Guitar Killswitch

Guitarists such as Tom Morello of RATM and Audioslave and Buckethead are known for their use of killswitch in their songs to add cool effects. Although killswitches are used infrequently, they are pretty cool to have on you're guitar, and they only cost about three bucks (depending on what you have) to install. In this instructable, you'll learn how to install a killswitch in your own Strat style guitar. Keep in mind that I also explain how to install a killswitch in all style guitars, however I show with pictures Strat style guitars.

A demonstration of my killswitch...I also demonstrate the "pop" that many of you have questions about.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damages that may occur while modifying your guitar. This is merely a guide. If patience is utilized, then no damage will come.

Step 1: What is a killswitch?

For those of you that don't know what a guitar kill switch is, it's basically a momentary switch, that when pressed, stops signal from going out of the guitar and going into the amp. Basically, when the button is pressed, there is no noise. Les Paul players usually achieve this effect by setting one pickup's volume to zero, and switching back and forth between pickups, creating a stuttering effect. However, this cannot be done on a Strat., since there is only one volume potentiometer.

The basic concept of my killswitch design is to create a circuit in which the output signal can reach the ground. When the circuit is completed (by pressing the switch), there no sound is heard.

IMPORTANT: Simply putting an on/off switch on the outgoing signal wire is VERY BAD. The resulting sound is that of when you unplug or plug your guitar in. That annoying buzz.
Source - http://www.stinkfoot.se/andreas/diy/mods/killswitch.htm

The popping sound is normal, due to the physics of the killswitch. Adding resistors and capacitors wont do anything. Source - http://alexplorer.net/guitar/mods/killswitch.html

Comments

[saguilar7]

hey bro!! i have a kill switch but the problem is, my ampli got damage, i dont know why? its grounded!

[gschtein]

Thanks so much bro! The sound is sick!

[chickencoop213]

HEY AUTHOR OF THIS INSTRUCTABLE!! PLEASE LOOK HERE!! So do I solder one of the wires from the switch to the same contact on the volume pot that has the wire going to the input jack?? the one I have is a white wire. PLEASE RESPOND!!

[itsachen]

Yes, you need to intercept the outgoing signal. Sorry about the delay.

[chickencoop213]

what exact wire did you use?? i know nothing about wires and what kinds and such. can You tell me what brand and gauge etc.??

[smatt1]

WIll this mess up the tone of the guitar at all? Cause I'm about to do it.

[itsachen]

It will not.

[smatt1]

If I literally attach my wires to the spots shown, will it work? Or do I have to move any other wires than the ones on the switch?

[itsachen]

Yes. You just need to set up a connection between hot and ground.

[kevlad77]

Just bought a guitar with a killswitch,it has the guitars main hot wire cut right in half then one side spliced to a killswitch wire and the other half doing the same with the other wire and what appears to be a ground.It stopped working when I put on pickup mounting rings,anyone have any idea?

[ShaneRobertsFathom19]

Hey, this is a really good set of instructions! But I was hoping you could help me out, this is my first guitar mod and i want to do it right the first time. I went to radio shack and bought a R13-24a-05 button-style kill switch, and i want to make sure this will work if i solder both tabs on it to the tabs on my output jack. This switch is an Off (On) switch, and thats where I get lost. Is that what I need? Or do I need On (Off)? Also, I bought a toggle switch (On Off) that i want to install while I'm in the guitar. What would the wiring look like if i installed them right next to eachother (between the volume and tone knobs on a Telecaster)? I definitely want to solder these to the output jack, not the volume. Thank you for any help -Shane

[ShaneRobertsFathom19]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_8PZDKoNkY&list=FLpXVcS9keRjkPiisMtjYbTA&index=1&feature=plpp_video
Will this work for a Fender style guitar?

[ShaneRobertsFathom19]

Ah man I am getting confused, am I pretty much putting the switch between the volume and output along the hot wire, or can I do this from the two prongs on the output jack?

[dodla]

hey itsachen can u pls tell me how to make an external killswitch.i hv tried once using a toggle switch but i play a high gain patch like bulls on parade for scratching e heavy buzzing noise is coming

[stevenvachon]

"push on" or "push off" momentary switch? I'd imagine "push off", but I want to be absolutely sure.

[itsachen]

Push to make, or I guess "push on". When you push the circuit is closed. You want to short the signal on the push.

[wardog]

tell me im crazy, im gonna install one for my electric-acoustic guitar XD haha the pick-ups are similar to the electric guitar.. will it work?

[itsachen]

It will work, but be warned!

1) Your circuitry might be different than a strat circuitry. If so, no fear, just bypass the hot and ground at the input jack

2) Using a killswitch on CLEAN settings makes a noticeable popping sound! This may make you not want to install it...

[Sponnie]

Hi, thanks for the cool instructions. I just received my button but what's puzzling me is the nature of it's PUSH ON/OFF. When I push it there is a click and I assume it stays in the OFF position so I would have to push it and get it to click again to get the sound back ON? Don't they make buttons that just release when you release your finger so you'll never have to worry about leaving the sound OFF?

[itsachen]

Ah. Looks like you picked up a toggle button. What you want is a momentary switch

[josh1324]

You can just connect the switch between live and ground on the output jack in the guitar.

[itsachen]

Yep, this is just one way to find the signal and intercept it.

[josh1324]

Yea, and the way i did it, was that i mounted the switch inside a project box and taped it to the body of the guitar. That way, if i change my mind, i can just take it off.

[itsachen]

Ah! Reminds me of this similar instructable:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Removable-Guitar-Killswitch/

[stratattack]

When i touch the wire of the switch to the wire that goes to the output jack, my amp (which is connected to my guitar) makes a wierd, buzzing noise. Even if i use a noise gate it won't stop. Is this a normal thing? How do i fix it? If I will solder the wires, will the guitar still make that sound?

[itsachen]

Are you making a connection between the hot output wire and the ground? This ensures a short, which would result in no sound.

[stratattack]

I did the connections exactly like in the image above. When i connect one of the wires to the ground every thing sounds normal but when i connect the other wire to the output wire it makes a wierd, buzzing sound (like hum, but louder). But if i press the killswitch i get no sound at all (That means i did the connections properly). The only problem i have is that noise

[josh1324]

It might be a bad switch, try using another one.

[Super Squatch]

Would an spst toggle switch work? And how can you be sure where to make the connections so that it's on when flipped down and off when flipped up?

[zmeyers]

It will work if you use one which has a 'on-off' or 'on-off-on' configuration.

On-Off (two way) - the sound will cut out when its in the off position.

On-Off-On (three way) - good because when the switch is accidentally turned on it doesnt cause embarrassment :P

Have Funn!!

[steveo_calamia]

you could probably just spin the switch around after you wire it up... or use alligator clips to find out what should be wired to get desired results...?

[bspurrier]

The switch you recommended works great for my needs. One problem which is important to note, for those of us who don't own a strat, the switch's bushing is nowhere near deep enough to get through an archtop guitar. I tried this on my Schecter C-7 and now I have an empty hole in my guitar because I didn't think to measure the thickness of the wood in that spot. I'm going to have to carve a hold in the front of my guitar and put in a plate to hold my switches.

I opted for a two way toggle which switches between two seperate parallel circuits. One has a Normal Closed button, one is Normal Open. The electronics work great as is.

[dtyler]

Would this be the kill switch I would need to use on a "Sky" Flying V design?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062545&prodFindSrc=cart#

[itsachen]

That switch looks right. The Flying V design might have a different circuit design than strat style guitars, so you might not be able to use this 'structable for your killswitch though :/

Theres an easy hack to get around this though. Just wire the switch so that it shorts the hot signal to the ground.

[Azayles]

If you wanted to build this as an external unit, for example if you don't want to poke about in your guitar and risk damage, could you use a foot pedal which activates a zero-crossing switch circuit? For example, some chips used for muting audio signals use zero crossing circuits to eliminate clicks and pops.
Of course this means the unit will be active, and hence require batteries.

[MerleCorey]

optocoupler could be used here.

[tshipman]

thanks for making this! i just did it, drilling the hole was the hardest part, but it turned out great! it's going to be interesting messing around with it.

[itsachen]

No problemo!
Happy playing!

[BobMarleyFan]

COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC

I haven't even read the 'ible yet, but i noticed that your frets look funny... are they scalloped?

