What does the 5-way guitar switch do?

Question

I haven't been playing guitar that long, only about 10 months on a Dean Vendetta. I bought a Mexican made Strat, but I don't know what the switch is for. Can someone help me out here?

Answer 1

The five position switch, first made popular on the Fender Stratocaster and now apparently included with the entry level Starcaster series, is a switch between pickups. If you have the switch all the way up towards you, you are going to get the pickup closest to the fingerboard. If you have it all the way down towards your feet, you are going to get the pickup closest to the bridge. When you stop in the middle, you get different combinations of the three pickups, Top, center and middle. I could explain it all in detail, but instead, I have included a link to a graphic that Fender has thoughtfully provided online. It's easier to see and a bit less wordy.

In acoustic terms, the bridge pickup would give you a more "Ponticello" sound, (Bright) the fingerboard pickup would give you a more "Tasto" sound, (muted and ethereal) and the center pickup would be more "Natural" (Normal)

You can get a similar effect by simply taking your plectrum (pick) and playing closer to the bridge, fingerboard, or towards the center of the guitar. You can also amplify this effect by flipping the switch AND moving the area in which you pick.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Basically, this switch started life as a 3 position switch, but it was found by placing it halfway between the set positions more exciting sounds could be created. A 5 way switch was therefore installed. Click the switch so it is angled towards the neck. That is the pickup at the end of the neck, which will give u a mellow sound. Angle the switch towards the bridge. That is the bridge pickup , which will give u a bright, clangy sound. Point the swich vertically, that will be the middle pick up. The other 2 positions will give u a combination of pickups - 1&2 or 2&3. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

5 Way Switch

Answer 4

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RE:
What does the 5-way guitar switch do?
I haven't been playing guitar that long, only about 10 months on a Dean Vendetta. I bought a Mexican made Strat, but I don't know what the switch is for. Can someone help me out here?

Answer 5

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Yes - just wire it up so you're only using three of the 5 pickup selector settings.

Answer 6

It probably changes the tonal quality of the output signal. Just hook it up to an amplifier and try the different settings while listening to the tone of the sound. (E.g., mellow, bright, etc.)