3-way pickup selector switch. SE Hollowbody II.

[Abe]

So the one thing that worries me on this PRS guitar I like is the 3-way pickup selector switch. The previous PRS SE Hollowbody II I tried had a broken pickup switch from previous users of the guitar. Was functional with the switch part snapped off. I've also seen a few people online talk of their pickup switches getting broken on their SE PRSs.

The us.prsaccessories.com website lists PRS 3-Way Toggle Switch (SE) for $15.30 which states 3-way toggle switch for PRS SE model guitars (plastic housing). Mounting hardware included. Ships with either cream or black switch cap depending on on-hand stock. (ACC-4509).

us.prsaccessories.com also sells PRS 3-way Toggle Switch for $58.65 which states PRS 3-way toggle switch for fits Customs, McCarty, Hollowbody and CE.


If I were to ever need to replace my cheaper SE Hollowbody II's pickup switch due to it being cheap and breaking too easily would it be covered under PRS's Limited Lifetime Warranty?

Also are they interchangeable? ie can the more expensive switch replace the cheaper SE one on an SE Hollowbody II guitar?


I'll try to go easy on the switch for I fear this is my guitar's weakest point. Would I have to have the switch upgraded by an authorized Authorized PRS Dealer to not void the Warranty? Wondering how to go about this.

Thanks.

 

[dogrocketp]

I don’t believe you have lifetime warranty on the SE’s. Above and beyond that, if anything fails, I’m replacing it with American parts, although not always PRS.

 

[Birdsofprey]

I’ve never broken a switch in any of the hundreds of guitars I’ve owned over the years. I’ve replaced them as a mod or when one came to me broken. Take care of your instrument.

 

[Abe]

I don’t believe you have lifetime warranty on the SE’s. Above and beyond that, if anything fails, I’m replacing it with American parts, although not always PRS.

I've seen no such specifications that SE models are excluded from the Limited Lifetime Warranty PRS offers. What makes you say that?

 

[SinSir]

I'm replacing with core parts or equivalent

 

[Alessandro]

The switches have issues for sure. From my experience the cheap SE switches are pretty stiff and can get stuck in a particular position, specially if it hasn’t been used in a while. I change the switch on every SE guitar I’ve ever owned since they are cheap enough for quality ones and I have the know how to do it myself. I have never really heard of one breaker completely like snapping off or anything like that, just quality issues overall (stiffness, too high, cuts out etc..)

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

Not sure how a 3-way toggle can cost almost $60 when the highest quality Switchcraft switch costs half that, but I digress… Buying the toggle switch is the easy part… replacing it on a Hollowbody is a major task - best left to a pro.

 

[Aether]

We recently went through this in another thread, The SE 3-ways are identical to the cheapo import 3-ways you can get under various silly brand names on Amazon. Replace with a quality Switchcraft. When I added a piezo/magnetic mini toggle to my SE HBII Piezo, I also did the Switchcraft upgrade. Fits fine with no reaming of the hole required.

 

[Abe]

Bump.

So in talking to my local Authorized PRS Dealer and PRS Customer Service I was told that I do have a two year warranty for the electronics on the guitar. My dealer said that in their experience when these SE toggle switches go bad it usually happens within the first few months of use, suggesting that some of the installed SE switches are just having a defect that not all of them have, and if it does go bad on me within the warranty period they can install the better upgraded switch with PRS paying for them to do so.