[itsachen]

Why yes they are!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Scallop-Your-Guitar-Standard-Scallop-Frets-14-21/

[thejedilestat]

verry tempting.... me likes me likes

[stratattack]

The button used turns Off or On when pressed?

[bricabracwizard]

'On' when pressed

[respinoza1]

excellent way to make it, but i have a question? you said simply puttin the on of switch will create that disturbing sound, but the sound keeps on even if i put the wire on the master volume ... sorry for my bad english, how do i fix this? im using good cables i dont know what the problem is thanks

[itsachen]

I made a video demonstrating this sound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RSlh-npdQg&feature=player_embedded

You can't fix the popping with anything, its just the physics of the device:
http://alexplorer.net/guitar/mods/killswitch.html

[respinoza1]

thanks but i dont mean the popping sound i mean the buzz sound created when i connect the wire to the center of the master volume.. is the same anoying buzz when you try to connect to the outgoing signal... theres no difference on my guitar.. still buzz anyways..

[pecosdog]

Thanks for the info. I put it on a SAGA strat I built and it works great. Two things I would do different though. I put it in the same place on the guitar ( it doesn't really matter, its a bit of a frankenstein experiment anyway, I will change it) that you did and it gets in the way there of chord cranking, especially ska with the upstrokes. And second, that particular switch is the hardest to press and the biggest one. Radio shack has some smaller ones that have an easier press to them and less of a profile on the guitar. Other than that, the info was great.

[dbeauchamp]

Excellent guide, worked perfectly.

[MegaMaker]

Your guitar looks amazing.

[CapnTac]

Stupid question, but which artist is known for that penguin?

[Big_Muff]

I really want to make one of these for my guitar; an essential if your a fan of Rage and this is the best guide i've seen for making one, (excuse the suck up). Just one question; will this work for a Fender Mustang? It's a brand new guitar and I don't want to start pulling it apart and find out it won't work!

[itsachen]

Yes I believe it would, looking from a wiring diagram from Seymour Duncan it looks like you can intercept the hot signal as it leaves the volume pot. Just checking, I never played a Mustang, those switches on the side are just for turning the pups off right?

[Big_Muff]

Yeah, they're in/ out of phase switches for each pickup.

[chadran89]

one question, will this still work if I install a toggle switch, not a button?

[itsachen]

Yep! Just remember that the toggle switch has to be SPST. I actually installed a toggle switch on my guitar after this instructable, and it acts as a handy on/off switch.

[ylangylung]

Why can I not just cut the hot wire going to my output and connect switch there? If the hot current is broken the signal should stop just the same right?

[itsachen]

It wouldn't really work that way, you'd get a nasty buzz. This article explains more: http://www.stinkfoot.se/andreas/diy/mods/killswitch.htm

[harley_rly]

is your guitar scalloped? or are my eyes playin tricks on me?

[itsachen]

 It is! If you're curious the instructable on how to do it is here

[harley_rly]

I'm gonna have to try that. I will need to save some money, and get another neck though. I wouldn't dare do that to my baby's original one

[cubester]

 works great man thanks a lot for the how to

[itsachen]

 No problem!

[M_Guyver]

The popping/clicking noise you hear in the video is NOT the contact switching, it's caused by tapping the switch hard and fast, and also because it's mounted directly on the pick guard which resonates.  You can hear the difference when he taps the switch hard (click) or softly (no click).

I recommend first using a better quality switch, like those on arcade games or my favorite, the Lumex CLS-PC11A125S00 switches (LED illuminated red, yellow, green or blue) available from DigiKey.  Also mounting the switch on a metal bracket screwed directly into the body wood in the control cavity and a clearance hole in the pick guard would eliminate the resonance caused by the pick guard.

Lastly, I usually wire the kill switch directly to the jack's solder tabs (less chance of screwing up the control wiring).

[itsachen]

The popping isn't resonance.
Your resonance theory with the soft and hard taps does not make sense.
I own the guitar and I can testify that hard and soft taps make the pop.
Resonance does not work like that...
Its the wave being cut off by the killswitch that is producing the pop

[M_Guyver]

Ok, here are the nitty-gritty details on wiring kill switches (both are momentary pushbuttons), and remember to make the switch wires a few inches longer than the distance from the jack to where you'll mount the switch.  Also, if you use a kill switch, you should make sure to keep the controls on both your guitar and amp clean (no scratching when you turn them).

Style A : (simple & cheap)
1.  Take 2 wires and solder one end of each directly to the output jack terminals.
2.  Solder the other ends of the wires to a SPST Normally Open switch.

Style B: (as used by Eddie Van Halen and Buckethead)
1.  Use a DPDT switch and solder 2 wires (one end of each) to the common terminals (Com.) of the switch.
2.  Unsolder the circuit's output wire from the jack's tip terminal and splice it to one of the switch's common wires.
3.  Solder the switch's other common wire to the jack's tip terminal.
4.  Solder the switch's Normally Open (N.O.) terminals together and solder a wire from them to the jack's ground terminal.
5.  Solder the switch's Normally Closed (N.C.) terminals together.

P.S.:  I would have added a picture but the website's "add images" doesn't work!!.

[itsachen]

 M_Guyver. It seems like you're posting instructions on how to make a killswitch...in the comment section of an instructable that already tells people how to. Strange.

[bobbyderf123]

i put a killswitch in my freinds strat, but i hadnt found this way of doing it yet, so i just did the "cut the connection to the tip of the plug" and it worked perfectly, except that when it was off (i used a toggle), if you turned the amp up all the way up and strummed, you could faintly hear the the strings thru the amp, not feedback, but the strings, do you know what would cause this? im not at all a beginner when it comes to stuff like this, but i dont know what would cause this. and do you know if this method of wiring it would fix the problem?

[itsachen]

I'm not really sure what way you wired it. Can you explain more?
Did the toggle switch reroute the hot signal to the ground?

[M_Guyver]

Oops!  Forgot to mention, the pushbutton switch needs to be Normally Open and momentary.

NEVER USE A NORMALLY CLOSED SWITCH TO OPEN THE CONNECTION TO THE JACK.  It's like unplugging the patch cable.  Anyone ever unplug the cable with the amp still on? "POP".

By wiring the kill switch the way I described below, it works like those new "Silent" plugs from Neutrik.  It's like turning your guitar's volume knob instantly to zero.

[kyleliam]

Worked perfectly thanks for instructions.

[Cygent]

 I just finished project on my Peavey Raptor, and it sounds great. Thanks for the great instruction. I can also post some pictures of the finished product, if desired.

[redsnowman34]

I have a quick question to ask. So I brought in my guitar to my local Guitar Center, and they put a killswitch on my guitar for me. ($20, cheap and I recommend) The only problem I saw was they took out the tone pot for my neck pickup (bottom left if you look at my Les Paul from the top). I took it home, forgetting to ask for my original pot back, and I noticed that there was no difference in the tones of my bridge pickup and my neck pickup. There definitely was a difference in the two pickups when the killswitch was not installed. So I am deciding to take the killswitch out and get a new pot in there. My main question is, do you know what type of pot I need to get for my neck pickup, and whether it is short or long? I know you might not know this, but it seems you know a lot about guitars, so I thought I might ask you. Thanks! BTW, here is a wiring diagram for my LP to help you out if you need it.

[itsachen]

 Actually looking at the pictures again of the long and short pots, you couldn't just shorten the long by cutting it, because its a longer thread area. I'm guessing you would need short then, but still check.

[itsachen]

 Wow...first off the Guitar Center did a really sloppy job.
Are you sure that the diagram you sent is right?
In the diagram the two tone pots are DPDT, I'm guessing for coil tapping or something like that.
The diagram shows that they must have taken out one of them...

I was checking with you to see if the diagram is 100% accurate, because that would mean you would need a 500k push-pull pot. You could pick one up at stewmac: www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Potentiometers/Push-pull_Pots.html

As for short or long, I would say it all depends. Longer would be better because (if you have a saw) you can cut it to length. If you can, see how long the remaining tone pot's shaft is and compare to the data on the product sheets.

Let me know how things went or if you have any problems.

[redsnowman34]

 Thanks for the info. One last question. I heard I should get a 300k pot, as it would sound better on my Les Paul. Would it sound better than a 500k pot? And what's the difference between the two?

[itsachen]

 I wouldn't know the difference in terms of sound. 300k and 500k are used to describe the resistance that the potentiometer can go up to. If Les Paul players say it sound better, it might.

[redsnowman34]

 Ok I'll take a look into what would fit my style better. Thanks for the info =)

Also, one more thing. What is the difference between a standard pot and a push-pull pot? And is there different wiring for that?

[itsachen]

No problem.
A standard pot just has the three tabs, and it controls a varying amount of resistance. A pushpull pot has the three tabs, and it also doubles as a DPDT switch, when pushed and pulled. So it has 9 connections total.

[kobezbro]

where do you open a telecaster?

[itsachen]

 I've never owned a tele-type guitar, but the telecaster has a front plate that you can remove, similar to the strat. The electronics should be housed inside.

[kobezbro]

oh ok, all the guts inside your strat startled me!  i thought that under the pickguard was just a flat guitar with pickups sticking out, do you know what i mean? but i opened 'er up and found the pickups and whatnot. i just gotta go to radioshack and get a button.

nice strat by the way, where did you get that pickguard?

[itsachen]

 Thanks.
Actually I get that question alot, but my pickguard came with my strat.

[kobezbro]

duh! the knobs and whatnot are silverish



is that an ibanez?

[itsachen]

 Nope. Its a "Made by Fender" Starcaster S2.
The sticker is from a sheet of Ibanez stickers my friend gave me.

[Glockenator]

isnt the pick up a 7 string?

[itsachen]

 Somebody pointed that out before.  I also made a note if you highlight the pup

[Glockenator]

theres an easier way of doing than taking apart your guitar
http://www.instructables.com/id/easy-killswitch/

[itsachen]

 Yeah, but this Instruct able is for the player looking for a more permanent installation. Plus its much more compact compared to the other one. Plus, Super Cameraman made the first easy-killswitch:
www.instructables.com/id/Removable-Guitar-Killswitch/

For the player looking for a permanent killswitch, I don't think a box taped to the profile of their guitar is the solution. Seriously.

[Glockenator]

well,yeah. but im not taking apart any of my guitars.except maybe to scallop it

[Bunny Slayer]

i'm stuck between step 3 and 4.
i did everything right and when i tried it out...well lets just say i dont have a killswitch.
i have a liveswitch, my killswitch works backwards.
i have the volume wire (from V knob to guitar's input hooked up each to one side of the switch).
did i do something wrong?
oh and i have a behringer (its the same as a strat style but with a bridge humbucker and not a single.
help out please.

[itsachen]

 One of my initial thoughts was, perhaps you bought the wrong switch.
Since your setup is doing the opposite of what is supposed to happen, you may have accidentally bought a push to break instead of push to make.
You want a push to make, or normally open switch, not a push to break or normally closed.

But then again your wiring might be messed up. From what you described it sounds right though. Try intercepting the signal right at the guitar jack, just to be sure. Find the hot and ground that lead from the input jack and intercept it there.

[POB!]

 is the pickup supposed to be for a 7 string guitar?

[itsachen]

 Oh wow.
Congrats, you're the first person to actually realize that.

My bad on the diagram, but yeah.

[JAZ97]

pretty sweet man exept its easier for me because i build my own guitars so i dont have to take out all that junk and wires and stuff like that.

[nittanyfan025]

 I'm new to soldering...whats the deal with braided wire, because thats what i have. Can you solder two separate braided wires that are still together or are you supposed to un-braid the wire, and what do you do with each end? Thanks a lot.

[itsachen]

I used the braided wire because thats all I could find, personally I find the braids annoying. I left the wires braided, without untwisting them, so they could be easiest to solder. Plus, they make the best electrical connections when they're all together.

[nittanyfan025]

 alright thanks yea thats probably what i'm going to do

[beardedwalrus]

I notice in the diagram that you are soldering the wires to two of the prongs, but in step 6 you solder one wire to the middle prong and the other wire to the pot itself. Why is that? I'm confused as to where I should solder that wire 

[itsachen]

In the diagram the prong on the far right is the ground prong. The casing of the pot is also grounded. I mainly soldered the other end onto the pot itself, becasue it was much easier to do so. But in the end it all leads to ground

[beardedwalrus]

works like a charm thanks

[stormtrooper85]

Just a note: for those of you who are unfamiliar with the wiring let me try and simplify things. The wire being connected to the volume pot is the ground wire for the switch and the one being connected to the input jack is going to be hot. The prong on the input jack should be attached to the white wire.

[kaisan196]

will any wire work? i found a fire in my garage that was once used to connect speakers to eachother but was ripped off it seems to be copper

[itsachen]

Speaker wire of a reasonable size would work

[rkr]

Just a note: It is highly recommended that you solder things together if you're going to do this, because loose connections make for bad sound quality, plus, as mentioned, they can fall apart.

[dudeoli]

i added a killswitch to my old squier strat that i've been customising, I intercepted the signal at the jack and it works well. However the button switch i used is a bit sticky and sometimes gets stuck in place, i've added a picture so u know what kind of button to avoid getting

[dudeoli]

sorry, there's the picture

[itsachen]

Nice guitar, I like the knobs.

[dudeoli]

ty, came free with a magazine i knew they'd come in useful one day, they go up to 11 :D

[kigconker1]

I love you my fender strat hasn't work right in years 2 of my pickups were busted. I put your switch in and sure enofd works like a charm i was so happy i got a little wet if i see you i will though my panties at you cuz you rock

[itsachen]

wat

[redsnowman34]

Hey quick question. I got a Epiphone Les Paul-100 and I was thinking about adding the killswitch where a tone control used to go. Is that possible and is there any problems I might encounter?

[redsnowman34]

Also, I noticed you have to buy a momentary switch that is normally closed. Any suggestions on where I could buy that as well?

[itsachen]

It is possible, but you're going to have to intercept the signal at a different place than what this instructable shows. LP circuit schematics are different than those of Strats and their clones. Your best bet is to intercept the hot signal at the last place it is before it leaves the guitar, the jack. Make connections to both the hot and ground tabs at the jack, thread the wires through to the cavity where your pots are, and solder a switch. I bought my switch at RadioShack, though there are some places online you can get them if you don't have a RadioShack near you. Reply if you need any of them. Reply if you need any help.

[redsnowman34]

Works great! thanks for all your help!

[zombietransit]

the popping sound is only notcied when using the killswitch correct?

[itsachen]

Yes, specifically when using it on a clean setting, or with very little distortion.

[astrong0]

could you use a micro switch (not as small as it seems) connected to a resistor in the same design of the momentary so it doesn't cut the voltage all the way down (like a momentary switch does) to reduce the popping (it pops because of the sudden decrease and increase in voltage)

[itsachen]

The voltage would still be cut, as you ultimately short the signal to ground.

[astrong0]

such as this

[Jodex]

I have two empty holes in my guitar, where the tone pots used to be, so I could make that to one of those...

[phoenixinhoc]

I think that this is the step that I'm doing incorrectly -- either that or I didn't get the right kind of switch. Anyways, I haven't drilled yet because I want to make sure it works first. I have one wire attached to the middle output from the volume, then the other to the top of the volume. Nothing happens when I push the button. Any ideas?

[itsachen]

First check for faulty connections, ie. cold solder joints. Just checking, but you have a strat or strat copy right? Strat circuits have the final output to the jack at the volume tab, but les pauls and some other gibsons don't work like that. You might want to also see if your volume pot is grounded, but it probably is. If all else fails, intercept the signal at the output jack, and tell me how that goes. That should be foolproof.

[catfaugh]

shoulod it not be push to break?just wondering

[itsachen]

no, the killswitch is in between the hot signal and ground. push to make, connects the hot and ground and no sound is heard.

[lance153]

dude i have successfully installed a killswitch on my guitar but my problem is whenever i push it, there is this sound that's similar to crumpling a paper i don't know if it's grounded.. is that normal?

[itsachen]

did you watch the video i posted it explains the popping sound check if it is the same sound

[lance153]

uhm no, it's not a popping sound, the noise is like grounded similar to "crumpling a paper" or to be more specific it's like the sound whenever your plugging your cable to the jack with the amp volume on and at max. very irritating noise

[irishjim68]

That "crumpling paper" sound would be correctly called a "ground-loop hum" and could very possibly become dangerous due to the risk of electric shock. Please proceed with caution if you are experiencing this issue until it is corrected.

[varietyshowjoe]

I installed my killswitch and it made nasty noises too. All the connections were good but it turns out the (really old, recycled) wire I was using was shot and had several shorts in it. So after rewiring everything with nice new wire it worked flawlessly. So make sure you're wire is good ;)

[itsachen]

ahh if you make a killswitch improperly (make wrong connections), it can create this infinite impedance thing basically 1) check all of your connections - make sure that the killswitch is between the hot and ground, and its push to make. check for solder joints 2) check if theres any shorts, if any bare wire is touching any part it shouldn't be ive heard that that cumpling paper sound occurs if you build the killswitch wrong- placing a push to break switch between hot and output.

[catfaugh]

thanks man cos i had bought a push to make nd people were saying it should be to break.tnks for all ur help

[mr. corn on the cob]

ive looked over your instructable a few times but stil cant tell the actual kind of wire your supposed to use. i understand the same size but i dont know the first thing about wiring so any help would be great.

[itsachen]

Go to your local RadioShack or w.e and find ANY wire, the thickness of the ones inside your guitar. Cheaper would be better for you, if you are on a budget. The wire isn't that important so you can get w.e one you want.

[irishjim68]

Radio Shack would label it "Hook-up Wire" with the varoius guage sizes.

[Drum_Dude]

I never heard of a killswitch before i saw this instructable. NOW ALL MY FRIENDS ARE JEALOUS THEY DONT HAVE ONE!! awesome instructable man!

[itsachen]

Thanks! But its just a matter of time before your friends find this instructable...lol

[h.u.fan1]

did you use the one thats 3 amps at 125vac? thats the only soft touch one i can find

[iceman45]

hi, how do you open up your guitar and do all this killswitch installing stuff if you dont have a faceplate? hehe im inda lost abt that

[itsachen]

I actually have gotten this alot so I'll copy and paste a previous response. acutally ive never done it before, but people who have used this instructable have on the back of your guitar there should be a couple of protective plastic plates. Unscrew the plate that is closest to the volume knobs and such on the other side. From there, you can drill a hole, through the back of the guitar to the front. A nice and easy place to put the switch could be between the knobs. Keep in mind, the switch attaches itself to something by friction fit via a nut, if u have a long channel (drilling through the back of the guitar) u might have to glue it or something. Any other questions just ask.

[oweng4000]

Drill A hole in your guitar that will fit the switch and then wire the rest.

[iceman45]

it's a Laguna LE524 HH.. actually, ive started to work on that killswitch, but have been too busy to finish it, so it's just a guitar with a hole... ive got it down now.. thanks, pandaman!

[itsachen]

acutally ive never done it before, but people who have used this instructable have on the back of your guitar there should be a couple of protective plastic plates. Unscrew the plate that is closest to the volume knobs and such on the other side. From there, you can drill a hole, through the back of the guitar to the front. A nice and easy place to put the switch could be between the knobs. Keep in mind, the switch attaches itself to something by friction fit via a nut, if u have a long channel (drilling through the back of the guitar) u might have to glue it or something. The included pic illustrates the back plates of a guitar with no faceplate. In this case, you wanna unscrew the bottom left plate. Any other questions just ask.

[HAL 9000]

 Is that a takamine gx-200, in sunburst finish?

[itsachen]

I'm actually not sure, I pulled it from Google images.
But the gx-200 has a glued in neck, not a neck through like the picture shows.

[cdousley]

yea i had o work on the jack on my les paul

[Bucketbot#32]

Is anything any different if you want to put a killswitch in a Flying V like mine? By the way, was that Night of the Slunk you were playing near the beginning of the video? Nice.

[itsachen]

Thanks. I took a look at the Flying V schematics, and its like I expected. The wiring is similar to that of Les Paul where, there are two individual volume controls for each pickup, rather than just one. You can still install a pickup though. Just solder one end of the switch to a grounded location (located on every pot). Then find the output jack, and find the hot tab, and solder the other end to the switch. This is important as its the final stage that the signal passes before it goes to the amp.

[solomon684]

is 26 AWG wire ok to use?

[itsachen]

The .4mm diameter wire seems a little iffy to me, but it shouldn't be a problem. I'm just concerned about it accidentally breaking in the process of installation.

[solomon684]

Would you recommend getting one of these wiring kits from stew mac instead? (I'm wiring the whole guitar by the way, not just the killswitch)

[itsachen]

Hm...if you're wiring the whole guitar and need the caps that come in the stewmac kit, I think it'd be useful. If not, then just get 22AWG wire. Looks like 26AWG wire works too. It might turn out to be cheaper

[arnoldtheduck]

I'm investing in a Kramer Striker guitar to experiment with this stuff! Only problem; the Radioshack U.K supplier doesn't have 'push to make' and 'push to break', they have 'normally open' and 'normally closed'. Which one should I use in accordance with this instructable?

[itsachen]

Normally open is the one you want, because when you push it, it closes, making a complete circuit.

[DELETED_trevyboy]

(removed by author or community request)

[itsachen]

To experiment with fun stuff

[bowmaster]

Put a mini skull-n-crossbones of the switch to make it look cooler.

[volquete]

nice ible thanks!

[srilyk]

If you want to eliminate your pop, instead of cutting out the "hot" you can cut out the ground. I have a horribly old Silvertone guitar that had one single coil pickup. I put a humbucker near the bridge and wired two switches so I can individually control the pickups (but mine are toggle switches). Never tried doing this with 'em though.

[Spud18]

He means a woodworking router or drill I assume, but I would recommend a Dremel or a similar tool. It is basically a handheld drill with lots of interchangeable bits. This is a Dremel:

http://www.corel-srl.it/images/dremel_foto.jpg

[itsachen]

No, actually I meant a router.
A router can make smooth cavities in the body of your guitar with ease.
http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/12158/RidgidRouterGallery-main_Full.jpg

Dremels have router attachments I think, which could work as well.
What you should really aim for is a rotary tool with bits made for routing, not drilling.

[Spud18]

A Dremel is a type of rotary tool, but to each his own right?

[Void Schism]

yeah it is, and a fraction of the power. A router would be easier to use and give a cleaner cut, but the dremel would do ok

[berky93]

nice instructable. my guitar came with a killswitch, but for some reason it doesnt work. I think theres a problem with the wiring. maybe I'll replace it.

[itsachen]

Interesting. What guitar do you have?

[berky93]

carvin. I dont remember the model though.

[stratman410]

dude are your frets scalloped?

[itsachen]

Hell yeah! I'm making an instructable on how to scallop frets, hang tight.

[aflacgoose]

Make a diagram on how to install it in a PRS.

[itsachen]

It's always nice to say "please", first. Based on this schematic I found on the internet, the PRS schematic should be the same in terms of diagram. There is only one volume, so you can do what this instructable says.

[ShredLikeBuckethead]

Ok. So i have my fender squire and my ibanez rg350dx both opened up right now. they are on the ground next to me. i have taken one of the tone knobs off my squire,and bent it to the side to the hole is free. as for the ibanez, i plan on drilling a hole in between the volume and tone knob and i plan to put it there. i have bought 2 switches that monts in a 1 half inch hole. currently i have cut some of the gray casing off my hot and ground, and im planning to cut the hot (white wire?) and solder one wire to each end of the hot. then i plan to solder thase 2 new wires onto each prong on the switch. am i doing this correctly, is the any chane of failure/damage to my guitar, and possibly any other tips. a request would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance,

[itsachen]

On the switch, connect one of the prongs to the hot, and another to the ground. Don't solder two wires onto the hot. There's a very very low chance of anything happening. 1) You're not dealing with any chips or any complicated circuitry 2) The signal that comes from your pickups is relatively weak. Just make sure you drill patiently. Avoid leaning to one side, and judge your pressure when you drill (I leaned and slipped, scratching the plate) I just bought an Ibanez RG350dx. I'm too afraid to cut it up though.

[ShredLikeBuckethead]

I have done my rg350dx, check out my killswitch instructable for a picture i'll be putting it on today it looks great.

[ch153]

Could you tell me what the demensions of the killswitch are? If you can remember. I have a killswitch already...but I took it out a long time ago.

[guitartech]

i like how you set it up. i installed my kill switch into my les paul i just took the tone hole. i just hate the idea of drilling into my guitars,lol if any one want's to know how to install a kill switch into their les paul or SG just look at my instructable. or contact me.

[qwigz]

by router what do u mean? whats a router?

