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GUYATONE LG-50T Toggle Switch Mod.

Posted on March 17, 2016 by DG

Here's a simple mod we made to a 60's Guyatone LG-50T Mosrite copy.  If you are familiar these style guitars then you'll know that they usually have two On/Off switches for the pickup selectors which look cool but generally work intermittently and can't be repaired or replaced because of their age.

We had this one come into the shop and decided to do a slight mod to make it more usable. I might add that this can be returned to original specs quite easily if you are going to sell the guitar at a later date or decide to keep the guitar in a collection.  But if you really want to play the guitar at a gig or in a studio then this mod will really help you out.

Where the switches are on the pickguard you'll notice two screws on either side. These hold the switches to the guard; unscrew these and desolder the wires to the switches. Make a diagram of where the wires come from so you can work out where they will go on your new 3 way toggle switch.

You'll need to cut a piece of old pickguard material into a slightly bigger version of the hole in the guard. Drill a hole in the middle for your toggle switch and two holes on either side for the screws that go through the pickguard. (These will hold the plate to the bottom side of the pickguard). 

Now work out which wires go where onto the 3-way switch. Solder these on with your ground wire and screw the plate to the underside of the pickguard. (Because this repair was done earlier, I won’t go into a full description of the wiring diagram here). Notice how the plate was shaped to fit into the route cavity. (Below). 

Test to see if it all works properly and then re-assemble everything. Voila; no more annoying switch static and pickups going off and on when you just need them to be on!

If you had some pickguard material that was similar to the guard you are working on you could cut another square the same size as the hole to fill the gap, just drill a hole in it for the toggle switch and pop it into the hole. This will be held in place by the switch and will make the pickguard face nice and level where the switch is. 

This mod can done to most on/off switch style guitars.

Remember,  while you are doing this mod, have fun!

Cheers DG.

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