[Tom]

Today I'm going to show you how to make a kill switch box so you can toy around with a kill switch without the commitment of drilling holes in your guitar and messing around with its wiring. It's a pretty easy and inexpensive project. I got everything I needed (aside from wire, soldering gear, and a drill) for a little over $10 at Radio Shack. Sorry about the poor picture quality. All I had to light the area for taking pictures was a lamp, and my phone's camera doesn't like close ups.

You'll basically just need two 1/4" jacks, a "normally open" momentary switch of your choice, and something to put them in.

Drill holes of the appropriate sizes on the ends...

...and the top. Now put the jacks and button in. You may need to clean up the holes with a file or something so the components will fit snugly and evenly.

I went with the square "soft-touch" button. It seems to be the popular choice for guitar kill switches, and it feels pretty good. This particular switch will require you to make a tiny notch on one side of the hole you drilled for it to accommodate a tab that will stop it from rotating once it's in place.

It's easier to position the jacks like this for easy soldering access. When everything is placed and tightened properly, it's time to solder.

One side soldered. Pretty simple so far. I chose to use red for the signal path and green for the ground.

Now solder the wires to the other jack pretty much the same way, except this time also solder some shorter wires to the same points that then each get soldered to one of the lugs on the switch. This makes it so that when the switch is pushed on, it redirects the signal to the ground and in effect mutes the guitar.

It's kind of hard to see what's going on in that last picture, so I threw this together. When you're done soldering, test it out. Plug your guitar into the box and then the box into your amp.

If it works, close it up!

Voilà! Now you can play Jordan without performing surgery on your guitar. You just have to figure out how to mount it on your axe. I'm still trying to figure that one out, myself. Double-sided tape is the easy answer, but I'd like to be able to put it on and take it off without dealing with adhesives.

Edit:

I finally finished the last step.

This is a suction cup I got at Wal-Mart. I think the pack of two was a dollar or so. That hook just slides right out. Also, it has a little tab on the side of the cup for easy removal.

It just so happens to be built to pop into and stay in a hole drilled in something just about the same thickness as the sides of the box I used for this.

One more hole. Before you drill this one, make sure there's enough clearance inside where the hole is. This won't work so well if the switch is in the way.

It actually stays in just fine on its own if you drill the hole at the right size, but you may want to put something through the hole the hook was in to be sure it's held in place. I didn't feel like spending much time looking for something, so I ended up using one of those plastic bobby pin shaped things Dickies shirts have on them when you buy them.

:metal:

:yesway:

The only downside is that the guitar needs to have enough of a flat surface on the front to stick it to. It might work on an archtop anyway if you instead use two smaller cups, which I may do anyway if I build another one of these or if this one rotates on the cup too much.

 

[Leona]

i'd simply suggest taking out your tone knob - clearly the easy choice. If you're some crazyass tone knob enthusiast, you can always put it back in if you decide you like the tone knob more, or if you want to keep it, then commit to drilling. Personally, i just use a push/pull pickup selector/volume knob and a kill switch in place of the regular switch on my loomis. No drilling, and a 14$ knob.

 

[DonBot]

The only downside to putting it where the tone knob is you still have to enlarge the hole a bit for those style of momentary switches. There are others that would work but those kind with the "soft touch" seem to be the best.

Cool tutorial, btw. :yesway:

 

[Tom]

i'd simply suggest taking out your tone knob - clearly the easy choice. If you're some crazyass tone knob enthusiast, you can always put it back in if you decide you like the tone knob more, or if you want to keep it, then commit to drilling. Personally, i just use a push/pull pickup selector/volume knob and a kill switch in place of the regular switch on my loomis. No drilling, and a 14$ knob.

A lot of people either like their current knob configurations or just want to play with a kill switch and don't want to actually install one. I like having both knobs myself, and I plan to rewire my HH guitars with a configuration that requires two push/pull pots. I am using one of those other switches to change my Squier Strat VII from V/V/T to KS/V/T, though. If I really like it, I may consider installing them on my other guitars.

The only downside to putting it where the tone knob is you still have to enlarge the hole a bit for those style of momentary switches. There are others that would work but those kind with the "soft touch" seem to be the best.

That's what I found when I actually looked at the switches. The ones with the round tops look like they might fit in the same holes, which is why I'm putting that one in my Squier, but the shaft on the square one is quite a bit bigger.

Cool tutorial, btw. :yesway:

:wub:

 

[Tom]

I finished the last step. The kill switch box is now complete!

 

[stuh84]

I'd actually be tempted to mount that in a metal box and use it as a stompbox rather than on the guitar itself, but cool all the same

 

[The Dark Wolf]

God-awful ugly, but very fucking cool nonetheless! 'Awesome' work, Tom. :yesway:

The neat thing about my RG2027 is it basically comes with a kill switch - just turn the piezo volume down, and switch between it and magnetic output. Viola. Oddly, I never use it like that. :lol: Guess I'm no Buckethead.

 

[dpm]

I strongly suggest mounting this in a metal box to ensure the signal remains shielded, especially if it's anything more than a test rig

 

[Tom]

I'd actually be tempted to mount that in a metal box and use it as a stompbox rather than on the guitar itself, but cool all the same

That's what Mike was saying, but it would really be hard to work the button the same way with your foot.

God-awful ugly, but very fucking cool nonetheless! 'Awesome' work, Tom. :yesway:

Oh, it's hideous! :lol: Yet at the same time I think it looks kind of cool in a 1980s industrial quasi futuristic kind of way.

I strongly suggest mounting this in a metal box to ensure the signal remains shielded, especially if it's anything more than a test rig

I don't think I'm nearly up to trying to drill a bunch of holes through metal, but if I make another one, I may consider getting some shielding tape. It's just something to mess around with, though. If I like it that much, I'll actually install them on my guitars.

 

[idle]

if you could find something like a cell phone clip and attach it to the box so you can remote mount it to the belt on your pants, you wouldn't have to be so cautious about moving it around and it fall off.

http://www.cellphoneshop.net/unbecl.html this one would work great!

 

[Tom]

The suction cup actually holds on just fine, and the button being on your belt would be really inconvenient if you're picking and working the killswitch.

 

[idle]

good point!

 

[JBroll]

Side note... if you have a 'normally closed' momentary switch, just have the switch connect your ground and hot wires.

Jeff

 

[Daniel]

I'd actually be tempted to mount that in a metal box and use it as a stompbox rather than on the guitar itself, but cool all the same

still creative but this guy hits it right on the head.

 

[jaxnrr1]

SH 124 Kill Pot
one of these came on my Epi Goth Explorer. so much fun. and very stealth.

 

[PirateMetalTroy]

Chappers is becoming quite the product whore these days. At least he's getting shit done. I still stock shelves for a living

 

[StrangeWings]

if you wanted a cooler looking switch, this place has some. Switches

 

[x-CRUX-x]

wow, this is pretty sweet and very helpful, im probably gonna try this but ill make it as a "foot pedal" and not stick it to my guitar ahah.

very good tutorial man!

 

[7deadlysins]

Hmm.... Now I just need a guitar, with glow in the dark inlays to put one of these into.

 

[splinteredsoul]

I'd actually be tempted to mount that in a metal box and use it as a stompbox rather than on the guitar itself, but cool all the same

So .... a tuner mute without the tuner? :scratch: