Install a Killswitch: Guitar Basics 

I think the Scottish accent accounts for at least 40% of the reason I watch your channel. It's just so pleasant to listen to.

but does the killswitch, engage?

Buckethead. That's all.

I don't know if it was mentioned, but if you have active pickups another benefit of having a locking killswitch is that it allows you to leave your guitar "plugged in" without draining the battery. Finished playing? Just flip the kill switch to "off" position, put your guitar into the stand/hang on a hook and your battery will not be drained if you forget to unplug the guitar cable.

I recently got an Epiphone Les Paul and every time I open the case I have to sit down for a second it's so beautiful.

Arcade buttons FTW

RATM covers! Tom Morello style!

Oh good... now I don't need to will myself in and out of existence for stutters anymore.

Great video. Thanks! A good idea for drilling with the Forstner bit though, is to drill a small pilot hole where you want the switch (1/16" or so) and then drill from both sides. Much less chance of blowing out the finish.

you can also play a bunch of RATM songs

Now I know what buckethead is doing.

Is there a way I can use a button from an arcade machine? Going for that Buckethead aesthetic.

Excellent RU-vid channel!! You've answered many of questions for me in just this one tutorial. Brilliant! Thanks mate!

I actually bought this killswitch and it is installed now and works great. Thanks for posting the video!

You are amazingly straight to the point. I don't think I've ever seen anyone on RU-vid who cuts the crap out and talks straight the way you do

This is one of the first videos I’ve seen of yours. It’s crazy to think I’ve been one of your fans for almost 5 years now haha

Just bought one of these. Stoked!

Thanks. Ordering one to have done. Not going to chance messing it up. I like the switch you got Scotty!!

Thanks for the wiring diagram and explanation. I'm planning on installing a killswitch on my yamaha when I upgrade the pickups. I'm not sure if I have a normally open or normally closed switch yet, but at least now I know how to wire it regardless.

Having work done in my home while watching this, so turned on the CC option. Now that's good fun.

your videos are super informational, would you mind doing a video about boost toggle switches?

I know I'm late to party, but excellent description and clearly presented. Have you ever seen a push/push killswitch/tone pot? I was wanting to install one on a les paul. That way it would be easy to operate and stealthy.

"swetch"

Dude, so sick. Awesome video and very informative! Thank you!

Not that I really need it, but the link to the wiring diagram is totally hosed and the article doesn't seem to be anywhere else on your site.

Just wanted to point out, there is a use for the latching type switches as kill switches on a guitar, for example, cutting out the need for a pedel to shut your guitar up inbetween songs or during choppy rythem sections where the breaks need to be exact. While you can use the volume control for these, indeed that's what it's there for, the switch is another alternate and with my style of picking (super heavy handed, a habit i really need to kick) a quick flick of my pinky to hit a mini toggle switch is a much faster and sutle movment then grabing for my volume control. Plus using a switch like this means you can keep your volume control set where it is through out the set so the "not being able to find the right spot again" problem of guitarests like me who max out the volume all the time(shout at me all you want) isn't a factor. Just my two cents, you're videos are always interesting to watch. In a topic un-related to this video, since I've never seen you put a link or a video up about your build info and such I'm going to ask these two questions for a friend of mine. 1. Do you ship overseas? 2. do you make extended range instruments? He's really into his 7's and 8's.

Nice video. The explanation is so clear and easy to understand :) Thanks

To avoid chipping and splintering >>> The CENTRE 'spiral part' of that wood drill bit is called the WORM..., you must drill carefully and STOP as soon as the worm initially protrudes from the other side - then turn the guitar over and drill from that other side using the WORM HOLE as the centre point for you drill.

Love that LED. Very cool!

I have a Schecter SLS C-7 P with an SH-6 Distortion in the bridge position and an SH-2 Jazz in the neck position, and no battery cavity. How would I install this switch?

Awesome How To video! Will you be doing a review on the new Dragons Heart GT pick anytime soon?

