know, the thin body does not fit for a straight switch.

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In my Riviera a straight short switch was built in. Changed it for a straight long Gibson switch. The L-shape switch is for the SG as far as I know, the thin body does not fit for a straight switch.

Correct, the "L" (right angle) switch is for SG and other thin solid bodies.

 

I believe the Gibson brand switches are just re-branded Switchcraft 3-ways: http://www.allparts.com/SearchResults.asp?search=switchcraft+toggle&x=0&y=0

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Kylef,

 

Nothing special from me except that you might be able to save a couple bucks here:

http://www.guitarelectronics.com/results.cgis?catalog=DEFAULT&keywords=switchcraft&x=0&y=0&=search

This also presumes you live in the U.S.

 

I don't have a Riviera so I won't pretend to know anything about them. I do know a little about toggle switches.

First, if LongMan says that they will take a long switch I have no reason to doubt him. I would like to know if he used the "standard" mounting collar or did he use a "recessed" mounting collar? Was this the reason for using the long instead of staying with the short?

The long switches have shorter threads than the short switches. Thus, they often require a recessed mounting collar.

 

You mention the tip.

Switchcraft and Gibson are imperial. Production Epi switches are metric. You will have to open the hole up slightly.

This is also the reason the aftermarket tips aren't fitting. (the ones you may have bought are probably not metric)

Guitarelectronics also sells imperial tips...most colors...$1.50.

 

One last thought. The ground orientation of the switch is the opposite from standard Epiphone. This may make absolutely no difference to you. Sometimes it does, most often it does not.

If it does then, it takes little effort to take them apart and reassemble....Just pay attention while doing it.

I just got done doing one for a Gibson L.P. here:

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/67050-lp-redo/page__view__findpost__p__916360

 

Willy

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First, if LongMan says that they will take a long switch I have no reason to doubt him.

 

If there were any doubts, I could post pictures for approval [smile] (In fact there are some pictures of that Riviera in this board)

 

I would like to know if he used the "standard" mounting collar or did he use a "recessed" mounting collar?

 

The long Gibson switch came with a recessed collar.

 

Was this the reason for using the long instead of staying with the short?

The long switches have shorter threads than the short switches. Thus, they often require a recessed mounting collar.

 

Simple reason: The dealer had 2 switches on stock that did fit the Riviera. A cheap short one from asian production, and the long Gibson one. So I went with the Gibson one, because I didn't intend to change the switch again a year or two later. Of course I could have found a short quality switch in an internet shop, but I wanted to put in the new switch immediately that day. If you have a look into the f-hole, you see more of the long switch than you did of the short one. That doesn't bother me at all. The long switch does its job just perfectly, and that's all I asked for.

Maybe next time I will take more time and look out for an 1:1 replacement. My good old Sheraton needs an entire new harness, the selector switch shows crackles and dropouts, the pots are crackling, so it's time to get that fixed. I saw that prewired Mojotone ES-335 harness, but these are difficult to get in Germany.

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Thanks for the help.

 

Is it a hard job, or easy working through the F-hole?

It can be frustrating, but a little forward planning helps things, tie a string to the original one before pulling through the hole, then tie it to the replacement and use it to pull the new one into place.

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Thanks for the help.

 

Is it a hard job, or easy working through the F-hole?

I found it pretty easy, but that depends on your experience with that kind of jobs. Could even grab the switch thru the f-hole with my fingers. There was enough wire to get out the switch without problems. The interesting part comes when you have to put in new pots. Getting them out isn't a big deal either, but putting them back in can be somewhat tricky, to say the least... Just another hint: Protect the top of the guitar before you start working on it, especially when soldering. It's annoying if you have scratches in the finish from the metal parts, or even holes burnt in from the soldering. I used some plies of masking tape.

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It can be frustrating, but a little forward planning helps things, tie a string to the original one before pulling through the hole, then tie it to the replacement and use it to pull the new one into place.

That's true for the pots on flat hollow bodies. But the pickup selector switch is app. an inch away from the broadest part of the f-hole (where you pull it out) on Riviera/Sheraton/ES-3xx type guitars. When you removed the nut from the switch you can pull it out with your fingers. Putting it back in is as easy. You can hold it in position thru the f-hole with one finger under the switch, while you put on the nut with the other hand.

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That's true for the pots on flat hollow bodies. But the pickup selector switch is app. an inch away from the broadest part of the f-hole (where you pull it out) on Riviera/Sheraton/ES-3xx type guitars. When you removed the nut from the switch you can pull it out with your fingers. Putting it back in is as easy. You can hold it in position thru the f-hole with one finger under the switch, while you put on the nut with the other hand.

All I can say is you must have much longer fingers than I, I can't reach the switch on any of my hollow/semi-hollows, regardless of arched or flat top.

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All I can say is you must have much longer fingers than I, I can't reach the switch on any of my hollow/semi-hollows, regardless of arched or flat top.

Well, long man has long fingers [tongue] But seriously: I have pretty normal hands, at least that's what I thought so far. No problem to reach the switch in a Riviera:

 

grabit.jpg

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Well, long man has long fingers [tongue] But seriously: I have pretty normal hands, at least that's what I thought so far. No problem to reach the switch in a Riviera:

I gotta say the switch is much closer to the f-hole on the Riviera than I thought, thanks for the pic, my bad.

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