Switch Ultima IV MIDI

Made in 2004 (i think)

It sounds pretty good. The wilkenson pickups are hotter and better sounding than I expected. You can solo up the neck on them and they sound comparable to mighty mite motherbuckers but with more bottom end. The roland pickup works as expected quite well. I played it straight thru my amp--a Roland vga7 which has a 13 pin input

When i got this guitar it had a badly bowed neck. It was a blem model and had a return invoice from american music supply (even tho i bought it from zzounds) I adjusted the truss rod and the bridge to get it playable. Then i changed the strings since they seemed too heavy for the scale which seems to be 24.75. One of the control knobs fell off and it turned out that the set screw was missing. I replaced it.

It has a solid feel (not unlike a large stone) due to its one-piece neck and body. It's heavier than I thought it would be. Hardware is good quality--Grover tuners, big strap buttons. The finish i find very unpleasant. It reminds me of sparkly fiberglass boats. Maybe it would be a good guitar to use on your boat at the lake.

Have no Idea

I have been playing for around 30 years and have around 20 guitars. This guitar was a great value considering i paid $239 for it and a roland divided pickup by itself costs around $175-200. However, The feel of the beast just doesn't inspire me at all. It's like a big heavy lump of plastic. I have to admit i've never been a fan of telecasters, and this is similiar in shape and feel. I have another switch guitar (stein III signature) and the neck on it feels a lot better--it's made of the 'ebonite' material and reminds me of the parker neck

2004 model Switch Ultima IV Midi. Made from the Vibracell material and is one solid molded piece. It's got the Roland GK-2A synth pup and two Switch humbuckers, volume tone and mix volume. There is a three way switch for the two humbuckers and a mini 3-way for midi, humbucks, both. Two push buttons to change the synth patch. Great to have the GK-2A integrated right into the guitar with no wires hanging around and no modules stuck to the surface of the guitar!! Cool black metal flake finish that appears indestructible. Tele style body. Nice Grover non-locking tuners.

Nice quiet sound. Humbuckers sound good with full sound and the synth - well it sounds like your synth module sounds! I'd prefer 3 pickups with a 5-way, but the main purpose is the Roland ready feature anyway.

Perfectly set up when received. Great action, no flaws seen.

With the one-piece Vibracell body, it seems like it'll last forever. High quality hardware (Grovers, Roland GK pickup, etc.) contribute to the solidness.

Haven't had a reason to contact them.

So far I love it. I got it to have synth access integrated right into the guitar and liked the Grovers/hardware. Couldn't beat the price!! Seems much more affordable than the other Roland Ready guitars out there. Even came with a hard case!

2 Switch (Wilkinson) designed humbuckers
Roland GK-2A MIDI ready pickup
Tune-O-Matic bridge
Strings thru body
Chrome hardware
Grover tuners
Rosewood fingerboard
3-way toggle switch
3-way mini switch for MIDI / blend / humbucker
Up & down switch to control MIDI

2 Volume controls
1 Tone control
13 pin MIDI ready output & 1/4" input jack
Scale: 25 1/2"
Neck width @ nut: 1 11/16"
22 Frets

I am primarily a keyboard and Chapman Stick player and recently took up guitar. I run the guitar through a Roland VG88 and/or the guitar effects built into the Yamaha S80 keyboard into two JBL powered speakers. This guitar is extremely well built, feels great and sounds great. The magnetic pickups are punchy and full with minimum noise. The MIDI pickup tracks extremely well and generates great sounds through the VG-88. The guitar is a neck-through constructed from a resin called Vibracell. The resonance of the material is excellent providing nice sustain.

The guitar was set up very well with low action and no obvious flaws.

The guitar is extremely well built and the Vibracell material is supposed to be resistant to temperature, heat, humidity etc.

Customer support is outstanding. I have had several conversations with Switch. They are very responsive to my questions and provided excellent support.

I have played keyboards for thirty years, Chapman Stick for eight, and guitar on and off for a year and half. This guitar is a wonderful instrument and a great value. I have recommended it to many people.