Hi! Excellent video on the topic! Could someone please enlighten us with the values of the two resistors? Cheers!

Your switch will cancel the signal with the ground or just "cut" the signal going to the channel? I've heard that it's better to ground it rather than just interrupting the signal because that would cause problems with hum and noise when you push the switch.

Watched all the videos I could find, read the info on the website, and still a tad uncertain what the best way is to wire up my Iron Age (non-led) kill switch to my Carvin DC-127 (active, two humbuckers, non-stereo jack). Would connect to ground & hot on jack work? Any help would be appreciated!

Will these switches fit in a standard volume/tone hole? I am buying a Reverend Sensei and want to remove the tone control and move the volume down to where the tone control was leaving a hole where the volume used to be and a perfect place for a kill switch

Love your stuff man

Please help, I installed my kill switch but it clicks when I press it. It's an arcade button. How do I remove the click sound throu the amp. When strings are not being rung the switch is silent but when a string sounds the botton will click through the amp. There's a video on you tube of a dude with the same switch and his makes the same sound. Your switch just cut off the sound with no click. What have I done wrong?

My Kill Button is scratchy sounding and it's the second one that has done that (both are different types of button). Is this normal please? Thanks

i installed one a few months back but my guitar control cavity was way to small for the 9 volt and the 3 volt for my onboard tuner so i installed a new 9 volt holder box , but am still waiting for the resistors to arrive as usual here in the phillipines u cant find jack shit u need ,anyway i wired it to my onboard tuner its quite dim but looks ok for the time being, on a side note the onboard tuner is the best thing ive ever bought , had to order it off ebay from toronto once again vant buy anything here keep up the good work

Earthqauker devices has a good article online explaining why to use a normally open and how to wire it properly. I use to think like you about the NC switches , I was wrong and this explained why

My killswitch came with 2 black and 2 yellow wires. How would I go about installing it without a battery? I have no desire for the LED.

at 1:10 and 1:18, those sounds... I heard flanger, or what sounds like it, but how did you make those sounds, other than having the switch? what equipment/settings and technique did you use? pardon me, I am a beginner, only 1 month experience.

the killpot broke on my cherry sg special. should i ditch the tone knob and get this switch

I had a look and it appears that the wiring diagram isn't available anymore. I had a look but couldn't find it. It would be really useful if I could look at that diagram. Is it possible to find that again?

Hey bro been trying to figure out all night what mm to go with on my Jazzmaster build ,yes a JM with a kill switch should be fun . You may of mentioned in video the mm of the one installed? Nice job on recess the button. Thanks JB

What other buttons could you use like this on the guitar. What different effects could i find?

you mentioned using a normally open switch to accomplish same results, can you point me to where the instructions are for that please? Thank you!

can I replace a tone knob with a 10mm kill switch? will that work or does anybody know if I need another size? thanks:)

I’m going to be making a frankenstrat this summer and want to hide a kill switch under the quarter I thought that would be cool

Can you up load the wiring image ? Please because the diagram is not available in the Web site actually

Will there be buzz from the 9 volt battery, when it is in the same housing as the rest of wiring, and not on its own?

good day sir, is it posible to have 2 humbucker 1 tone + killswitch without volume?

Hey Colin, I've got a question about kill switches. When my guitar is selected to the bridge pickup and the volume knob is all the way at ten, it will kill the signal. When I put just a hair back, the signal comes back perfectly fine. Is it supposed to act as a kill switch or is it just a problem with my pot?

You've made a really great job of this, well done :) Also, what lovely hands you have.

Loved the info and very thorough vid, and I learned on this one, that I don't care for a kill switch. Good info though....

You explain things so well

Best guitar channel on youtube. Mainle due to your scottish accent. Greetings from DK

Can you show us how to install the toggle type killswitch. I really wanna try Tom Morello's style, but i only have a strat. Will be really cool if you could help me out.

