Too bad Parker went out of business, I'd like to get more info on how that preamp works.
Missed this before.
The ghost piezo pickup system comes from a company called graphtech. I've been using their string saver saddles on a couple of my guitars for 20 years or so, very good product, and plan on getting one of their piezo pickup/preamps one of these days for an acoustic/electric I have here.
Check this out, might be similar to what is in your Parker?
I took electronics in college, but that was many years ago. I've retained enough AC and DC theory to be dangerous to myself . In those days I took the 'communications option' (RF) instead of the 'computer option', because there weren't many jobs in the computer field yet.
I did a 5 year stint as a "field engineer" for a Cable TV equipment manufacturing company. The title was a gross exaggeration, "field technician" would be more accurate, but the company wanted to impress the clients.
It was a gravy job, fly out Monday night, work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and instead of flying home Friday, I'd take the red-eye out Thursday night. That way I could still gig on the weekends. But they laid off up to 15 years, and I barely had 5. Well since there was no security in being corporate, I went back to playing music full time.
I took the CATV gig to see what normal was all about, and found for me, normal is sooooo overrated.
Back to the switch.
I think I was forcing the pieces of the damaged switch together farther than they were designed to do, causing the circuits in the middle to be closed.
When I got my other guitar back and took out the undamaged switch, I could see a gap between the contacts when the toggle was in center position. The gap was ever so thin, I needed to hold it up to the light and use a magnifying glass to see that they weren't actually touching.
I couldn't use the VOM on the damaged switch, since it fell apart. I think that one was just defective. The machinery that put the parts together must have malfunctioned.
The new switch from Stew-Mac seems to be a better design. It's sealed, which should make the contacts less prone to corrosion. I have been gigging on a quay over a salt water lagoon once a week for 11 years now and corrosion is a fact of life there. But it's a great gig, and how many musicians are lucky enough to have an 11 year house gig? We take summers (the rainy season) off because it's outdoors, and have already been invited back for our 12th as soon as the rainy season ends.
Gigging in the summer here in South Florida is slow, since half the residents go 'up north' for the summer. So that is when I write BiaB styles. I'm working on a new collection now.
When the new switch comes in and gets installed, I'll let you all know the results.
Thank you all so much for taking the time and effort to help.
Can anyone explain how the above diagrams work? Or know where I can simply get an on/off/on toggle spdt with 7/16" shaft size that will fit a solid body guitar?
I've bought two wrong switches so far, learned a lot, and the guitar still isn't working.
Bob, as Dave mentioned, you should be able to use a standard Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch with center-off. Something like this Switch or this switch Connect it into the circuit like this:
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Bob, as Dave mentioned, you should be able to use a standard Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch with center-off. Something like this Switch or this switch Connect it into the circuit like this:
Typing at the same time Good find, looks like they should do the job.
+++ Guitar Electronics dot Com +++ is located in Scottsdale, AZ. It appears the site is online only as I haven't found a physical address or telephone number.
My GUESS is the site is the online arm of a Scottsdale music store or instrument repair center.
Maybe a forum member that lives in the area can look at the photos and knows who is behind the site.
looks like it will do the job fine. 15/32" is pretty close to 7/16" and should fit in the hole. Sealed is good.
3/4hp, 250VAC is an overkill, but the price is right.
I'm sure I can take the screws out and solder the wires to it. Screw connections in a vibrating guitar don't sound like a good idea
---
Jim, I found the Scottsdale store but couldn't make heads or tails out of their non-schematic connection diagrams. I tried to contact them but without an account, it isn't easy.
Thanks again, I may be finally getting a switch to fix my favorite guitar.
Never mind about the current rating. It won't matter at all for your purpose (if anything it may be more reliable).
Trev
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No I'm not worried about the current rating. If anything I should have more contact area.
It'll be nice to be able to mix the piezo with the mags again for that extra twang.
I'm sure I need something else at Amazon so I can get free shipping. If it works, and it should, I'll get two more. One for the other Parker and one for the case.
BTW that Amazon switch can be had at Home Depot and Lowes however a possibly BETTER version of that kind of switch, because it has a better [smaller] height profile, can be had at auto parts stores look for Cambridge switches
good luck Larry
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but since you seem unsure and no techs around to help before doing ANY soldering build (or buy) yourself some simple 6 to 12" jumper cables with small alligator clips on each end (you might even have these laying around form other projects?) and hook up how you think it's suppose to go and TEST all pick-up selections work as well as their vol/tone and that piezo vol all works - then mark on paper, THEN solder
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One problem that can result from using a switch that has high current contacts in a circuit with small current is the switch contact surface can oxidize and create a high impedance barrier. Small current will not be able to generate enough flow to punch through the barrier.
Unfortunately, you may not be able to discover the problem with a multimeter. Have you seen multimeters with dual continuity settings? The high setting has enough current to punch through the barrier while the low setting does not. That means the multimeter can lie to you if you use the high setting. The low setting was developed to overcome this issue. A secondary benefit is the low setting can be used to test low current diodes and transistor junctions.
One problem that can result from using a switch that has high current contacts in a circuit with small current is the switch contact surface can oxidize and create a high impedance barrier. Small current will not be able to generate enough flow to punch through the barrier.
That doesn't make much sense to me, Jim. Those ratings are maximum ratings, doesn't mean you need to run that much current for the switch to perform properly. A switch rated for higher current will have a larger contact area and if anything will be more reliable over time.
I agree with Dave's comments. The current rating is the maximum rating. Good, low resistance contacts don't generally keep themselves clean with higher current loads (in fact the opposite may occur).
I'd like to know more about the theory though if that could be shared.
Maybe there is some confusion with AC and DC ratings for contacts where the DC rating is generally lower, but this would certainly not be relevant with this situation. We're talking micro-amp scaling.
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I needed a $25 order to get free switching, so I got some low carb cookies (delicious).
The switch has screw terminals, and I used them. I figured why solder in the chance that I don't like it. I'll probably take the time to solder, as I believe it makes for a more reliable connection.
Here it is in the guitar:
And of course the front of the guitar looks normal:
It's working fine. It's a little stiffer and has more of an acoustic click than a 'guitar' switch. It reminds me of the old amp switches that were on the brown tweed Fenders with reversible polarity.
Excellent outcome Bob. Thanks for letting us know that this worked out OK.
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
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Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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. In those days I took the 'communications option' (RF) instead of the 'computer option', because there weren't many jobs in the computer field yet.
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