[varietyshowjoe]

Hi, I have a Epiphone SG and want to install a killswitch in the hole that my rhythm volume knob is in. I plan on making the bridge volume the master volume so that I can still control the rhythm pickup's volume. Have you ever done this? And how would I go about making the treble volume the master volume while still maintaining the pickup's respective tone knobs?

[varietyshowjoe]

Well today I did just what I asked about, I made my treble volume my master volume and installed a killswitch in the open hole left by the rhythm volume knob. I'm so glad my dad used to be an electrician because he helped me know how to rewire everything to make it work. So for all of you wanting a killswitch, but not an extra hole in the body, just do as I did. It works and looks great!

[kyle134]

I just got done doing mine and this switch is awesome, Its giving me all sorts of ideas on how to hook up my les paul which brings me to my question... I have a roland amp thats shot and it has a knob on it for flanger, chorus and wah. If I could pop that module out would it be possible to install it in the same way??

[itsachen]

So install a killswitch on your amp? In theory I guess it would work...if you do the same thing and divert any current to ground. You gotta watch out so you dont create a path that gives you that annoying buzz, it has something to do with infinite impedance or something... If you try it out let me know!

[drpdedsxe]

ok so first off i think it is an amazing coincidence that we both have a fender starcaster from best buy. Same color and everything. almost creepy lol. then my real question is: so basically what happens is the two wires coming from the output jack are the output from the volume pot, and the ground for the volume pot. Then what i do is soder one of the wires from the switch to the same spots as the two from the output jack? (sorry if that was a little confusing)

[itsachen]

You basically solder one wire coming off of the switch onto the output wire, wherever that touches, and the other end onto wherever the ground wire touches. I've never really seen anybody with a Starcaster S2 before, I bought a new guitar but that was a great starting guitar for me

[drpdedsxe]

well yea my REAL guitar is a tele. so those two red wires coming off the volume pot are the switch i assume?

[itsachen]

yea

[drpdedsxe]

thanks dude. got it in both without a prob at all. this was probably the most reliable thing ive ever seen on the internet :D

[drpdedsxe]

do you think this will work on a new fender standard telecaster? its the mexican one, brand new. i never opened it, and i dont want to mess it up. just want to make sure itll work

[itsachen]

It will work. Strats follow the same wiring schematics and you should be fine.

[homsar57]

Would a light switch work lol? Ive got TONS of them lying around.

[capt. caveman]

buckethead?

[itsachen]

what about him?

[capt. caveman]

nothing just throwing it out there and he also uses a killswitch

[Stavroz]

So if i want to have the typical Morello sound, i should hit the kil-switch with the tremolo (whammy)? please answer.

[itsachen]

There are multiple sounds that Morello has. One is hitting the killswitch with a wah pedal Another is using a whammy pedal, and he sometimes uses an octave pedal. Experiment to see what is your favorite.

[Stavroz]

Does he use the whammy pedal (whatever it may be) in the solo from "Like a stone"? i tried to do it, but i couldnt get that high notes out.

[itsachen]

the beginning of the solo is probably a whammy pedal the high notes are a pitch shifter/octave pedal theres delay too

[Stavroz]

I think the whammy pedal can be used as an octave pedal. Dont know it for sure, tho.

[itsachen]

yeah that digitech one can do both i dont own one but i used one once

[rainbowfied]

Is there anyway at all that I can get rid of the popping noise?!

[basuramail]

put a 2M resistor o greater between hot and ground, then in clean and distortion setting is no popping anymore. The same trick is used on stompboxes for true bypass switching.

[itsachen]

There's no popping in distortion setting. The popping is due to the signal suddenly stopping, not the same in a stompbox. When you do true bypass you cut off the effects circuit completely, and the effects circuit senses infinite impedance, and tries to amplify that, picking up interference. When you reengage the stompbox, you get the end part of the interference. Adding large resistors on the input and output would drain the signals when the effects circuit is isolated. I'm not a master in homebrew stompboxes though. If you know somebody that added resistors to their killswitch and it worked, let me know.

[itsachen]

The video is back up.

[itsachen]

I used to have a YouTube video up explaining the popping...but it got deleted by YouTube (I still have no idea why). I'll be sure to post it again. The popping is normal, under a clean channel with no distortion. Its the result of killing the signal suddenly. Under distortion, the signal is messed around with already, so killing the signal suddenly does little to nothing. So, unless you want to use your killswitch while playing through a clean channel, you should have no problem.

[PrimaeNoctis]

I play a cleaner blues tone and want to use my killswitch, but it's popping. I don't use heavy distortion. What can I do to remove the pop? Would a capacitor help? Would a capacitor/resistor help? I wired it straight to the output jack.

[ben256]

This is cool. Can a toggle type switch be used instead? Like Tom Morello's?

[itsachen]

Yep, just use a SPDT and don't connect anything to one pole

[lance153]

dude i don't think we have that kind of switch here in manila, would you recommend the buttons on the arcade machine?

[itsachen]

I wouldn't recommend it, as they might be too big, BUT If you can't find any of those switches, then I guess it would work. I'm pretty sure an arcade switch would work off the same principle. If you have a multimeter you can check.

[locofocos]

Thanks! This was very helpful. I just went out to RadioShack and got one of those exact switches you have there (the "soft touch" momentary push button switch, part number 275-1566). I think there's probably a better switch somewhere out there, but I don't really care to spend 10 dollars on shipping a 5 dollar switch. This one from radioshack is fairly easy to press in, hence the "soft touch" version. All I did was run two wires to the leads on the jack and connect them to the button. The whole thing took about 2 hours; however, 1 to 1.5 of those was spent looking for the little metal ring that holds the switch in place on the back. DON'T LOSE IT!!!!!!!!!! I found it eventually though, don't worry. I did this to my yamaha pacifica, which looks and plays a good bit like a strat except it costs about half as much. I'll post a picture of the finished product if anyone cares to see it.

[itsachen]

Great to hear! Happy playing.

[Little_Buster]

You really shouldnt have drilled a hole in your guitar.
you should of just put the switch down by the pots.

[itsachen]

But...I like my pots... Its not that I shouldn't have drilled a hole, its a matter if you want to or not. It all depends if you feel you can sacrifice a tone pot for a killswitch.

[Little_Buster]

No i dont mean replace the pot. I mean stick the switch by the pots and tone selector. you should have enough room lol but anyways, good instructable :)

[Lint007]

What kind of wire should I get? What gauge, etc.? There are so many wire at radioshack, I don't know which one I should use. Thanks.

[locofocos]

If you haven't purchased it yet, I would go with about a 22 guage. It's thin enough to wobble and be pushed around without pushing back, but it can easily be bent and stay in place if you need it to.

[itsachen]

I just used any wire that was lying around in my house, I don't have a specific gauge. Get a gauge that looks like the wire I used in the picture. You could use any gauge, but if you use a gauge closer to the one I used, I believe the soldering will be easier (as opposed to using a super thick gauge, or a really thin gauge)

[pandaboy292]

how much was your guitar? it's cool. pandas rock! someone needs to start a panda group.

[pandaboy292]

i just made a panda group

[itsachen]

100 dollars, but I just got a new guitar

[pandaboy292]

do you know the cerial number? i want to get one.

[pagr93]

What about if I try putting a Gibson style toggle switch to a Fender Stratocaster?, would it function? This Image is a Fender that was modified with paint, this is what I want, would it function?

[kid123]

why would you want only a 3 way switch as opposed to the 5 way fender switch that might not end up well. whatever, its your $400 guitar (or$1000)

[bignaughtydog]

Only if it is spring loaded otherwise you would have to do twice the work.Use the illustrated push off/release on as in the video : )

[pagr93]

What about if trying doing a feedback solo like solo? does the pushbutton switch works for that sound?

[bignaughtydog]

Can you be more specific with your meaning???

[itsachen]

yeah you can stutter feedback with a killswitch, it adds a cool effect

[pagr93]

like tom morello's solo in sleep now in the fire; i mean, i know he uses a toggle switch and the whammy bar, but what about if I try doing it with the push button switch?

[pagr93]

So in this case, the gibson toggle switch connects 1 to the volumen pot, the middle one to the jack output, and the other one not soldered; and also the ground.

[itsachen]

yep basically so if you switch in one position, the signal from the volume goes to ground, but if you switch to another, nothing happens nice switch btw

[pagr93]

Thanks; so in an on/off, i'll connect from the volumen to both ... (whatever those things are); and for an gibson toggle switch I'll connect in one side the pickups, in middle going to jack output, the other when not connected, and also I have to connect the ground; thanks for your help, if I do it, I'll tell you.

