Rubber Grommet Bushing for Gibson Toggles

[abelljo]

Can you give me some constructive opinions on this piece that I had custom ordered from Japan. These cannot be found so I might order some if it's worth it. They are expensive to make in small quantities. The only thing I think it needs is more of a domed top or a more rounder beveled edge. But not bad for a first attempt.

[neatomic]

sorry but i dont understand?..whats the difference between this and the rubber grommets you can get at any hardware store??..i doubt gibson is sourcing an unusual size or type


Rubber Grommet, 1-1/8" OD x 3/4" ID, 7/8" Groove Diameter, 1/8" Groove Width, 55A Durometer (Pack of 5): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

cheers

[abelljo]

They are completely different. And a rubber grommet from the store will not work.

If you find one that does, please tell me where.

Thanks!

Original Gibson grommets above

[abelljo]

BTW, jerks on ebay are asking $125.00 for an original one and the cheapest one I was able to find was $80.00. One was 40.00 but was broken. The ones that Allparts sell are incorrect as the hole on the top is larger than the one on the bottom, they made them incorrectly so the switch barely fits and looks incorrect..

One on the right Gibson the one on the left Allparts

[rabbit]

abelljo,

Good work, but sorry, I can't resist:

Can you say 'Rubber Gibson Toggle Grommet?'

Forgive me, all.

[abelljo]

LOL, they call them different things, some even call them washers. I think they should cost 2 or 3 dollars at most, but I spent a lot as I really needed it. If I order 20 I can get them for 20.00 a piece. But one cost double. So I still saved compared to a vintage one, but maybe some of you can use some of these out there and I already did most of the work of measuring emailing etc.

[neatomic]

take a look at product 4..might be worth contacting

https://backintheusa.us/company.php?...tAssociatesInc


cheers

[abelljo]

take a look at product 4..might be worth contacting

https://backintheusa.us/company.php?...tAssociatesInc


cheers

That's exactly what I did. I had to custom order one. Most companies will require a mold to be created and unless you order a thousand they will end up costing like 200.00 dollars a piece. I found a company that was able to make one without creating a mold.

They use some kind of 3D printing.

[Marty Grass]

I asked one of the old timers at Gibson why the rubber grommet. The answer I got was that the early toggle switches they got were too long for the thinner archtops. The grommet allow the switch to fit.

I'm not swearing this is correct. But that's what I was told.

[abelljo]

The new grommets are a little flatter than the old ones. So maybe the one I got will do just fine.

[icr]

This grommet is available on the internet. It will work with a Switchcraft toggle if one modifies it slightly. I enlarged the rear opening with a Dremel tool.

[abelljo]

This grommet is available on the internet. It will work with a Switchcraft toggle if one modifies it slightly. I enlarged the rear opening with a Dremel tool.

Yeah, I know. I'm an allparts dealer although they are currently out of stock. I don't like the enlarged top hole. The nut sinks into the grommet and it looks strange to me.(for restorations I mean) I thought there might be a need for a repro in the market since no one makes them, but maybe not.

[icr]

Yeah, I know. I'm an allparts dealer although they are currently out of stock. I don't like the enlarged top hole. The nut sinks into the grommet and it looks strange to me.(for restorations I mean) I thought there might be a need for a repro in the market since no one makes them, but maybe not.

Yes, that one I modified was for an L5-copy, not a Gibson so I wasn't as concerned as if I were repairing a Gibson. I see the 2016 ES-175 has the grommet. Do you think they are just using up their old stock and there is no new production?
[Picture of ES-175 from the Gibson Website showing the grommet]

[abelljo]

The folks at Gibson refuse to sell them. The guy over the phone was sarcastic and said to me that I needed to have one reproduced or pay 100.00 dollars from one of the vintage thieves out there. I said that it was just a piece of rubber, he said well "welcome to the world of guitar restorations" The new Epiphone premiums also use the correct grommet. I don't know that they are using old stock or new production, but I would bet they can have them made for a lot less than I. I also know that if they cared about customer service they would at least try to have some parts available for people restoring old guitars. This is for a friends 62 ES 175. So the right part is important.

[Socraticaster]

Hello:

Just following up on this old thread. I'm in need of the correct grommet as well. I ordered the Allparts one to replace my warped and rotting original grommet from my 1966 es-175 - I didn't realize that the part wouldn't fit properly.

So did you ever end up getting the grommets made? Is there a way to get one? Feel free to reply here or PM me.

