KAISH Heavy Duty 5 Way Guitar Pickup Lever Switch Selector Switch for Strat Tele with 3 Plastic Tips

This is a well made switch and the company that makes it totally stands behind their product. If it doesn’t work, they make it right… and they do it pronto!

Recently I started to notice that my five way switch on my 2024 Squier Affinity Strat was cutting out intermittently so I started looking to upgrade the switch to Fender/American grade. The only problem is that due to the slimmer bodies on the Affinity series guitars these physically larger devices simply won’t fit without removing some wood. Not out of the question, but not ideal either. Then I saw this heavy duty import style switch and noticed a few key differences between it and those ubiquitous and universally terrible switches that come stock with lower priced guitars. First, the cast body which should resist flexing, the key weakness of the usual designs. Next it’s sealed, no giant opening to let dirt in. Finally, it’s screwed together. Normally the PCB/cover is held in place by two staples which allow the flexing which ultimately leads to failure. By screwing the board in place to a solid enclosure the feel is immensely improved. The engagement is sure and positive with no side to side play and no cutting out if you lean on it too hard. It is a really high quality switch that feels great and most importantly feels durable.

High quailty, slim profile and a decent price!

genial buen producto

TLDR: Good switch, VERY time consuming to understand the installation.First disclaimer, this is my first electronics project in over 20 years, so I was a little rusty but still... more complicated than I anticipated.The switch in my Ibanez RG7420 was going bad. Found this 5-way replacement switch which had a ton of positive reviews, and ordered it. After receiving it, I opened up my guitar, found the existing switch, and started to just move the wiring on each pole to the new switch. I quickly realized that the wire layout for the old one and new one were NOT the same. I was able to find videos and documentation on how the new switch works (It is essentially a standard "import" switch), but I was not able to find documentation on the old switch. So I had to start this project as if I was wiring from scratch.I found a wiring diagram that had the switch configuration I wanted. So I wired it all up. Played the guitar and everything was weak and thin sounding. After MORE research I discovered that Ibanez color-codes their pickups differently than most pickup manufacturers. After using my multimeter to confirm polarity (thank you again YouTube) I realized I had them wired out of phase. After figuring out which wires needed to be reversed, HORRRAAAYY, I got it working.Again, probably a mix if inexperience, and lack of good documentation, but this took me way longer than I expected. I thought it would be a 30-minute project moving over to the new switch. When done, I'd say it took me 2-3 hours.To the Manufacturer: Do you want to KILL the competition? Then PLEASE publish documentation on how the switch works and perhaps a few sample pickup wiring diagrams. Why not include a chart that shows the standard coloring of each pickup manufacturer's wires? That would have made this whole process so much faster and easier. Until then, I've attached the chart that helped me wire my pickup correctly in phase.

Very Sturdy Design, nice that it is enclosed in heavy metal with quality studs to solder to easily without any oxidation. Also has 2 outside Ground solder contacts that was really handy adding a ground point for the enclosed mech. I WILL NEVER GET THE OTHER OPEN CONTACT SWITCHES AGAIN AFTER TRYING THIS MUCH IMPROVED DESIGN.

Feels like firm solid quality parts!! Installs easily like any other 5 way switch. I honestly swear the sound quality slightly improved. Almost like adding hi-fi, for those old enough to know what the heck that is. This improvement may just be placebo effect, I dunno. 10 bucks, not bad.

This was a drop, solder, and play switch for my Jackson Dinky. Just connect the wires where they were on the old switch and good to go. Action feels much sturdier than stock switch. Recommend especially because the price.