i have a gibson. .. when i flick the "switch" up to rythm it works fine.. but when i flick it down to treble.. i get no audio fromt he amp. :( This is the condition i got the guitar in.. it was for free from my cousin.. any idea how to fix it? my cousin told me to open it up and fix it myself.. but.. i dont have enough confidence in myself unless i have some directions
You need to get a contact cleaner from somewhere like radio shack or maplins, depending on where you live.
If the Gibson is a Les Paul, there is a small, round cover on the back of the guitar, behind the switch. Remove the cover and you will see the back of the switch. To stop the spray going everywhere, use a Kleenex or a couple of pieces of toilet tissue to fill the space around the switch - it doesn't need to be hard packed, it's just as a barrier to the cleaner.
Most contact cleaners come in a spray can, with an additional tube to direct the spray into small places - be sure to use the tube.
Shake the can and give a quarter second spray into the switch - it's best if the guitar is held with the back of the guitar angled towards the floor, so that any excess spray runs away from the guitar finish. Move the switch, fairly quickly, from Rhythm to treble a few times (maybe 10-15), connect the guitar to your amp and see if there is any improvement. If there is some improvement, repeat the process. You'll probably find that the spray starts to run out of the switch (if it hasn't already), but if you've put the tissue in, it will catch the drips and stop any running on to the finish of the guitar. You should only need to use the spray a couple of times, unless it is REALLY dirty.
If you have repeated the process a couple of times and there is no improvement, you may need to replace the switch. You can get them from places like warmoth or rockinger. If you're handy with a soldering iron, you can do it yourself or you can have it done for you, quite cheaply.
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The symptom you describe could be a fault somewhere else as well. A bad level control, broken wire or damaged pickup could also produce the same result.
You could try the contact cleaner inside the level control (s), then give the control several spins through it's entire range. (similar instructions to above, only you're opening the larger back cover)
While you're inside the guitar, look for wires that are obviously not connected to anything. If you find one, and it's not obvious to you where it should go, take a picture for us.
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