Guitar Killswitch Installation

Guide to mounting a killswitch/cut of switch on your guitar. I'm aware there is already a guide to this, however I am hoping to give my two cents on installing a killswitch.

Little heads up on what they do, basically they kill the sound at a press of a button, Commonly heard on RATM tracks in standard E 400 tuning, in which Tom Morello's guitar for this tuning has a 3 way Toggle switch with 2 active pickups, which he uses as a toggle switch by turning one of the two volume pots, to zero and one to ten. Of course with a strat or tele, this cannot be achieved without modification. However, I am hoping to show an easy, understandable way, to still aquire a killswitch, without a Les Paul :P.

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Step 1: Picking out a switch

Right, well there is many switches to chose from so I can't cover them all, You can purchase the right type of switch for the job from I think is 'Radioshack' (I live in the UK, so I don't have radioshack's) There is basically two basic types of switch's.

Button switch's (Non Locking is FAR better than locking) you cannot do anything really with the locking type I would imagine.

For a toggle switch, if you have a toggle switch with 6 prongs on it, You would follow this guide as normal, and leave the middle prong for a "ON/OFF/ON" effect, if it is a 3 WAY switch.

if you have a two way toggle switch (like me), you will want to solder wires onto the middle and the side the oppisite end, of where you want your switch to turn off. So it will be an "ON/OFF" switch

It is hard to explail so hopfully, you should get it now after seeing the crappy picture I produced.

And now the pic of toggleswitches:

yoshiknowsbest says: Apr 2, 2012. 2:24 PM

I DOnt understand hoe to use 3 prong switches could you please explain?

andrewjohnson says: Feb 12, 2010. 5:23 PM

Tom Morello doesnt use a killswitch. He turns the volume on one pick up all the way down and one up then switches between the two.

lzuñiga2 in reply to andrewjohnsonJul 27, 2011. 8:49 PM

actually he uses a killswitch in his "soul power" guitar because it's a strat and strats don't have two volume knobs and they have a 5 way switch pickup selector

Darren. in reply to andrewjohnsonMar 14, 2011. 1:03 PM

its pretty much the same thing, tom said it "acts as a kill switch". Quit trying to sound smart, ya prick.

adris8 says: Mar 19, 2010. 7:45 AM

are you doing this on an Yamaha ERG 121C?

gorebath500 says: Jan 9, 2009. 5:38 PM

BUCKETHEAD!!!!!!!!!! great use of killswitches. i recommend learning bucketheads jordan to get a good feel for crazy possibilities

proswimmer89 says: Jul 3, 2008. 5:23 PM

Huh, so how would you do this w/ a toggle switch? B/C in your pic of the toggle switch there's 3 posts (can't think of a word for it lol) from it instead of the 2 on a button switch. Hope you can understand that. BTW Arm The Homeless!

birdmankustomz in reply to proswimmer89Aug 14, 2008. 6:13 AM

You use the middle tab and one of the side tabs.

Soul Power (author) in reply to proswimmer89Jul 4, 2008. 6:03 AM

I understand what you mean I think, Like there is 3 prongs (or sometimes more) on a toggle switch, but only two on a push button switch. Sadly I can't help you for this one :(, However when I can be bothered (lol) I am going to swap my current push button switch, for a toggle (I find that you cannot do much with the button switch) so when I get around to installing the toggle,I shall post images etc. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, However I know for a fact that there is a killswitch thread on ultimate-guitar dot com, so hopefully that will help you. (just search for "ultimate killswitch thread" in the search bar on U-G).

proswimmer89 in reply to Soul PowerJul 4, 2008. 10:53 AM

Jaja, that's exactly what i meant. Damn, too bad. And it's funny you mention the ultimate killswitch thread b/c i was just checking it out yeterday lol. Well, i'll be waiting for you to post one, if you do a toggle switch one. Thanks!

Soul Power (author) in reply to proswimmer89Jul 6, 2008. 10:39 AM

Damn I can't add a 3 way switch in :(, just checked out my control cavity and just rememebered that I placed the switch SO DAMN close to the end of the routing, therefore the back circuit part that toggle switches require will not fit :@. The only way I could put a toggle in is if I drill a hole in a new area in the cavity, however it's tight for space in there, and I would have a hole in my guitar or a big red button AS WELL as the toggle, which sucks and now I'm pissed so I'm gunna have to stick with the button -.-. Well sorry I cannot help you with that, However if you buy a 3 way toggle, with 3 PRONGS mounted on, Surley you could wire it EXACLY like a switch with TWO PRONGS, but leave out the center position? (The center position on the toggle will NOT have a wire on it) I think that would work but you'd have to give it a go yourself, Good luck if you decide to proceed.