TOG-POT

[52 Bill]

First time I've run into one of these. On a Gibson SG Deluxe with 3 pickups.

The neck pickup was not working due to a bad switch contact. The switch had the usual two normally closed contacts and a bunch of wires running from the switch lever to the switch contacts. I had to go online at the Gibson site to find out that the switch knob turned like a pot to control the volume of the middle pickup. So a toggle switch that is also a pot.

The guitar is wired just like a normal Gibson 2- volume and 2- tone controls for the bridge and neck pickups, and the tog-pot blends in the middle pickup in any of the three switch positions.

I may be behind the times, but I though that someone here might like to know that these exist.

[James Welsh]

The first guitar I saw this on was Gibson's Dark Fire, the second version of their Robot guitar. They used it to blend in a piezo pickup. I think it was on the Dusk Tiger and Firebird X as well. I was working for a distributor at the time and remember having a lot of issues with this switch. Regardless, I'm glad to see them still in use. Hopefully with some improvements. I think it's a clever idea, and I like keeping the stock look rather than adding mini toggles and extra pots and things. I always hoped someone would improve the design and make a reliable version of it.

[Mark Hammer]

They are pricey, as switches go. And on Les Pauls or any other guitar that situates the pickup selector on the upper bass bout, adjacent to the pickup, they require far too much wire running back and forth (much more convenient, from a wiring perspective, if situated by the tailpiece as on an SG).

However, if you consider the cost of having a qualified repairman machine additional holes in the body for toggles (not to mention impact on resale value if holes are drilled in a vintage instrument), or the cost of buying/installing multiple push-pull pots to accomplish the same thing, these switches end up being either cost-effective, or at least cost-neutral (i.e., no more costly than alternatives).

I have never seen or touched one up close, so I can't speak to how clear the tactile feedback on them is, such that a player could flick, mid-tune, to the intended selection, without error, just on the basis of feel and perceptible click.

[James Welsh]

It's been a very long time since I've had my hands on them so my memory is fuzzy on the whole thing, but I don't recall the switch cavity being different or overly crammed in the Dark Fire guitars. Do you have a link to where you saw the togpot for sale? Maybe the design has changed.

I have never seen or touched one up close, so I can't speak to how clear the tactile feedback on them is, such that a player could flick, mid-tune, to the intended selection, without error, just on the basis of feel and perceptible click.

I'm not sure if I'm reading this part right but it sounds like you might be thinking the control on the shaft is a switch. It is a rotary control and works like a pot. In the case of the Dark Fire it would blend in the piezo sound with the electric sound. If you wanted piezo only you would have to roll off the volume of whatever pickup you had selected, and turn up the piezo. Not really an easy way to do it quickly. FWIW I remember it was a smooth feel turning that piezo up and down.

Overall I would still avoid these until someone proves to me they're better now. I remember having to work on a lot of them. I can't remember what was wrong with them all exactly, but I have some memory of the switch not wanting to stay in the neck or bridge position. I can't remember what I was adjusting inside to get it to stay, but it happened a lot.

[Mark Hammer]

Hmmm, it's possible we're all talking about different things. I was thinking about this - https://www.freewayswitch.com/ - while you may be thinking about something else.

[g1]

From what I can tell they are still not available from Gibson. Here's an ad for one (used) that explains it's function.
https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-par...om-/1133331119
(note that shaft is knurled rather than threaded to allow turning pot without un-threading knob)

[Mark Hammer]

Ah, now I get it. Kind of the inverse of a switching pot: a switch that also doubles as a pot.

[James Welsh]

Ah, now I get it. Kind of the inverse of a switching pot: a switch that also doubles as a pot.

Yes, exactly. And now I see the switch you are talking about. I've seen the freeway switch on a couple 3 Pickup LP Customs, and have the Freeway Ultra here that was never installed because it didn't fit the Jazzmaster I was going to put it in.

It's a cool switch. I haven't used it in a real world application to see how easy it is to move around between positions on the fly, but one thing that surprised me is that it did seem really easy to get to and from any position. I was expecting it to have a more rigid feel, like shifting gears on a manual transmission, but that wasn't the case. I think it would only take a short amount of time to get used to landing where you want to.