Having some issues with my 325v59

[bigg94]

Hi, new forum member here, registered to post about issues I'm having with my mid-90s 325v59 that has been "semi Lennonized," has the Sorkin bridge, open back Waverly tuners, Hofner knobs. I didn't know whether to put this in the 325 forum or the tech forum but I'm tossing it out here.

1. Top issue is the pickup selector switch. I don't know if there's dirt in the contacts or it needs replacing or what, but when I crank the guitar up, I get incredible distorted noise in the top and middle positions (not in the bridge pickup alone). I know it's coming from the switch because I can jiggle the switch and it makes it worse. It eventually goes away when I flip the switch back and forth a few times, but there's obviously an issue there. The person who works on my guitars does a great job and has experience working with Ricks. Here's my question ... should I take a chance that cleaning the contacts will fix the issue, or just go ahead and have the switch replaced and be done with it? I'm concerned that if the switch needs replacing, and I don't go ahead and order the part, then there will be a delay in getting the guitar fixed.

2. I'm having horrible intonation issues up the neck at the higher frets, especially with the treble strings. Even with the non-adjustable bridge, the thing always stayed in tune until here recently. I currently use .012 to .052 D'Addario Chromes flatwound strings, had been using TI and Pyramid but tried these as a more economical alternative and liked them. I'm not really seeing any blatant neck issues, although the thing has never really been adjusted in the 12 years I've owned it and might could use a tweak. I think there could be some slight issues with the nut, although I don't know if that would affect the intonation that dramatically. And the Sorkin bridge, I never had any indentations cut in it, just let the strings sit on it, and they have worn some indentations into the metal, actually in a couple of different places for each string I guess from them moving a bit when restringing, etc. I've tried shifting the strings into the different indentations, with no improvement in intonation. My question, is there anyone out there with a similar guitar who might have had similar issues who could offer some suggestions of where exactly to start to remedy this? I'm very anal about my guitar's intonation, I don't just play in the cowboy chord positions, and while I know that with the non-adjustable bridge you're probably never going to get it nailed dead-on, as noted I didn't use to have this problem so something has changed. I've even considered going back to the Rick tuneomatic bridge (I'd have to get one, this guitar already had been retrofitted with the Sorkin when I bought it) to try to get better intonation although it would be less authentically "Lennonized" then (although I really don't care, of course I was influenced to get the guitar because John had one, but I love it not for Beatle sounds but because it's a great guitar and a perfect guitar for me, I'm a short-armed, stubby-fingered person, my 18-year-old son who can play rings around me on the guitar has fingers that are two knuckle's lengths longer than mine, and I can play things on the short scale that I could only dream of on a full-scale guitar).

3. How difficult is the mod that I've heard of in which you get the ability to access all potential pickups combinations on the guitar? I really think that would make this a much more versatile guitar although it's great now. I hate the switch up position (neck and middle, way too muddy), like the switch down position (bridge) of course, but my favorite is the switch in the middle and then roll a little volume off the neck and middle pickups, to me that gets a good mix of jangle and beef.

Sorry to be so verbose and toss so many things out at once ...

[deaconblues]

On the first question, definitely clean the contacts. There is nothing to lose and you could regain function of the switch. Those Switchcraft switches should last forever.

Someone more knowledgeable can help you with the intonation question.

In regards to wiring, there are pretty much infinite ways to wire these. Some go for Glen Lambert's '58 wiring, which is what the originals would have had: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~glen325/58wiring.html

That's one option but there are of course many more depending on what you want the guitar to do. For example, master tone with three volumes, etc.

[bigg94]

Thanks deaconblues, in surfing the forums here after signing up I saw stuff on Glen's Loom and I just shot him an email.