Squier VM Jazzmaster switch issue

[beerbelly]

I just picked up a brand new Squier VM Jazzmaster from Musician's Friend during their President's Day sale- $60 off list. Cool deal. I was excited to play it when it arrived, but it had all kinds of wacky issues with the 3-way switch. Pickups would cut in & out, or no sound at all. I assumed it was bad solder joints or cheap electronics. I decided to pop the pickguard & see what I could find.

What I found were two REALLY funky, corroded washers under the switch beneath the pickguard. They looked like they were punched out of an old metal pail. These were supposed to make contact with a small patch of shielding under the guard, but weren't making complete contact due to the corrosion. Sorry, I didn't take photos because I was so pissed. And all the soldering looked fine.

Anyway, I sanded all the corrosion off and knocked down the sharp edges with a file, and now everything has been working fine for days. So if you're having switching issues on the lead circuit, that's worth checking.

[novamax]

Switches are really a weak point in those. I read about it and decided to give it a try - 3 months in, I had to replace it, though. Never had any issues ever since.