Question:
I have a very old (but beloved) Casio PG380 MIDI guitar. I've used it constantly for about 12 years. I use it as a regular guitar as well as for its MIDI/Synth functionality. The 5 position Strat-like switch has gone bad. I have heard that it is a special kind of switch and not easily replaceable like a Strat switch. Does anyone know anything about this? Where can I get this part?
Answer:
You may not be able to get a replacement at a music store, but someone who knows electronics can probably find a suitable replacement. Or perhaps the switch can be rejuvenated with some cleaning and prodding. I'd suggest that you take your guitar to a good electric guitar technician. He may not know how to fix the MIDI stuff, but he should know about switches and basic electronics. Like I said, he needs to go to a qualified guitar technician, which apparently you are, whether you do it for a living or just for yucks. I have a Casio MIDI guitar collecting dust and I was thinking that this switch selected between pickup and MIDI (or both) outputs, but I took another look at it and as you suggest, it's just a pickup combining switch. There's a toggle switch for switching pickup polarity, and yet another toggle switch to select guitar or MIDI output. So, it's quite likely a standard switch, as much as any of those switches are standard. But it needs to be opened up and looked at.
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