Guitar Killswitch

Step 9 FAQ and Troubleshooting

So many questions come in, so I decided to make this section.

Question:Why isn't my killswitch working?
Answer:Many different possibilities. Maybe you spliced the wrong wire, remember, you want the output signal wire to be routed to the ground. If thats not it, then maybe you have the wrong switch. You want a normally open switch, otherwise known as normally off. Other possibilities might be the connections between the switch and the wires.

Question:Why do I get that popping sound when I use my killswitch?
Answer: Don't worry, you're killswitch isn't broken, you did everything right. The pop is normal. If you ever taken physics and learned about waves and stuff you might understand that cutting the signal results in a pop. This site helps explain more.This site helps explain more. This video also shows and explains the pop.

Question: Can you make a diagram for my Gibson SG or Les Paul?
Answer: Ive done it before, but if the demand is increasing I might just make a diagram and post it.

Question: What if I have no faceplate?
Answer: Drill the hole through the back of you guitar by unscrewing the back plates.

Question: Do I have to drill and solder?
Answer: No, I prefer a built in killswitch casue it looks neater and clean, but if you want to play around without damaging your guitar. Check out Super Cameramans instructable.

Comments

[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.

[stratman410]

dude are your frets scalloped?

[itsachen]

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

[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.

[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