Still one of my favorite videos on the web!

Someone may have already asked this question, but is this able to be installed if you use active pickups?

is there any way to install one of these by where your picking hand is? for ease and epic ass sounds?

I looked them up, and you can get them on Amazon USA, but they won't ship to the UK? So how do I get them to ship one over to me?

is it different for a strat? like how Tom Morello has a locking switch at the second arch, isn't it easier to install for that guitar?

There's a way to use a killswitch as a normal toggle? I like the low profile and I tend to hit my 3 way toggle out of position when playing fast. I was thinking having a low profile toggle like a killswitch should work🙏🏻

Good video as always. I just don't see myself using one. When I bought my used LTD EC1000, i found the guy who had it before took out the tone pot for the killswitch... a tone knob is much more useful for me. it did give me motivation to put a dual concentric pot so I could adjust the two pickup tones independently, though, so it's all good...

What kind of button is this? normally open or normally closed? Thank you very much for your project, my congratulations !!!

if i have active pickups can i run the l.e.d on the same battery? sweet judas poster btw

does it work on a strat? and if not what do I use?

Would this work on a three single coil loaded, 1 volume and 1 tone pot strat?

Great video. Any tips for drilling through a pickguard ?

so is the battery only for led kill switches?

I purchased a switch on Amz but don’t know what resistors to buy, can someone please help?

killswitchies

This is awesome, im gonna put a black and white one on my tele deluxe

Thanks mate! Was wondering about these after hearing FFDP's Full Circle. Check that song out. That's a stutter button right?

the greatest switches for the job are industrial limiter switches, with a panel mount plunger. they're super rugged, look nice, quite like the switch on a pedal, and have the snappiest action you can imagine. only ~0.5mm activation travel, untill you get a very tactile CLICK. if i was to build a ray gun or so, that's what i'd use for the trigger. :D PS: use on/on switches. they are easier to find than "normal open" momentary switches, and with an additional toggle switch, you can invert the action as a kill switch. (i'm building cigar box guitars)

I gotta get me one of those 4 some solos im working on 👌

Can I wire it so I have a pre amp and the switch using one battery?

When i first heard that kel swetches i thought it was some kind of synthesizers pick up connected to a guitar lol..love ur accent man and thanks il put some kel swetches on my washburn xseres someday :)

Could you have another locking switch that in one position functions normally but in the other activates a normally closed killswitch so you can easily do silly stuff like Buckethead?

Do you have to use an actual killswitch. I have an arcade button with the wires with it

I do like that you put another black bucker in that guitar. it restore the colour scheme IMO

definitely getting one!

If I add a capacitor to ground, would it alter tone rather than just killing the signal?

Awesome video!!!

Hi. Please where the link to get that kill switch. Thanks

What soldering iron do you recommend?

Got a question here. Your guitar (luckily) has a cavity for a 9 volt battery which supplies your LED in your killswitch. My Ibanez for example doesn't, because it came with stock passive pickups. Is there anyway to get a voltage from the electrical components within your guitar, or will I just have to make a cavity for a 9V? My guitar is already packed with wires and other components, so I can't put another battery in there. Greetings from Belgium, by the way. Keep making the scientific videos.

Sold, Great video!

best killswitch install video I've seen so far.

I guess you like buckethead?

Dude! That Redeemer of souls poster is dope! Anyways it's a very useful video. Thanks very much

Hi What is the router brand are you using for the dremel?

Can someone tell me if you can replace a volume pot wth a kill switch

Could you pre-drill a small center hole from the back to the front, then drill the proper size front to back to avoid blowing out from the front entirely?

I reaaaaaallly want one now

What is the effect you're using starting @ 1:10?

I know this probably won't be answered, but are you able to wire it so that you have Active Pickups and the LED share the same battery, and have the light shine only when the guitar is plugged in?

What's the name of that Marshall amp in the background?

if I want to delete the tone knob and put the Killswitch instead?