Switch Wild I midi guitar for $299 on Ebay!

Started by Virtual Tone, February 20, 2008, 06:18:03 AM

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Elantric

#50
Ebay

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZarshs

To quote the seller"
"SWITCH HAS GONE OUT OF BUSINESS, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ONLY STOCK LEFT!!"


more here:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=vibracell


search every week  - MIDI versions with built in GK-2A still pop up there from time to time - and the price is going higher.

hupur

I have 6 switch guitars but not a gk one does anyone have an innovo they would like to sell?I have a gk3 mounted on an ultima eq,which has 2 outputs on its own one for the mags and one for the piezo and a blend switch.with the gk on it i have 3 chords danglin from the darn thing,its heavy but it sounds cool.
G&L Legacy special,Switch Ultima EQ with gk3,Switch Innovo IV signature,Switch Innovo III Custom,Switch Wild IV signature ,Switch Stein IV signature,Switch Oscar ,Fender Blues Deville,Roland GP8,VG99,GR33,V-amp2,Virtualizer 1024,sc50,yorkville elite 500p'vox ad100vth,behringer bg412

ZenSonic

Greetings, I am thinking about getting a Wild Midi and cutting it down to Steinberger GL size. Has anyone done this? Is the Vibracell solid? best, ZenSonic

Elantric

#53
Cutting down a Vibracell guitar may be similar to cutting down a Twinkie.

Theres a cream filled center -well more like a combination of Cellular husks run thru the bass-o-matic,  - just be sure to have Urethane Paint - because its the paint that holds the whole guitar together. 

Ebay seems the only source these days.

They made a whacky AK-47 looking model with MIDI  -would be the best candidate for hacking up. 

Like this

http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-Switch-Vibracell-BLACK-FUTUR-5-Electric-Guitar_W0QQitemZ270321272746QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item270321272746&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

mos6507

I see their website is gone.  So they may be dead after all.  Kind of sad.  The vibracell material is the real deal.  These guitars are not plastic toys, or at least they don't have to be if they are put together with some quality control.  The one I got wasn't, and had to be replaced by Switch.  If you get a good one it would be the ideal road guitar because they are all one piece and probably indestructible.



Michael Dolan Doubleneck
Les Paul Custom

VG-99
FTP

MidiBuzz

#55
Quote from:  hupur on September 25, 2008, 04:38:18 PM
I have 6 switch guitars but not a gk one does anyone have an innovo they would like to sell?I have a gk3 mounted on an ultima eq,which has 2 outputs on its own one for the mags and one for the piezo and a blend switch.with the gk on it i have 3 chords danglin from the darn thing,its heavy but it sounds cool.


I do.. I also have several Switch's (and am thinking Elantric may well be correct about these things appreciating quite nicely).
Sadly my wife just got laid off so....)
Stay Tuned!
Buzz

Tony Raven

Having already bought a couple of guitars built by the defunct Switch Music, two years ago I bought one with factory GK. Turned out to be a twin to my Innovo-III. I'd already become a fan of the Wilkinson VS-50K trem used on this model, & Grover tuners were stock, so that was a bonus.

When I first started gawking at Switch guitars, the company was in limbo. The guitars were being dumped on Musician's Friend & similar for as little as $150. In 2011, it seemed like used ones were all over the place for $100-$200

These instuments are one-piece pressure-formed plastic. Not particularly heavy (a little lighter than an Epiphone Les Paul, anyway), impressive tone & sustain, all but humidity-/aridity-proof. I'm a fan of plastic-bodied basses, with an Ibanez EDA-905 & a Cort Curbow4. While (IMNSHO) these materials are better suited for bass, it wasn't a general liability for Switch.

One that I have is a Signature version, with plastic (Ebonol) fretboard. Aside from the abalone parts of the block inlays, the entire guitar is plastic & metal.

Anyway, that GK Innovo that I got is a decent player. After I began hanging around these forums, I actually worked up the nerve to get some 13-pin hardware to run it to. In my misadventures, I've acquired a couple of GKs, but some little part of my brain makes me reach first for the Switch when I want to cue up some Roland hardware. (On reflection, one reason is that having the jack actually mounted in the guitar's body makes me a teensy bit more relaxed.)

They do still crop up in the $300 range --
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Switch/2000s-Vibracell.gc

The other "MIDI" models seem to be rarer. Any other fans still here?

cell7

ive got one too, and although im a fan of the sustain and the idea of the vibracell body, the neck is a log and i have to say its one of the ugliest guitars ive ever owned [and i collect ugly guitars].
Anyway, i scraped back the neck and now i quite enjoy it as a guitar.

Elantric

#58
The neck profile varies

I owned one of these  - but the neck was too thin for me  - and upper fret access was restricted, Bridge PU was a bit too far away from the bridge - always a typical clapton Strat "quack" tone  -

Construction wise, as a molded guitar They have more in common with the Gibson Sonex series - the outer "candy shell " paint is the main source of structural integrity - dive in with a drill, and inner body material was almost like Gypsum drywall material.   




Tony Raven

#59
My impression is that the branded SWITCH pickups are a love-or-hate thing. (Seems as though it'd be a simple enough fix, though I've heard the cavities might be non-standard sizing.) In any case, I don't think it'd affect the VG performance.

Having become fond of Trevor Wilkinson's gear, I'd readily argue for Wilkie pickups as a "canonical" upgrade. ;D

I have the h-s-s Innovo-III w/GK-2A, which is what I generally see on the market. There was an h-h Wild-IV in later years, & I found a (rather rare) 2004 catalogue that shows four other models, including an Innovo-IV (h-h) & these --







In four years, I've seen exactly one of each for sale, generally $250-$300 (though there are tides of "collectible" fever).

(Oops, hold that thought: a Futura's on eBay for $455.)

Aside from the Innovo, I've got four others (for which I paid substantially less). In my younger years, I don't know as I'd liked them -- heft, super-shiny neck, distinctive tone -- though they all seem quite reasonable now.

Not for everyone, certainly... but at that price-point -- like 20%-25% of what a used Parker would cost -- the "Roland Ready" models seem like they'd be prime candidates to drive GR/VG hardware without draining the savings. Compared to a separate pickup, there's no external wires, & no control wart means it'd actually fit in a case.


drjoness2001