3-way blade switch vs toggle switch

[Willtato]

I understand that this is completely subjective, but I was wondering what people prefer generally, assuming that the blade selector is only a 3 way.

I personally can't decide which one I like more, and personally, I hate that feeling.

Regards

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Is there a reason why you're needing to decide which one you like more? If there isn't a practical reason for deciding which one you prefer (you're building a custom guitar and have to choose which to use) does it really matter which is 'better' for you? I just find guitarists sometimes get stuck in 'this is better than this' mode, and it's not at all helpful and it ends up being very restrictive and narrowing their views on guitar and making music. Even if they are in this 'mode' and understand that they are only considering it fro their 'own subject preference', I'm not sure if putting much effort into this thinking is all that helpful either....fun to think about? sure! But outside of that I don't think you should be losing sleep or 'hating' any particular feeling related to the type of selector switch.

That said, I prefer blade switch over a toggle because it is more precise when changing positions, especially in a 'live' setting. Toggles are more finicky in my experience, especially if you want to go into the 'middle' position. However, I do think toggle switches 'look' cooler.

 

[Crash Dandicoot]

opinions

5-way blade > 3-way toggle > 3-way blade

3-way blade feels too finicky, personally. The jump between positions feels awkward and imprecise. The force required to transition between the various positions feels excessive and the overall performance comes across as cumbersome.

3-way toggle works fine, though not optimal; it's just as easy to get the position you want as it is the one you don't, depending on where it's located in relation to your picking hand. The mini 3-way variants amplify this issue.

5-way blade is just about perfect. The force required for selecting a position feels correct and the level of precision when choosing which position to engage is similarly easy with minimal chance of error.

 

[Emperoff]

Where is the "I don't give a damn as long as it works" option?

 

[odibrom]

Where is the "I don't give a damn as long as it works" option?

This...
I prefer the 10 way over the 5 way and the 6 way over the 3 way. Freeway Switches are the shit.

 

[IwantTacos]

the only thing good about a 3way switch is that the routing easily let's you replace it with a 5way switch

 

[Willtato]

Is there a reason why you're needing to decide which one you like more? If there isn't a practical reason for deciding which one you prefer (you're building a custom guitar and have to choose which to use) does it really matter which is 'better' for you? I just find guitarists sometimes get stuck in 'this is better than this' mode, and it's not at all helpful and it ends up being very restrictive and narrowing their views on guitar and making music. Even if they are in this 'mode' and understand that they are only considering it fro their 'own subject preference', I'm not sure if putting much effort into this thinking is all that helpful either....fun to think about? sure! But outside of that I don't think you should be losing sleep or 'hating' any particular feeling related to the type of selector switch.

That said, I prefer blade switch over a toggle because it is more precise when changing positions, especially in a 'live' setting. Toggles are more finicky in my experience, especially if you want to go into the 'middle' position. However, I do think toggle switches 'look' cooler.

Thanks for the reply. Totally understand what you're saying, and it's exactly that reason why I'm in the process of deciding. I probably wouldn't have even come to this question if it wasn't for that.

I'm aware that if one were to ask people what their favourite guitar was, or what their favourite car was, some (not everyone) would have trouble deciding and say that each of them does a certain thing very well. I personally want to make sure that there's one thing that I like the most, such as having a favourite guitar or a single favourite colour. That said, I'm also sure that if my dream guitar was a production model, the pickup selector would have no impact on that decision.

Regards

 

[Matt08642]

I prefer blade since I grew up using a Strat, probably that simple lol.

I do like really simple 3 way blade for a 2 humbucker guitar, since I'm on neck or bridge 99% of the time.

 

[makesexnotwar]

In general it doesn't matter as long as position of the switch is comfortable for you. With 3-way toggle you can adjust angle of the switch to your taste. With 3-way blade you can replace it with 5-way to have more options if you need to. But even this thing can probably be achieved by 6-way toggle like these https://www.freewayswitch.com/products/

 

[odibrom]

In general it doesn't matter as long as position of the switch is comfortable for you. With 3-way toggle you can adjust angle of the switch to your taste. With 3-way blade you can replace it with 5-way to have more options if you need to. But even this thing can probably be achieved by 6-way toggle like these https://www.freewayswitch.com/products/

All blade switches built for guitar feature the same dimensions, meaning that a 4 way tele switch or a 5 way superswitch fit the same place, meaning that if I'm to use a blade switch, I'll go for a Freeway 3B3-01 (6 positions) or a 5B5-01 (10 positions), depending on what the rest of the circuit is... or a VLX91 super switch if I'm working on a Saber Ibanez... I've just rewired my RG8 with a 3B3-01 and a bunch of other stuff... It now delivers 433 different pickup combos (more or less), piezos included. Do note that the pickups+piezos alone are 145 combinations, but then I added a 3 position "tone switch" with MILD / OFF / HEAVY filtering. She's in need for a pickup swap now, DActivators just don't do it for me...

 

[jephjacques]

I really like the 3-ways EBMM and ESP use. Shorter length of travel and they feel super tight and precise. Skervesen and Hapas use something similar but they're not quite as low profile as whatever EBMM and ESP use.

 

[ZXIIIT]

A 2-way switch was the best decision I've ever made for a guitar with 2 pickups. That or a push pull knob instead of a switch for an even cleaner look.

 

[makesexnotwar]

All blade switches built for guitar feature the same dimensions, meaning that a 4 way tele switch or a 5 way superswitch fit the same place, meaning that if I'm to use a blade switch, I'll go for a Freeway 3B3-01 (6 positions) or a 5B5-01 (10 positions), depending on what the rest of the circuit is... or a VLX91 super switch if I'm working on a Saber Ibanez... I've just rewired my RG8 with a 3B3-01 and a bunch of other stuff... It now delivers 433 different pickup combos (more or less), piezos included. Do note that the pickups+piezos alone are 145 combinations, but then I added a 3 position "tone switch" with MILD / OFF / HEAVY filtering. She's in need for a pickup swap now, DActivators just don't do it for me...

Sounds cool but maybe overcomplicated for my taste. I think this kind of wiring worth it's own thread here ;-)

 

[Chris Bowsman]

I heard Mick Thompson say he uses blades because it’s harder to accidentally bump them out of position. Made sense.