4-way rotary switch for Musicmaster-to-Duo Sonic?

anhammon · Post by **anhammon** » Fri Dec 30, 2011 4:48 pm

Hi there,

I've been looking for a 24"-scale Duo-Sonic for some time with little luck, but have just come across a nice and cheap 24" scale Musicmaster, and figure I'll add a pickup and have my Duo-Sonic by a different route. I'll put the pick guard and pots away for safe keeping somewhere, in case I ever want to put it back together as an "original" Musicmaster.

I'm not a big fan of the toggle switches on the stock Duo Sonic, so I am thinking of doing away with them entirely, and doing my pickup selection with a rotary switch, and either going to single-volume or using a concentric pot for volume/tone. (I'll get my new pick guard without the switch slots).

I was thinking of using a 4-position rotary switch to replicate the normal 4 positions on a Duo Sonic: neck pickup, both in phase, both out of phase, bridge pickup. Has anyone tried this? Any wiring diagrams out there? (Do rotary switches even fit in the control cavity of Musicmasters without routing -- which I'd rather not do?)

Thanks very much -- and sorry if this topic has been covered (couldn't find it in a quick search.)

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 1:46 pm

which model of musicmaster do you have?

anhammon · Post by **anhammon** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 3:21 pm

It's a 1966 -- so, same body as the 60s Duo Sonics and Mustangs.

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 3:51 pm

Rotary switches are wider by a single dimension than most other pots as they're oval in shape. You should be able to still fit it in by turning it around a bit. They're not much deeper than a regular pot, either. You should be fine. Finding a four way rotary switch could be a real pain in the dick, though. I had a hard enough time finding a three-way, I'll try and find the website I bought it from, they had a good selection. The only problem was the shaft was far too tall for regular guitar knobs, so I had to saw it down.

anhammon · Post by **anhammon** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 7:12 pm

Thanks for the tips!

Would this one do the trick?

http://www.guitarelectronics.com/produc ... witch.html

(This one looks a bit deeper than usual...)

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 7:32 pm

the measurements are given, you'd just have to see whether or not the control cavity has the required depth.

a standard 3 way toggle might be a better option (like you'd get on a jazzmaster).