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NightHawk 5 way switch


ras

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Just When I was starting to enjoy this Epiphone

I love this Epiphone Nighthawk just got recently... The 5 way switch quit on me last night. Now instead of 9 pickup combinations, I get a total of 4 ......Neck and Bridge + coil tap.

 

It kinda suck cause I have already bonded with this guitar. ... so nice for chord work and the neck is a dream..... I've talked to Authorized repair Guys(2)in town here and can't get anyone to look at it for at least a month.

 

I've been looking around inside myself.... Is anyone familiar with the 5 way in the nighthawk?

 

I took this Pic of the switch and am wondering if the that Piece of solder connecting the 2 contacts in the middle should be joined or is that a case of sloppy soldering? anybody got any suggestions?

 

 

p><p><img src=nitewire 005 by rasaban, on Flickr[/img]

 

Ras

 

TIA

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I took this Pic of the switch and am wondering if the that Piece of solder connecting the 2 contacts in the middle should be joined or is that a case of sloppy soldering?

Hi Ras, welcome to the forum.

 

That soldering looks to be a mistake to me, if it was meant to be a bridge between the two I'd expect it to be more substantial than that little bit of dribble.

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Hi Ras, welcome to the forum.

 

That soldering looks to be a mistake to me, if it was meant to be a bridge between the two I'd expect it to be more substantial than that little bit of dribble.

 

Yeah thanks .... I just got this Nighthawk and am glad there is a resource ..... Yeah that bit of wiring is suspect. .. but I just want to make sure that's the problem... before I take an Iron to it.....

 

post-31967-060371700 1300946979_thumb.jpg

post-31967-034921900 1300947041_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

 

Thanks

Rasaban

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Yeah thanks .... I just got this Nighthawk and am glad there is a resource ..... Yeah that bit of wiring is suspect. .. but I just want to make sure that's the problem... before I take an Iron to it.....

 

Thanks

Rasaban

I don't know how those 5-ways are wired, it was just an observation based on past experience.

 

BTW: A couple of wonderful looking geets you have there.

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Interesting post....

 

I'm thinking of getting one of these guitars soon

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences

 

I'm getting the feeling that a wiring upgrade may be necessary

 

Epiphones in general are great value for money but often need tweaks to improve reliability....

 

V

 

:-({|=

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Personally, i think that your best option is to replace the switch. Epiphone make great guitars but tend to cheap out on the electrical bits, wiring upgrades are very common, in many cases a new set of pots, caps and a switch will not only make an epi more reliable, but can improve sound quality too.

 

If you don't want to replace the switch, or can't get hold of a replacement any time soon, then a contact cleaner spray might bring the switch back to life.

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Personally, i think that your best option is to replace the switch. Epiphone make great guitars but tend to cheap out on the electrical bits, wiring upgrades are very common, in many cases a new set of pots, caps and a switch will not only make an epi more reliable, but can improve sound quality too.

 

If you don't want to replace the switch, or can't get hold of a replacement any time soon, the a contact cleaner spray might bring the switch back to life.

 

 

I don't know exactly how to fix the problem of the OP, but I have to give a big +1 to the contact cleaner comment. lol EVERY guitar player should own a can of contact cleaner. It's amazing how many problems it can solve.

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Problem solved All is well .... it was the middle pickup and some loose wiring.....its all good and this is a dam fine guitar

 

Thanks Guys

Fantastic news Rasabian, glad you didn't have to wait a month for such a simple fix, rock on.

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I'm teetering on getting the Nighthawk next week

 

Had a 'feel' in the shop and liked it a lot

 

Very impressed with the perceived build quality

 

And the set-up out of the box was superb

 

Noted the 'Made in Indonesia' :blink:

 

They appear to be selling fast....

 

V

 

:-({|=

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  • 1 month later...

Hi All. New to the forum and Epi. Just got a Nighthawk yesterday. The push-pull pot already crapped the bed. Lost the bridge pickup entirely. If I click the pot a few times it will come back on. Otherwise, a fine instrument. I had to set it up myself as the action was high. Tweaked the neck a bit and now it's just as good as my 82 American Strat. Love the weight and the look, but clearly a wiring upgrade is called for.

 

Jmac

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