Beware of Mountain switches

[Sowhat]

I though I had ordered some nice all metal construction switchcraft DPST switches but It appears I screwed up the order and got Mountain switches instead. I went ahead and installed the Mountains and they did not last a week. They have mainly plastic parts and a cheap pot metal lever. That lever snapped like a toothpick and although the switch comes apart and with some clever dremel drilling and pinning I was able to get the switch working again, but it's naturally flakey at best. Not the best quality in those parts. It looks like a good stout switchcraft but it's not. Beware!

[jrfrond]

Interesting. I have several types of Mountain Switch switches in stock, and never had issues.

[Sowhat]

I wish I never had an issue either but when I saw that plastic body I knew I was in for a rough ride. With a heavy amp head behind it, those switches don't have a prayer if they are knocked a bit. They crumble like soda crackers! All in all they look like they should be pretty nice but in my reality they can't take road abuse very well.

[Enzo]

I am not saying you are wrong, but help me out. Just what do you mean by plastic body? I can't think of a switch that does NOT have a plastic body other than the open frame ones like Les Paul selector switches. I mean a switch has to be made of insulating material, a solid metal switch would be a dead short all the time. So clearly you must mean something other than what is my mental image.


Plastic body, metal mounting bushing.???

[rjb]

Could you tell us the part number of the switches?
The Mountains I've used may have a different "feel" than Switchcraft, but they didn't fall apart within a week!

-rb

[Steve Conner]

Quality issues apart, I don't think it's reasonable to expect any toggle switch to withstand heavy blows to the toggly bit. The amp cabinet should have some sort of recess to protect the controls.

[tedmich]

I used their mini threaded sealed toggles (which are I believe IP67 rated) and they were a good value and well made.

[guitician]

Contact the manufacturer/seller and see if you got one from a bad batch. They may send you a free replacement for helping them with their quality control. I recently bought some plastic body/shaft potentiometers that seemed dry in the bushing compared to others that I had bought many years earlier. I emailed their mfg support and they said that the bushings should have been greased. They offered to replace the ones I bought...no charge. And I'm only talking six controls....the brand was Bourns by the way.

[Sowhat]

Gentelmen, gentelmen... please! you can't fight in here, this is the war room!

What I'm talking about when I say plastic body is where the actual mounting threads are plastic... you know the big thread, something like 1/2" something or another... the one that the toggle goes through... you know. This part of the body is traditionally metal but in these parts, it's plastic, and not a real robust plastic but meltable. strippable polystyrene stuff or something like that. The back portion of the switch (the body too) is plastic but that's usually plastic anyway. One of you asked for the part number so let me see if I can find it: 103-0016-EVX is one of the mis-ordered switches. Unfortunately the only way to improve this switch is to make the major mechanical components out of metal, not plastic. This is not a big thing to me, just one of those petty annoyances I have from time to time just as I suspect most of you have too with certain things as well.

[rjb]

gentelmen, gentelmen... Please! You can't fight in here, this is the war room!

we're not fighting, damn it! ;^)

Hey, what do you know.
This forum apparently filters out shouting.
I typed all caps & got converted to all lower case.
Ya learn something new every day.

[Enzo]

Oh, OK.

For what it is worth, to me, that part is the bushing, and the body is the rectangular part underneath with the terminals sticking out from it.

[rjb]

One of you asked for the part number so let me see if I can find it: 103-0016-EVX

That was me.

OK, I've looked through Mouser's catalog and the Mountain data sheet & found nothing that would warn you about the plastic bushing.
I've used some Mountain mini (not full-sized) toggles, and found them "good enough for guitar".

I feel your pain.

-rb

ps- If you think this thread has gotten wacky, check out the one on phillips head mounting screws.

[Enzo]

We have a phillips head screws thread?

[Sowhat]

Oh, OK.

For what it is worth, to me, that part is the bushing, and the body is the rectangular part underneath with the terminals sticking out from it.

Yeah, the bushing, that sounds good to me especially seeing how I fumbled around trying to describe it, "the bushing" would have saved me some typing, thanks.

[Chuck H]

All the Mountain switches I've used were metal threads and plastic body. I did see one fail when the carton an amp was packed in was crushed so badly at an airport terminal that the amp chassis took a bend! I think they only hire sadists to handle luggage at the airport. The toggle switch took the hit and though the internal switching failed, the toggle stayed whole! I've never seen one with plating flaking off or anything like that.

I think it's eminently possible to buy a quality part from Mountain Switch. I choose my parts after reading the spec sheets. It could be that Mountain also provides cheap parts for those who want them.