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I got a brand new Schecter Damien Platinum 8. I own it for about a month. At a point, while I was playing, I flipped the switch to the neck pickup position, and the guitar simply stopped producing any sound. I thought it was for some random reason that I could ignore, until it happened again. The next time it happened the guitar produced very low volume sound.

  • Has two active EMG-808 pickups (both bridge and neck)
  • Switch has 3 positions
  • Happens randomly (cannot reproduce)
  • Battery is brand new
  • The sound is restored after I flip the switch back to bridge (I tried slightly moving the switch without changing pickup position but that didn't restore the sound. After it happens I have to change the position or the sound will not be restored w/e I do)

What could the cause be? Do you think it's a DOA?

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    Brand new, one month old. Seems like a dicky switch, which will be covered under warranty. Back to the dealer sounds like the first move.
    – Tim
    Commented Sep 19, 2020 at 8:08
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    You are right. I contacted the dealer and they will replace the switch for free.
    – venge
    Commented Sep 19, 2020 at 9:47

1 Answer 1

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Seeing as the problem is temporarily fixed by moving the switch into another position and back, this is probably a bad contact in the switch itself. You may be able to fix this by spraying some contact spray into it and toggling back and forth a couple of times, or if that doesn't work, dismantling it and cleaning the individual contacts.

Or, probably more sensible, just replace the switch entirely.

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    It's definitely this - the 2nd most common failure in the electrics after the jack socket, and for the same reason - it moves all the time. Replace the switch - even if switch cleaner works for now, it's a sign its on its way out.
    – Doktor Mayhem ♦
    Commented Sep 19, 2020 at 8:06
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    @DoktorMayhem - after one month? I have blade switches on guitars that are 20, 30, 50 yrs old, still working. But one month?
    – Tim
    Commented Sep 19, 2020 at 8:11
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    Turns out this exact behavior is related to the 3-way switch, as you foresaw. I contacted the dealer and he said these 3-way are prone to break or to be faulty from the very beginning. He said he's going to replace it for free. My concern was that the guitar had a faulty pick-up, or some kind of bad wiring.
    – venge
    Commented Sep 19, 2020 at 9:54

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