[pagr93]

I've imaging this diagram of a Fender Stratocaster with toggle switch, is it right or wrong? could you review it? please?

[itsachen]

i dont understand your drawing of your switch what kind of switch is it? becasue it looks like the toggle part is connected to the ground...is it a dp3t or something?

[pagr93]

what about if I try doing a feedback solo like tom morello? does the pushbutton switch works?

[pagr93]

That's a gibson toggle switch, it's supossed to be connected to 2 volumen pots, the jack out put, and a wire goes to earth; the switch it's not drawed but it's a three way toggle switch

[itsachen]

yeah, it would work. i put a toggle switch on my guitar just a week ago, and it works fine you can stutter faster with a button though, but the toggle switch is fun as well. get a spst or spdt toggle switch. single pole single throw, or a single pole double throw, and just dont solder anything onto the other pole. wire it the same as you would wire the guitar killswitch

[8bit]

Where'd the vid go?

[itsachen]

A very mean person hacked my account and deleted all my videos. I'll shoot another one.

[8bit]

Cool. Its a good idea to keep backups on that sort of thing for that reason.

[itsachen]

Haha, actually I just found my backup copy. Video should be up soon.

[NateDawgK2]

Nice instructable - I had to crowd the switch in with the knobs a little bit becaused I wanted to drill directly to the main cavity as opposed to making a whole new cavity like you did I had to use some sand paper and an exacto knife to shave down one side of the black casing around the switch so the knob would turn easily without rubbing also with 2 volume pots I wired the switch directly to the output jack as opposed to wiring the jack to two pots then to the jack - made it a little easier for my specific setup

[itsachen]

Glad it worked out for you!

[pyro man]

sweet looking guitar

[ogg_orbis_records]

suite tutorial, took me maybe 20 minutes to get it all done. I found this tutorial today, went out and got the stuff, and had it done in no time.

[itsachen]

sweet guitar man have fun playing

[popperhopper]

(removed by author or community request)

[itsachen]

I dont understand what you were trying to get across. Looks like your guitar is strat based, can you explain your question again?

[popperhopper]

i have a aria stg guitar looks like kinda the one isotope has.would i have to solder the killswitch on to the volume pot or the two wires in my output jack.

[itsachen]

either way i prefer on the volume pot, as i can hide it in the cavity made for my electronics its the same signal, you'd just be intercepting at different points

[popperhopper]

thank you.

[BadAssMoma]

Hey, i just went to buy a switch from radio shack. It says push on/push-off switch. spst cpntacts rated 3A at 250VAC and it looks exactly like the one above. but when i push it, it makes a loud click( and its still in the bag), did i buy the wrong one?

[itsachen]

wow, that sounds really weird maybe its just that switch, try returning (radioshack has a 30 day thing) for another one make sure it says momentary, or soft touch too (i got my switch maybe a year ago, they may have changed the packaging) i think the soft touch means theres no click, or its easier

[edensfinest318]

so thoses are random wires you buy or are they from your guitar

[itsachen]

random wires I found

[blackdemonicfire]

Just to clear things up... You want a Normally OPEN (off) switch.

[itsachen]

yeah

[blackdemonicfire]

Ok, I know one wire is soldered to the output signal (white wire), but I wasn't sure about the second one. I can solder it directly to the volume pot since the volume pot is ground right? Or should I solder it to the wire that makes the volume pot ground?

[itsachen]

you can solder it onto the volume pot, cause the ground tab on the volume pot is already soldered onto the volume pot

[bigredlevy]

i put my kill switch in a zippy box with input/output to cut the signal. that way you can use it as a foot switch and not have to change your nice shiny guitar.

[itsachen]

yeah i have more control with my hands compared to my feet though i dont think i could do the fast stutters with a footswtich, but whatever you prefer!

[guitar guy551]

cani put ur killswitch on my ibanez gio?

[itsachen]

yep

[Sliderkk]

This is not a Killswitch, it's a Liveswitch. To make a killswitch use a NORMALLY CLOSED switch and place it at the end of the circut.

[a7x1st]

u got it wrong, normally closed means no sound when we dont press and sound when we press! normally open means sound when we dont press and no sound when we press! conclusion: closed connection means 'ON', open connection means 'OFF'. whe need an 'ON' to make the sound stop. thats why in your guitar output wire the signal wire and ground wire is 'not connected' or 'open' or 'OFF'!!!

[bignaughtydog]

That would mean then that the killswitch is by-passable otherwise how would we get round playing without using it??? I guess it is used on only a specific pickup.Am i wrong????

[itsachen]

sorry bigdog, but you got a part wrong think of the guitar as a circuit, a nice smooth assembly line. things on the assembly line go from point a, to point b. right before point b, theres a small split in the assembly line. when a button is pressed, all the things on the assembly line go through the bypass, into the trash. thats whats happening, the assembly line is the guitar. point a is the signal coming form the strings, point b is the output jack. the small split is right before the signal goes to the output. the split is normally closed, but when a button is pressed, everything gets diverted into the ground, meaning no sound.

[itsachen]

lol yeah its a normally open switch, meaning the switch is not engaged normally. in electric components closed means electricity can flow through when open means the switch is not yet engaged.

[guitar guy551]

can i do it with an ibanez?

[sglittle86]

Hey man I was just going to say that I bought the same style killswitch from radio shack, and to keep from scratching up my pick guard I just clipped that little tab with some nail clippers and smoothed out the underside of the killswitch with some fine sandpaper. The locking nut supplied with the killswitch keeps it from twisting and coming unscrewed.

[itsachen]

nice thinking i did that when i installed a later switch actually

[roswel42]

nice pickguard, its awesome.

[isotope]

Thanks! My dad and I did it today, works great. I did it on a fake "Delta' Strat, and it's well worth it.

[itsachen]

no problem! glad i could help

[boot]

I have a working killswitch now, but my volume knob only has two functions: on and off. Is it supposed to be like that or did I do something wrong?

[a7x1st]

and you're not strumming! how could it sound loudly?

[itsachen]

tapping with fingers, and raising my amp volume.

[a7x1st]

i see on your video you're a japanese, right?

[itsachen]

no im chinese

[a7x1st]

i have a yamaha rgx 121z bl it dont have face plate but backplates. so how's it to place the switch near the volume pot? should i drill the lovely stylish black body? or should i just make a switch that placed near the output jack?

[itsachen]

i prefer having the switch where i can access it the fastest. i put mine pretty close near the strings, and i found that it can come pretty handy. all depends on what you want.

[a7x1st]

thx, that mean i'll need a long wire! its ok to make the connection on the output jack right? coz i don't want to solder on the volume pot!

[itsachen]

lol yeah you could connect on the output jack, or cut the wire leading to the output jack and solder onto there. i would suggest the 1st, as cutting wires and connecting is annoying.

[el hersh]

i did this to my Ibanez Gio it works great. the popping stil comes through with some effects but i just crank the gain and it dies. people always ask what the little red button is and i tell them somthing differnt every time lol

[itsachen]

lol yeah killswitches are pretty handy when performing live cause you can use it randomly and evry1s like woah what happened

[a7x1st]

hey is it ok to put the switch on the output jack? theoritically(forgive my spelling) i think both should kill the signal, but what do you think? it is like volume pot -ground goes into . . . output jack-ground (i want toput the switch here -signal -signal

[itsachen]

im not sure what youre talking about in the last part, but yeah you can make it. if you can bridge the output signal and the ground together with wires and add a switch in between, that when pressed transfers the output signal to the ground, its alright. if you study how the killswitch works and just think about it you can make a logical decision. anywhere theres an output signal flow and a ground you can make a connection for a killswitch.

[utfal]

I'm afraid that while opening the face plate if some connection is broken between the pick ups and secondly I live in India and can't get a kill switch from any where is there any alternative?

[itsachen]

yeah like a7x1st says its just a spst momentary switch.

[thisiscastro]

do you guys have a radioshack in india

[a7x1st]

who says in india there's no switch? we 'make' a 'kill switch' from a 'switch' all you need is a switch, wire, solder if you want, and a little bit patience

[mattnews22]

Great Instructable! My brother and I put one on his Squire Strat. Used a tall flipper switch and put it amongst all the other knobs/switches. Works like a charm.

[brytank01]

What exactly is that switch called and where can i get it?

