How to Adjust the Strum Bar on the Guitar for Rock Band

Fixing the Strum Bar

• 1

  Remove the back plate. There are several screws holding the backing onto the guitar; unscrew every one that you can see. When all the screws are removed, the backing should slide off easily.

• 2

  Unscrew the pickups and snip off the wires connected to them. The back of the strum bar is white and the pickups are on either side of it with white wires feeding in. One detects up strums and one detects down. First remove the screw in the middle of the pickup and pull the pickup out, then cut the two wires off as close to the pickup as possible. Repeat for the other pickup.

• 3

  Make room for the new switch. Remove the strum bar by unscrewing the four screws in each corner. Take the strum bar out of the guitar and cut off the edges on both sides as evenly as possible. Snip approximately 1/8 inch off the screw holder for the old pickup.

• 4

  Replace the strum bar and screw in the new switch. The new switch is a sub-mini lever switch. They can be found at any RadioShack or other electronic parts store. At RadioShack it̵7;s called a SPDT Switch Without Roller and it is part number 275-016. It costs about $4. These switches will permanently fix the strumming problem. Using the wood screw, screw it into the place where the old pickup sat then repeat for the pickup on the other side.

• 5

  Remove the wire casings and solder wires of the new switch. At about 1/8 inch in, cut around the wire tubing to expose the metal wire. The two metal prongs rising from the switch will complete the circuit that detects strumming. Use the continuity tester to make sure the circuit will complete, then solder the wires into the new switch.

• 6

  Replace the back plate and you̵7;re ready to play.