U N DER T H E HOOD
THE SWITCHLOCK By Brian Berk
Many MI manufacturers form companies to solve a specific problem they have encountered while playing an instrument. This is certainly the case with lifelong musician Josh Misko. When Misko switched from an acoustic to an electric guitar, he fell in love. However, he became frustrated because, like so many other electric guitar players, his hand kept hitting the pickup switch and knocking it out of place. Doing some online research, he found he wasn’t the only player with the problem, yet there was no simple solution available anywhere. His challenge was clear: how to lock the pickup switch without changing the look, feel, function or tone of an iconic guitar. “In January of 2020, I was playing a show in Atlanta. I found that every time I would get lost in the moment and really dig into my performance, I would accidentally bump my pickup switch out of position and completely wonk my guitar tone,” Misko, co-founder and artist relations manager for The Switchlock, told the Music & Sound Retailer. “I had avoided playing Stratocasters for years because of this problem, but had recently bought a new Fender for its iconic ‘Stratty’ tone. So, albeit very frustrating, it was no surprise to me that I was having the same problem all over again. When I wrapped the gig, I went straight home and scoured the internet for a solution. I knew I couldn’t be the only player with the problem, and it turned out I wasn’t. I found that for decades, players had used tape to lock down their pickup switches to prevent this surprisingly old issue. My problem with tape, however, was that I didn’t want to permanently lock my pickup switch and lose the ability to switch between tones during a song. The challenge was clear: I had to find a way to lock my pickup switch without changing the look, feel, function or tone of my guitar. “The next day, I called up an old buddy in Oregon, Adam Mendel (who happens to be a brilliant engineer and luthier), and told him about my problem,” Misko continued. “In literally a matter of days, he had a prototype in my mailbox, and it was that moment I knew we were dealing with something special. I immediately called my pal, Chris Ingram in Nashville, to get his opinion. A brilliant businessman and musician himself, I knew Chris would be the voice of reason on whether or not we had something here. Shortly after that phone call, Chris, Adam and I partnered, and the Switchlock was born. As guitar players ourselves, we can’t begin to express how grateful we are for the opportunity to help our fellow guitarists solve this age-old problem onstage, in studio (continued on page 52) MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER
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