[mattnews22]

I got it at Radio Shack. Here is the product page.

It required a little routing out of the guitar, but it is perfect. It won't wear you out like a smaller switch would.

[brytank01]

is it available at the source by circuit city?

[itsachen]

i dont believe circuit city sells electronic parts...

[evanwehrer]

the source by circuit city does

[brytank01]

pandaman what kind of guitar is that exactly

[itsachen]

Its a Fender Starcaster S2

[brytank01]

how much did it cost

[itsachen]

100 bucks at my local best buy its actually not that bad if you adjust it and tweak around with it

[brytank01]

what do u mean by tweaking it? how did u adjust it

[itsachen]

truss rod adjustments to get rid of fretbuzz the action was alittle too high for me so i adjusted that plus the stock strings r crap... also i scalloped my fretboard (after i did this tutorial though)

[SuperCoPilot]

freaking worship tom morello lol

[mrboston]

quick question, i have an SPDT switch, not spst, will it work right?

[itsachen]

http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/switch.htm
It wont work with the instructions I give. With a SPST, when the switch is pressed, the signal is rerouted to the ground. When a SPDT switch is pressed, or switched, the pole changes positions. You could easily use a SPDT switch though.

[bucketrelz]

when i push the button theres a popping noise but when i go in overdrive theres no popping noise. is this normal?

[itsachen]

haha yeah x) if you read the section in the instructable its perfectly fine. theres a link that explains the physics behind it. im guessing that you wont use it much in clean mode though.

[mrboston]

I've heard horror stories about a popping noise from these kinds of switches, how come yours doesn't?

[guitarman63mm]

I'm fairly sure that that is a result of putting the switch between the output jack and the volume pot. It seems that his design suffers from it too; but he's covering it with effects.

[itsachen]

it doesnt matter, the signal is cut, which results in a popping sound. you can only get rid of the popping sound by altering the signal.
http://alexplorer.net/guitar/mods/killswitch.html

[guitarman63mm]

Point taken, I'm assuming that it's the mechanism of a momentary switch. I never had this problem when I used individual toggle switches to control my pups, so I figure that's a more practical solution.

[itsachen]

haha well all horror stories turn out fake in the end :D popping only comes when you use the killswitch on the clean setting, casue you cut the signal. but on a distorted setting, the signal is so crazy you cant even hear a pop. i only use it in distortion though.

[killswitcher]

hey, sorry to bother you, i have my squire strat opened up on my lap right now. I found the EASIEST way to completely avoid drilling into your guitar. i removed the tone knob farthest from the pickups, and am planning on using that hole for my killswitch. also, on my volume pot, there are two wires soldered onto the top. i am ASSUMING the black one, which travels to the bride, is my ground wire. i dont know about the other one. HOWEVER:P do i solder one wire onto the top, into the glob of solder where the ground is connected, and the other onto the empty tab (there are 3, 1 is empty)???? an answer would be VERY much appreciated.

[itsachen]

the black one is ground, and you do solder one end of the wire onto the glob ontop of your potentiometer casing, which is grounded. now the other side you have to solder onto the output...if you can find a wire that leads to your output jack, trace the non-ground wire to a tab, and solder the other end onto that tab. In that case, the cable leading to the output jack is gray, and i saw that the non-ground cable was in a white casing, which led to the middle tab. I then realized the middle tab was for output signal. I also wanted to keep my tone knob :D any other questions just reply

[HADJISTYLLIS]

R.A.T.M THE BEST

[boombam]

agreed

[WAKKO444]

DOOD THIS WORKS GREAT!!!! ITS SOO COOL! THX FOR THE ISTRUCT! JUST ONE Q... WHEN DO YOU ACCTUALY HIT THE BUTTON DURING THE HAMMER ON?

[u_r_teh_svck]

you hit the button when you want the sound to stop

[DELETED_craz meanman]

(removed by author or community request)

[itsachen]

yep, its ground. actually that giant glob of solder on top of your pot is also ground...i know that for certain.

[DELETED_craz meanman]

(removed by author or community request)

[itsachen]

there should be two wires coming out of your output jack... ground and signal...just solder ground onto the pot itself.

[DELETED_ShatteredRib]

(removed by author or community request)

[TheMadTinker]

That popping is because this "kill" switch is just short-circuiting your rig, meaning that you aren't actually staying true to the name "killswitch." Some of the popping is likely caused by the switch itself, but part of it is the same popping you get when you plug your guitar into a live amp. If one were to use a n.o. momentary switch ans put it between the volume pot and the output jack, you would simply cut the flow of electricity and greatly reduce your pop. You'll still have a bit of pop from the switch itself, but that should be negligible.

[itsachen]

madtinker you're mad wrong

1) Literally killing the signal, ie. putting an on/off switch instead of rerouting the signal is VERY BAD, and wrong. You'll get the "accidentally unplugged guitar" sound. Source - http://www.stinkfoot.se/andreas/diy/mods/killswitch.htm

2)You're suggesting what I have in my instructable.

3) The popping is due to physics, nothing to do to change it. You just literally stopped the signal. Source - http://alexplorer.net/guitar/mods/killswitch.html

[cornholio22]

you are pretty good for your age but it seems your more of a shredder (shame) you should move up new guitar. and if your guitar is a starcaster why does the pickguard say ibanez.

[itsachen]

the ibanez is a sticker...i love ibanez and im saving up for one... i hope to be a shredder one day...

[itsachen]

Yea...I get a popping noise too on clean only...I never use my killswitch on clean anyways...ill look into it though.

[TheMadScientist]

the popping noise is due to the fact that you're cutting a sound wave off at the middle of the wavelength trough... you're cutting the wave in half and stopping it, kind of an odd effect, but I can't find a way around it...

[DELETED_ShatteredRib]

(removed by author or community request)

[microman171]

2.2 M Ohm fixes that problem. I read it on another site. You just solder it between the contacts of the push button/toggle

[TheEpicNinja]

thoughs are some pretty badass soldering joints:P

[iceman45]

thanks so much.. haha, i totally forgot about those backplates

[butthead95]

great instructable i put mine in between the tone and volume button and it works great (do u ever actually hit the strings when u r playing in ur vid??? the pic is kinda dark and i used no solder

[itsachen]

yep i hit the strings, did u like twist ur wires together or seomthing instead of soldering

[old_bass_masta]

its called splicing if you do it that way

[psychodeathmonkey]

ok, i have one last question. If there is already a wire soldered into the middle tab then would you just solder the new wire on that solder joint?

[itsachen]

there should be a wire on the middle tab. yes, solder the new wire onto it.

[psychodeathmonkey]

So.. if i can get this straight you only have two wires going into the volume potentiometer. 1 goes into a tab on it and the other goes into the ground?

[itsachen]

Yep, on the middle, or output, tab. I used random wire I found in my house.

[Benwa]

looks cool. I want to try it. I might shop around for a more comfortable switch though. Thought of a potential tip for this. Since the switches are so cheap and you are doing permanent work to the strat. It maybe ideal to buy several switches and keep them somewhere safe. You never know when that switch may no longer be carried by radio shack. And the switch is definitely the most likely point of failure (as long as your solder connections are tight). If for some reason you can't find the switch when you break yours, you are SOL, having a strat with a mod that can't be fixed. And any guitar player knows, you're eventually gonna break that damn thing when you're feeling the music. Jam sessions fueled with alcohol usually cause these things. It happens, buy more switches.

[butthead95]

look in automotive stores because the switches are stronger. i broke the button in my pic below bougt a toggle switch instead. use crimps instead of solder makes switch change way easier and less hassle

[rbstic]

hello where did you find that pick gaurd on your guitar i been looking for a replacment for one of mine if you know of a site can you send it to me.ty bh

[lgcalex]

i made a pick guard for a fixeruper i picked up. trace the pickguard onto the plexiglas then cut/ drill it. I then painted the backside of the plexi so it couldn't scratch.

[itsachen]

sorry man, but the pickguard came with my crappy guitar... the guitars a starcaster v2, i cant find it anymore though

[tux320]

Just finished it. Good Instructable, worked like a charm. Now I'm of to learn some Buckethead.

[Bucketbass]

wouldin it be easier to just remove the tone knob and run the wires through the hole where the knob was? its much cleaner and is removeable if you dont want it in all the time and its better than drilling a hole in your guitar and deminising the price of it

[itsachen]

it wouldbe easier however, the hole drilled in your guitar for your knobs, ARE NOT (99% of the time) the exact size specified on the back of the switch. so drilling is needed. basically if u dont want to drill a hole in your guitar, dont install a killswitch. also ive never tried...but taking out the tone knob may be annoying...and personally i want my tone knob.

