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Killswitch (not as in the band)


smerdlap

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Has anyone here ever installed a killswitch into their guitar? i have wanted to do it for a while now' date=' but I dont even know where to start. help?

 

i know that Buckethead uses one, and thats really my only referance.[/quote']

i just installed a mini toggle switch in my guitar. i was thinking of a kill switch, but i really like killswitches that much.

installation is easyyyy, get a switch from radio shack (on/on) and wire it like this: http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=kill_switch

or get a push button, you could work with it faster than the toggle switch and wire it like this:

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

 

its reallly easy and extremely simple

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alternativly...if your not big on drilling into your guitar body and making wiring alterations, you may want to look into a circuit breaker lead. Its just your standard guitar lead (made by planet wave) only the plug that goes into your guitar has a small button on it so you can cut the feed. Theyre amazing. I use mine for whenve i want to put the guitar down to kill the feed without wanting to turn the amp off...but if you just touch the button with your finger instead of pressing it right in, its exactly the same as a kill swtch.

Theyre about $50AUD for a 15 foot cable and require no modding at all. Look into it.

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Ok, so it looks like i need an N.C. push button. and since i am comfortable with drilling through my guitar, im guessing a drill press would work best?

 

i really am completely ignorant when it comes to where i would buy such a thing. as far as i know, there is no radio shack in my town, so whats a good online seller? i tried googling several things, but a bunch of killswitch engage sites kept coming up...

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That's a DPDT (double pole double throw) switch, Smerdlap. You can buy any type (slide, push-push, momentary) as long as it mounts in a round hole, 1/4" is common. It can even be a toggle switch that looks like your pickup selector. You don't want to scrimp on quality because the output of your guitar will go through this switch all the time when it is not being used to kill the output. A cheap switch will result in intermittent output one day or might just come apart at the most inconvenient moment.

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LINK-------->

 

so could i just get this one' date=' drill into my guitar, solder a bit, then secure it in with the little nut it comes with and start playin?[/quote']

 

That one appears to be a SPST (Single pole single throw). You need DPDT (double pole). It will have 6 lugs on the bottom. The two in the center are common. The outer two on one end are used for the kill position which shorts the output and other two outer poles will be for on all the time.

 

The one in the picture is a cheapo. You will pop the button off one day in the near future and it will be intermittent in no time even if the button doesn't break. Spend a few more bucks and get one with the name Switchcraft on it.

 

If you are using this to create a staccato in-out effect, or even just for a kill switch to stop hum between songs, you can also mount it in a foot pedal and not drill holes in your guitar. You can tap it with your foot to do the staccato chord thing if it's a momentary. Or, you could turn the volume down on one pickup and switch the pickup toggle back and forth for the effect. That's how many guitarists do it.

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SPST will work too. It's a very basic mod.

The switch is indeed a cheapo, but it's not very expensive either...

The Buckethead-staccato stutter(quick tapped rhythms) can not be archieved by foot, so building it into a pedal won't work in that respect. Even the common trick to use the toggle doesn't really work and will severely stress the switch.

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I like the idea of the switch on the plug especially with dual pickups. I like to dial in a sweet spot an just work around it. At the end of a set, I have to turn one of the controls to zero and the setting is lost.

I have a bunch of guitars that I gig with and the switch on the plug seems like a good solution.

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I just purchased a Planer Waves cable with the kill switch built into the plug. It works like a charm. The really nice thing is I can now swap guitars anytime during a set and I don't loose my volume settings. The 20ft was around $35 and is worth it for the convenience. Also, at the end of the set, just switch it off.

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