Will a 5-Way blade fit in Place of a 3-Way Blade?

[Drew]

In the middle of an epic mod on my S2 Custom. Seymour Duncan Pickups, Mann-Made Bridge. Tone for days now. However, one unsteady hand and a very hot soldering iron signaled the end of my 3-way blade switch. I'm thinking now that since I have to get a new blade, I may as well just convert completely to current core spec electronics with new pots. So... does anyone know if the 5-Way and 3-Way are interchangeable? Usually customer service is 1 or 2 day wait for emails to be returned and I want to get this stuff ordered soon. I've got my bridge pickup currently tied directly to the volume pot so I can at least play it Oh....and much to my disappointment, they aren't using core pots on the S2... :-(

 

[jimistephen]

As far as I know, it shouldn't matter. I've switched from 5 way to 3 way before on guitars and it was a direct drop in. The reason we have 5 way is the original Strat had a 3 way in it and people figured out how to "get it stuck" in the in between positions and then Fender started having 5 ways made.

 

[garrettb]

Should be fine. What switch are you going with? You can get up to all kinds of shenanigans with a four pole.

 

[garrettb]

I'm also wondering how you ruined the switch? That's gotta be pretty tough to do. :wink:

 

[Drew]

I'm also wondering how you ruined the switch? That's gotta be pretty tough to do. :wink:

I couldnt believe it when I did it. I was soldering the bridge pickup hot wire onto the lug. The lug was nice and clean but the lug was also shared by a jumper wire so I had to get a really good thick bead on there. Wasn't being careful, burned too much solder, and it just ran straight down the lug and got behind the end of the lug where it contacts the mechanism for the switch, therefore blocking the switch at that point from making good contact with that lug. I've been soldering off and on for 20 years and haven't done something this dumb.

I'm going to put a standard 5 way PRS blade in it.

 

[garrettb]

I couldnt believe it when I did it. I was soldering the bridge pickup hot wire onto the lug. The lug was nice and clean but the lug was also shared by a jumper wire so I had to get a really good thick bead on there. Wasn't being careful, burned too much solder, and it just ran straight down the lug and got behind the end of the lug where it contacts the mechanism for the switch, therefore blocking the switch at that point from making good contact with that lug. I've been soldering off and on for 20 years and haven't done something this dumb.

I'm going to put a standard 5 way PRS blade in it.

Ahhhh. That is a freak occurrence. I've killed a pot and a Schaller Megaswitch (They're PCB based, overheated it, there goes $20 in the trash!). No chance of getting a desoldering braid in there to save it? Not that it's all that big of a deal. In Hypothetical Land I'd install a five way on the S2 as well. I'd also do the same bridge swap and probably new pickups, too.