[budman0312]

this instructable is awesome. i just did this to my old strat. i used the same switch (3 dollars at radioshack). i have never soldered before and i thought i was going to screw up my strat, but it works perfectly.

[mspark400]

Thank you these were the best instructions on how to do this i could find, i knew what i had to do but this made me sure i wasn't going to trash my strat. i will put up pics eventually but right now my computer is freaking out btw +1

[Stevetheduck]

I know that to some people this is going to seem like a stupid quiestion..but can i place one of these killswitch to my fender telecaster? I can play like like this on my mates les paul but its kinda hard and i cant switch between on and off fast enough because there 3 stages on those switrch which slows things down alot. to do and i my mate wont let me keep his les paul for ever.

[itsachen]

yeah trying to use the killswitch method on the les paulis kinda hard. a button is easier.
i took the wiring schematics of a telecaster and drew a red line, basically signifying a wire. You can put the button anywhere u want on the wire.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/Pandaman0529/TeleSchematic.jpg
if u have ne other questions jus reply

[ting-a-ling]

I bought my son a strat style Yamaha for Christmas and he insisted we put a killswitch on it after he saw your video! I was worried about drilling a hole in a brand new guitar, but I finally gave in and we did it. We used the same switch you did and it turned out great. Looks like it came from the factory that way. Thanks for the great instructable!!!!

[itsachen]

no problem! have fun playing!

[xqwerty101]

what kind of wires should I use, beaucse i see in one of the pictures that the wires for the killswitch look thicker than most wires under the faceplate

[itsachen]

it doesnt really matter. really. just use common sense, what looks right to you. Dont use like a bigass cable that obviously wont fit, or a super thin wire. i used what i had left lying around.

[chainmail311]

So, I got this EXACT switch. Same SKU and everything: I soldered it in, and when I press the button down, my guitar will go through. When the button springs back up, the signal is killed. I've got an opposite killswitch. I bought the same one pictured above! What did I do wrong? Is it a faulty part?

[xqwerty101]

you have to get one that says "normally on" not "normally off" so that the circut is on when the buttong is in its normal out position

[itsachen]

no. when the circuit is on, the signal is rerouted to the ground. thats why you want normally off.

[garrettmikesmith]

i got did the exact same thing. i suggest reading this:

http://alexplorer.net/guitar/mods/killswitch.html

it's a little bit different, but works the same. keep in mind normally closed means the circuit is connected, and normally open means the circuit is disconnected. there a plenty of ways to wire this, depending on your switch.

[itsachen]

The chances that the part is faulty...is less than the chances that the part you bought was wrong. If youre really sure that you bought the right part (remember you have to buy a switch thats usually open...not closed. Looks like you bought a switch thats usually closed... Try checking if you soldered the switch between the signal output and the ground again. If it really doesn't work then you've probably got the wrong part... Remember, when looking for the switch its gotta be open. Have fun

[chainmail311]

I just soldered it wrong. It works, and when I blast it with a Whammy I sound like Morello. Easily.

[chainmail311]

i didn't mean whammy. meant Wah. One of three crybaby wahs. Hey, someone should do an instructable about fixing the common Crybaby Wah problem.

[matthewm94]

I have the exact same guitar as you

[itsachen]

lmao my guitar sucks so much i bought it a while ago...didnt think anyone else had it but i heavily modified it so that its not that crappy... still buying a new guitar soon.

[ckyvick]

ok no offense to anyone but why is it that you see about 400 videos on youtube with kids playing with their kill switch they had installed because they play guitar hero, but the kids dont play guitar, they play guitar hero. cmon, dont modify a guitar you cant even play, unless your already playing five or more hours a day. learn how to play the guitar then if you want one install a killswitch. you dont even need one to play jordan. just a wah and a whammy pedal. rules dont apply to panda because of the detailed tutorial. im gonna be drilling into my ibanez and install today or tomorrow. id like to put one in my parker but im never going to drill into that thing because their finish is a weird type of resin. yes there is a perfect guitar and they are called PARKER.

[itsachen]

Haha...yeah...mind you I'm not nearly as good as many guitarists on youtube...but i thought itd be fun to experiment with a new kind of sound. and yes, parker is badass

[ckyvick]

installed fine on my ibanez. now i gotta wait for my no.1 strap to come in and ill have my bucketar complete.i allready own his whammy pedal so i just need the strap.

[piperjon]

Great instructions! I'm going to Tha Shack to get my button this weekend. One tip (sorta) is that Dremel makes a tiny little router bit that would almost undoubtedly make the hole-drilling situation much more easy and neat. But I'm also one of those people that think a Dremel could change the world for the better in the right hands. Meh. Thanks for this, I'll be killswitching soon!

[itsachen]

No problem, I recently bought a dremel...shoulda used it for the killswitch though...but yeah. Have fun!

[PerfectH]

This worked perfectly! Thank you so much! I get the popping noise too, but it's very mild. I got the same button that you have there (from Radio Shack) and it works fine for me. Now my question is, when you play Jordon, how do you vibrate the strings like that while using the killswitch? Are you hammering on?

[itsachen]

yeah its just mad hammerons

[mondaymonkey]

From 1-10, how much of a chance do i have to screw this up, keep in mind i can solder, and i do have experience with electronic components

[itsachen]

probably 3 all thats hard is drilling the holes the hardest part I had was drilling a hole through the faceplate, cause the switch i bought needed a little notch. I was foolish and tried drilling a notch, and scratched my faceplate. I then used a file. I suggest you use a file or a knife if your going to do it. Drilling the cavity for the killswitch isn't that hard either.

[PerfectH]

What I did (but made a mess) was figure out where I was going to place the button (roughly same position as pandaman's), checked to make sure there was solid wood under the spot, then placed the faceplate back on screwing only 3 of the corners back in to secure it. Then I drilled a hole big enough for the button through the faceplate all the way through the wood. Once the hole was big enough to fit the button, I took the faceplate off again, then continued to drill away a section that led to the rest of the wiring well. I used a rotary drill, a Dremel to do the job and it worked fine, only wish I had a bigger bit tip.

[chainmail311]

I just cut the "notch" out of the part. I did screw up on the wiring. I soldered the button in between one wire on the output instead of how you did it. I assumed it would work that way as well, but they don't make a momentary button that's always closed. (I wish they did. That would have been easier.)

[TheMadScientist]

aha, so people other than me have accidentally unscrewed multi-position switches and pickups from their faceplate too.... HA

[TheMadScientist]

gotta love that massive hammer on/finger running insanity...

[GorillazMiko]

wow, amazing instructable! looks just like buckethead, except for the guitar. :D

[chainmail311]

I'm sorry. Could you make it a little more clear on where to solder the wires? I'm confused. Thanks!

[chainmail311]

Nevermind. I did it. Works like a charm!

[itsachen]

Great! Have fun!

[itsachen]

Sure, basically one end of the wire goes to the signal out and the other to ground. Where I found my signal out (where i soldered one end of the wire to) was the middle...little thing sticking out of the volume potentiometer. Just solder the wire onto the little tab thing (I'm pretty sure its the middle one on most guitars) The other end of the wire was soldered onto the ground. Ground is basically the potentiometer itself (since its grounded)...or you could find a grounded wire...I highly recommend soldering onto the pot. itself. Take a look at the diagrams and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

[its a lion]

i was going to do this in the next few weeks after i got a little bit of money. i am going to install it in my schecter. i am planning on putting the killswitch where the tone pot is now, and using a concentric pot where the volume is so that i can still have a tone knob. i do the switch thing with my les paul, but its not that great... i can hear it when i switch and just doesnt go as smoothly. not to mention the fact that its kind of hard to flip a switch up and down compared to pressing a button. at least to me its kind of awkward doing it. overall, great instructable.

[old_bass_masta]

haha, i thought you said sphincter

[its a lion]

haha not quite. although...

[mondaymonkey]

I love your strat! Cool pickguard, and the red button looks clean and good

[Lftndbt]

Nice instructable! Maybe if your going for the 'red' button look not Stainless. Perhaps those red saftey flick up/arm switches could look quite agressive. Wouldn't really suite that style guitar though. Goodwork!