kill switch question

[JaySwear]

so i've always been interested in the kill switch idea, and i'm more of a simple layout sort of guy than anything. so i've been looking into doing a guitar with just a volume, and putting a kill switch in the tone spot. but how would i wire this? would the hot going to the output jack just be diverted through the kill switch? i'm pretty much as inexperienced in wiring as you can get, and i bought "Guitar Electronics: Understanding Wiring" which was highly recommended to me, but doesn't have any information about kill switches.

so my questions, would i need an on/on switch? and how exactly would i throw this into the mix on my guitar? or would it be easier to wire up a "radioshack" kill switch and just go find a push on/off switch? i'd really prefer the toggle, but i've heard the push can be easier to install

oh, and sorry if this has been covered, but i did some searches and could only find completed projects with killswitches and no answers

thanks so much!

 

[line6man]

A killswitch works by shorting the output jack to ground, like this:

I'll draw you a full schematic is you need it.

 

[big bob]

on the mayocaster I pulled a wire from the center position on the volume pot, into the kill, then a wire out of the kill and grounded to the top of the volume pot. just a little short is all your making. it's the same thing that the pot does when the volume is all the way down.

 

[rightintheface]

yeah dude it's super easy, line6mans diagram is a pretty simple and easy diagram to follow. u can use a on/on switch, if it's one with linked lugs it is super easy. if not, you just link the lugs yourself.
what i mean is, in line6mans diagram, there are 6 "dots" which are the lugs i'm talkin bout (not sure of the correct electronic term :dontknow. to link them, all you do is use a tiny piece of wire and solder them across/through the lugs. so going by that diagram, you would solder the lugs up and down from each other, the ground going to the one below, the outpot going to the one below etc etc.

i have killswitches on all my guitars, i use them for riffs/solos but mainly to completely cut my signal when i'm not playing (which happens a fair bit live), as my tuner mute has an annoying digital beeping from the status LED: suuuuuuper annoying. and i know alot of peoples arguments are "any 3way switch with seperate volumes can be a killswitch, by rolling the volume all the way off one pickup" etc etc. a lot of people are "traditionally" against the idea. i like having a dedicated killer, people either like them or hate them. if it works for you, then who cares what anyone thinks or tells you*.

*this line can be applied to any gear IMO

 

[bbl4ck]

Hey,
Here is a fairly detailed video of a guy doing a kill switch install. 

http://www.videos.es/reproductor/howtoinstallandwireupakillswitchintoyourguitarversion10-(JAYX32aR0mE

Good luck!
:rock-on:

 

[Dreamert]

Just a thought, I'm playing with 2 ideas.

Here is my only goal: get my push/pull volume pot to be a main killswitch that cuts everything so that I can unplug my guitar lead (from the guitar DUH) without that loud anooying pop sounds from the amp/PA.

So, why is everybody doing the 'output from volume to output jack --> ground' option? Wouldn't this be more practical 'output from volume to ouptut jack -> nothing', like just opening the circuit?

Example:
Volume pot pushed: volume output goes to output jack
Volume pot pulled: volume output is 'lifted' by the switch and no longer connected to anything.

Any thought or practical issues I'm missing?

 

[Firebird211]

^ I have a killswitch in my guitar's circuit that open's the circuit instead of just shorting it out to ground.  From a bit of research I did myself it looks like the short to ground is the official way to do it.  I haven't heard my circuit in action yet, so I can't make any absolute comment that it works great that way.  From experimenting with a previous guitar I noticed when the hot gets connected to ground, then you hear a pop, but if I hold a DPDT switch between positions, breaking the circuit, the sound goes out quickly without a peep.  The only bad thing about breaking the circuit is if everything is not shielded great, you will get a buzz while in kill mode, and depending on your setup you might not be able to get rid of it.  It would sound like a live guitar cable that is not plugged into the guitar if it's not shielded.  Oh, and I should probably mention that I did it that way to be a quick cut-in, cut-out, effect while playing, and not an total "mute", since I have a master volume on my guitar for that.

 

[line6man]

Just a thought, I'm playing with 2 ideas.

Here is my only goal: get my push/pull volume pot to be a main killswitch that cuts everything so that I can unplug my guitar lead (from the guitar DUH) without that loud anooying pop sounds from the amp/PA.

So, why is everybody doing the 'output from volume to output jack --> ground' option? Wouldn't this be more practical 'output from volume to ouptut jack -> nothing', like just opening the circuit?

Example:
Volume pot pushed: volume output goes to output jack
Volume pot pulled: volume output is 'lifted' by the switch and no longer connected to anything.

Any thought or practical issues I'm missing?

The problem with simply interrupting the signal like that is that it leaves you with an infinite output impedance. If you just leave the output open, you are going to hear that "open guitar cable buzz."
You have to short the output if you want to stay silent.

 

[Panthur]

Here is my only goal: get my push/pull volume pot to be a main killswitch that cuts everything so that I can unplug my guitar lead (from the guitar DUH) without that loud anooying pop sounds from the amp/PA.

I don't think a guitar killswitch will do that for you. The pop sound comes because the input jack gets pulled across the earth etc when you pull the lead out. Kill switch wouldn't stop that happening (I don't think, unless someone else here knows better). You can, however, get leads with killswitches in them for this purpose, or make your own using this... http://www.theleadsfactory.co.uk/connectors/neutrik_tips_silent.html

 

[TBurst Std]

Neutrik silent plugs are great. Won't use a cord or a wireless pigtail without one.