Hi - have 2 of these at the moment and they both have had intermittent problem with pickup selector where I get no sound when changing selection (and no, it's not because the other pickup volume is down!). Seems like flipping back and forth a 100 times or so may have got them 'broken in' but just wondering if anyone knows if (1) these are good switches and maybe just needed a little breaking in , or (2) maybe needs de-oxit, or (3) get a better switch for the one i keep (and which switch you'd recommend) - thanks!
DGT SE pickup selector
- Thread starter Townie53
- Start date
Alessandro
New Member
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- Jul 30, 2018
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You can certainly spend the time making sure nothing is shorting out against the cavity or that solder joints look strong and what knot but my experience with SE electronics says even if the problem right now isn’t the switch it eventually will be
Prs Mods too
New Member
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Someone else complained about this recently. So this makes 3 guitars in the last couple of weeks. I wonder if they changed something in the manufacturing process or just ended up with a faulty batch of switches. Last person said contact cleaner fixed theirs.
Rod/
Vibrato & String Bender
This………..
Facts. I wish PRS SE parts were better quality. Scratchy pots, intermittent cut outs from the 3 way switch. Hell I even had a SS SE bridge pickup bust on me. An upgrade to these things cannot be that expensive. Alphas are cheap. They can spend a few more bucks to upgrade the quality and still save plenty over USA models. I hope in time it improves, much like the nuts have finally been approaching USA grade since 2020.
BigChrisW
'68 Special
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- Sep 25, 2022
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I had this issue. Deoxit fixed it
Birdsofprey
All Birds that Fly.
Replace the switch there cr*p parts and WILL fail again so if your into the guessing game then Deoxit away the company will love you for buying there product.
Rod/
Vibrato & String Bender
I’d rather have PRS cheapen the electronics than skimp on the quality of woods used, build quality and finish in the S2 line, which they don’t do… my 2 S2’s are very similar in build quality to my 2 Cores….
fwiw, there’s nothing wrong with Alpha pots and the wiring is quite good. Spray out the toggle switch and it will be fine.
Their pickups in the McCarty 594 series are subjective. I like them in my ‘22 McCarty DC 594 and love them in my 2014 S2 Custom 24. Depends what you’re after. The whole reason they did this was to keep the build quality of the guitar itself high, but keeping the price far lower than their Core series and to that end, they succeeded Big time……
SinSir
Mad Scientist
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- Sep 7, 2020
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- 4,540
They're two differnt pickups stock. 5815s in the '22 594 and 8515s in the 2014 Cu24. The 8515s are supposed to me more modern and run hotter.
I agree, the pickup game is entirely subjective and so many variables can influence how a pickup sounds to me. As a general rule I'm the opposite of you, I've favored the 5815s over the 8515s. And there's been guitars I've not liked the 5815s and guitars I've like the 8515s.
I also agree, if they are going to cheapen anywhere I'd prefer it to be electronics. I can replace those, but a neck not so much. But I'd still rather not see so many with electronics issues that can often be resolved by a simple cleaning. That seems avoidable but luckily an easy fix for us.
I'm not disagreeing with you guys. I too prefer quality woods being used and the focus of the line. But I have not had much luck with de-oxit. Works for a while but needs to be repeated. Thankfully I've learned how to solder and can fix things myself. But for your average person learning guitar: they may not have the skillset. So it can be frustrating paying nearly 2k nowadays and still having issues pop up.
Rod/
Vibrato & String Bender
Well, PRS really should find a better imported 3 way switch….. Also…. When you’re not playing your guitar, keep the switch in the middle position….. it takes the pressure off of the spring steel inside the switch
CandidPicker
Tone Matters. Use It Well.
@Townie53,
Something I discovered regards the DGT SE 3-way toggle...if the toggle resides left to right on the front of your guitar, and you try to adjust it slightly for a more diagonal look, it may cause the toggle interior ground contacts to short out with the conductive paint inside the guitar cavity.
See my post in the PTC section...I tried swapping out the switch myself with a Switchcraft 3-way toggle, only to discover that the Switchcraft is configured differently than the DGT SE switch. After several failed attempts to correct a non-working switch, the guitar was eventually repaired with the original switch and some electrical tape was positioned between the switch contacts and the conductive paint.
Problem was, my soldering work looked terrible (a lot of the wiring insulation was fried and just looked really bad). So, off to PTC the guitar is heading...
What I can tell you that will save you a lot of grief and money is to spray the switch contacts with some De-Oxit after you've positioned some electrical tape between the switch and the cavity wall. This way, if you must adjust the angle of the switch, the electrical tape will prevent shorting out, and the contact cleaner will improve the switch's performance. Be sure to work the switch back and forth a handful of times to distribute the De-Oxit within the switch.
FTR, I listened to several people who suggested swapping out the switch, only to realize that the DGT SE's wiring doesn't accommodate the Switchcraft. The white cap wire is too short to reach the far thin solder lugs. I ended up buggering up the red lead wires, which looked like a hot mess once the original switch was reinstalled.
My suggestion is that if your soldering skills are good, you could try to do the work yourself, but if you've only soldered twice in your lifetime, like myself, let a qualified tech handle the job. My hands and eyes weren't good enough for the work, and now must let PTC have a laugh when they see the bad haircut my DGT SE received.
Something I discovered regards the DGT SE 3-way toggle...if the toggle resides left to right on the front of your guitar, and you try to adjust it slightly for a more diagonal look, it may cause the toggle interior ground contacts to short out with the conductive paint inside the guitar cavity.
See my post in the PTC section...I tried swapping out the switch myself with a Switchcraft 3-way toggle, only to discover that the Switchcraft is configured differently than the DGT SE switch. After several failed attempts to correct a non-working switch, the guitar was eventually repaired with the original switch and some electrical tape was positioned between the switch contacts and the conductive paint.
Problem was, my soldering work looked terrible (a lot of the wiring insulation was fried and just looked really bad). So, off to PTC the guitar is heading...
What I can tell you that will save you a lot of grief and money is to spray the switch contacts with some De-Oxit after you've positioned some electrical tape between the switch and the cavity wall. This way, if you must adjust the angle of the switch, the electrical tape will prevent shorting out, and the contact cleaner will improve the switch's performance. Be sure to work the switch back and forth a handful of times to distribute the De-Oxit within the switch.
FTR, I listened to several people who suggested swapping out the switch, only to realize that the DGT SE's wiring doesn't accommodate the Switchcraft. The white cap wire is too short to reach the far thin solder lugs. I ended up buggering up the red lead wires, which looked like a hot mess once the original switch was reinstalled.
My suggestion is that if your soldering skills are good, you could try to do the work yourself, but if you've only soldered twice in your lifetime, like myself, let a qualified tech handle the job. My hands and eyes weren't good enough for the work, and now must let PTC have a laugh when they see the bad haircut my DGT SE received.
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ViperDoc
Plugged In.
Deoxit is good if you're dealing with corrosion. If your switch contacts are not making enough contact or are not completely disengaging in one of the positions, try bending the contact to improve function. Just don't break it. 
If you have a bad solder joint, a proper joint may also fix it. That switch needs an exam!
If you have a bad solder joint, a proper joint may also fix it. That switch needs an exam!
DISTORT6
NJ Devil
I wouldn’t wrap the switch with electrical tape. The adhesive part of the tape breaks down over time and will make future repairs way more difficult. Literally gumming up the works.
I would put some thin cardboard around the switch to isolate the switch from the sides of the guitar. No mess and no grounding out.
I would put some thin cardboard around the switch to isolate the switch from the sides of the guitar. No mess and no grounding out.
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
I've had the 3 way loosen and short out against the shielding paint in several PRS guitars, but mostly in SE's.
Started wrapping plastic electric tape around the 3 ways in my Bernie Marsdens.
The switch can go bad too. Deoxit will fix it if it's dirty...for a while. May or or may not not be a permanent fix.
But sometimes they lose their spring and don't make good contact anymore.
Especially the "Student Edition" 3 way switches used in SE's.
Started wrapping plastic electric tape around the 3 ways in my Bernie Marsdens.
The switch can go bad too. Deoxit will fix it if it's dirty...for a while. May or or may not not be a permanent fix.
But sometimes they lose their spring and don't make good contact anymore.
Especially the "Student Edition" 3 way switches used in SE's.
CandidPicker
Tone Matters. Use It Well.
Well, with due respect, someone from this forum suggested wrapping the switch with tape. Thinking along your lines, I thought it wise to try to tape the inside guitar cavity wall, in order to protect it from contact with the switch.
Even some paper taped to the cavity wall would solve the problem. Cardboard might be more difficult to form-fit inside the cavity; something more flexible might be the ticket...
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
That was me. You sure could just apply tape to the inside surface of the control walls where the 3 way is located.
Maybe 2" blue painter's tape?
Or a toilet paper or paper towel tube cut to size and inserted in the control cavity? That would probably work on a Bernie Marsden which has a separate control cavity for the 3 way, like a Les Paul has.
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CandidPicker
Tone Matters. Use It Well.
The painter's tape seems realistic and might just work...
ViperDoc
Plugged In.
No offense to any tape enthusiasts, but you shouldn't need it as it's spec'd in exactly zero PRS guitars. Something's up with the switch itself.
#CUSTOMIZATIONBELIKE
#CUSTOMIZATIONBELIKE
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