I was at a YES concert on Friday night at Penns Peak in NE PA and saw Steve Howe playing what looked to be a triple pickup ES175 type guitar. I was able to be really close to the stage and could see Steve Howe select at lease 4 differnent selections in what looked to be a slightly larger pickup selection switch. It may have been able to as many as 5 positions. Basically it worked like a 5 position Strat switch but looked like a slightly larger standard switch. I would really like to find out more about this switch. If anyone ever came across info on this item I would appreciate knowin more.

Thanks,

M

Hello Mike,

This is probably what you saw.



That's a Custom order guitar that Gibson made for him at the end of the '70s. It featured the electronics of an ES-5/Switchmaster in an ES-175 size body with 'deluxe' trimmings.

It is wired like a 1960's Gibson Switchmaster and it's a 4-way switch. The connections are front, middle, bridge, and "all." The volume controls are wired like a Jazz bass, so that you can shut off any pickup in the "all" position without killing the rest of the guitar.

To the best of my knowledge that particular switch is no longer available but Gibson did a 'reissue' of the ES-5 Switchmaster during the second half of the 1990s, so you might be able to find one through a Gibson dealer. There are modern 'strat' size switches available though that will allow you to make those same pickup combinations.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

Nice. Steve Howe's tone on the early Yes albums was phenomenal. Nice and bitey. It's always neat to see a unique wiring scheme.

Hi Hans,

I was pretty close to the stage and also had binoculars as I watch Howe up close. The pickup selector switch resembled a larger version of a standard 3 position switch. I just checked the Yes concert web site and found a link to the guitar and selector switch I saw at the concert. We he played it sur looked like the switch made at least 4 selections.

http://www.yesworld.com/members/stevehowe.html

M

Well, like I said if we're talking about the 'switchmaster' configuration it was definitely a 4-way selector.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

Hi Hans,

I wasn't familiar with this Gibson model. With a little google search I was able find that the Switchmaster was a late '50 to early '60 guitar. Interesting it came origionally with a rounded cutaway with 3 P90's, then switched to humbuckers and finally ended with the sharp cutaway and humbuckers before it ended production. I assume that eary picture of Steve Howe had was of a early '60's Switchmaster. It looks like Gibson reissued the Switchmaster in the late 1990's thru early 2000's. The guitar Steve Howe played at the show looked pretty new. I am sure his guitars are taken care of so it may possibly be vintage. From the link I posted can you tell if the guitar is a vintage model or reissue. If a reissue would you have any suggestions on how I could identify that switch?

Thanks,

M

Sorry Mike,

Maybe you should read my posting again!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

Hey Hans, looks like a "blade" type switch. You can get those 4 way switches pretty easily b/c all the hot rod tele players like to install them to give a series/parallel choice with the T+B position, which may be what you were talking about.

If we're talking 3 pickup guitars, though, I'd just assume install a strat-style 5-way switch and wiring and then use a mini toggle or push/pull pot to give a "turn on bass and treble pickups" option that allows the B+T and B+M+T options the strat swtiching lacks.

Hello kakerlak,

No, that was not what I was referring to. Matsickma wanted to know about the switch on Steve Howe's guitar, which was also used on the vintage Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster. That's a somewhat bigger switch and like I wrote in my earlier posting 'is no longer available but Gibson did a 'reissue' of the ES-5 Switchmaster during the second half of the 1990s, so you might be able to find one through a Gibson dealer'.



The Allparts 4-pole, double wafer, 5-way Super Switch would be the one to get if you would like to try out a lot of switching possibilities that would not be possible with a regular CRL 5-way switch.

The Tele switch that you were referring to (also known as the '4-way mod. switch - Fender P/N 0058137000) is one of those modern switches that have been available for a while but it's not the same one as the 'Switchmaster' switch.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl