noisy old hag!

[tony moore]

i just traded a bass for a really cool old hagstrom bass that has various plastic switches, kind of like a hofner has. the signal cuts in and out and it seems to be caused by the switches. i've used spray contact cleaner before to fix this on noisy pots and such, but will it hurt the plastic switches? any advice?

thanks!

tony

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by tony moore

i just traded a bass for a really cool old hagstrom bass that has various plastic switches, kind of like a hofner has. the signal cuts in and out and it seems to be caused by the switches. i've used spray contact cleaner before to fix this on noisy pots and such, but will it hurt the plastic switches? any advice?

thanks!

tony

have a look at the contact surfaces of the switches and ensure that the leads are not frayed......

[Bevo1995]

I've read that contact cleaner will soften the plastic on Hagstrom switches enough that the spring will punch through the top. There were some great articles about Hagstroms at hagstromusa.com but their site seems to be down.

[okcrum]

Any good contact cleaner like DeOxit will be fine with those switches. The bigger problem is having them wear out. No amount of cleaner will fix that. They're open frame slide switches so everything gets in there. Kept clean and not abused, they last a long time. AFAICT the non-original ones in my '65 Hag are at least 40 yr. old and still working perfectly with very occasional cleaning.

[Darth_Gasseous]

oh.... I thought you were talking about my mother-in-law....

[Fly Guitars]

These can be problematic... I have taken them apart to try and repair restore them, and it isn't easy.

And switch cleaner doesn't seem to help much - although I have used it without it causing any physical issues to the plastic that I have noticed.

I find just switching them back and forth 10 times or so often helps. Do that every time you pick it up, and they tend to work to an acceptable level most of the time.