Thanks in advance.

[oldane]

The folks at Gibson refuse to sell them. The guy over the phone was sarcastic and said to me that I needed to have one reproduced or pay 100.00 dollars from one of the vintage thieves out there. I said that it was just a piece of rubber, he said well "welcome to the world of guitar restorations" The new Epiphone premiums also use the correct grommet. I don't know that they are using old stock or new production, but I would bet they can have them made for a lot less than I. I also know that if they cared about customer service they would at least try to have some parts available for people restoring old guitars. This is for a friends 62 ES 175. So the right part is important.

The same thing is happening in the watch business. It's getting increasingly common that the big Swiss watch brands won't sell spare parts to anyone but instead demands their watches returned to the factory for service and repair. The reason is the ever increasing counterfeit business out there - and the fact that any competent watchmaker can put together say an Omega Speedmaster Pro from spare parts for less than what is charged for a new watch from the factory. This may be Gibsons motivation too for their spare parts policy.

[icr]

Hello:

Just following up on this old thread. I'm in need of the correct grommet as well. I ordered the Allparts one to replace my warped and rotting original grommet from my 1966 es-175 - I didn't realize that the part wouldn't fit properly.

So did you ever end up getting the grommets made? Is there a way to get one? Feel free to reply here or PM me.

Thanks in advance.

A metal cutting bit for a Dremel cuts rubber great. The rear of the Allparts grommet needs to be deepened and after that a Switchcraft™ switch will fit.

[Socraticaster]

The Allparts piece can be made to fit with a dremel - this is true. But it still looks like crap - and the Allparts piece is incorrectly made on the top as well as the bottom. So even with all the work of dremelling out the underside, the top side of the Allparts piece still does not fit the jack or nut properly.

I purchased the Allparts piece last week after reading online somewhere - perhaps here - that all it took was a bit of dremelling to make it work. I wish I hadn't ever come across such a recommendation: I ended up wasting my time and money on a part that looks like crap on a vintage guitar.

[Jx30510]

I went thru this also, a real pain to find in France.
I finally found an Allparts one, and it didn't fit in the bottom, I had to enlarge it with my Dremel as you did.. That thing cost me 20€ andw when I found out it wasn't a perfect fit it got kind of fed up with all this rubbish about Gibson parts..
It now working fine, but I had to take the guitar to my luthier because the hole in the guitar top had to be enlarged as well.. even my luthier didn't believe what a hassle all the process we had to go thru..
gasp, always think twice before thinking about changing parts on a guitar

[icr]

The Allparts piece can be made to fit with a dremel - this is true. But it still looks like crap

Most people (that don't own a Gibson guitar with the grommet) could not tell the difference. Compare the two pictures below. However, I must caution myself as to which side of this I promote. None of my 15 Gibson guitars have the grommet. My ES-175 does not have it. That guitar on which I placed the Allparts grommet is Samick.
If I needed a grommet for a Gibson, I'm not sure what I'd do; I might share you anger at Gibson.

[icr]

Just to continue with this grommet discussion. There is actually a third grommet type I know. My Ibanez 175 copy has a grommet different from either the Allparts one or an original Gibson. The Ibanez grommet only fits with the original Ibanez switch; a Switchcraft won't fit that one.

[Socraticaster]

From another thread

It goes into a lot of detail regarding the differences and unsuitability of the Allparts piece. Dremelling the piece from below can make it functional, but nothing can make it look right.

I sure hope someone can help.

[sgosnell]

I haven't actually bought any, because I don't need them, but there are grommets for sale on ebay that are cheap and should be a reasonably close fit. The grommet on my Epi ES175 is approximately (not exact, but reasonably close) 1/2" ID, and the hole in the guitar seems about 1", so a grommet with 1/2"ID that fits a 1" panel hole should work. I'm not taking the grommet out of my guitar just to measure it more closely, so I won't guarantee anything. But if it doesn't fit, you're not out a lot of money. You can get 25 for less than what Alllparts charges for one, so you could sell the others for a profit if they fit, and you wanted.

[Socraticaster]

Automotive grommets will not work - not even close. I have already tried that route. The pickup selector switch bushing may look like a regular symmetrical grommet from above, but the underside is quite different - it's routed out significantly for the switchcraft shaft to fit in far enough.

[abelljo]

RFQ021816-Jose Abella copy.pdf

Here are the specs for the grommet I ordered