The killswitch is possibly one of the biggest fads in recent guitar history. Ever since Buckethead's "Jordan" appeared in Guitar Hero II, guitarists everywhere have latched on to this simple, yet amazing modification. However, many people have no idea what a killswitch is, let alone how to install one onto a guitar.

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What is a killswitch, and how does it work?

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Really, the name tells you the basics of the modification. A killswitch is a "switch" that "kills" the sound. When you put the switch in one position, the guitar is silent, while in another position, the guitar makes sound. Simple enough, right? Not quite...

Many amateur electricians will try to wire the killswitch in such a way as to "cut" the signal. In a perfect world, that would work. You could simply disconnect the wires, and there would be silence. Unfortunately, our world is far from perfection, so doing that will give you more problems than it's worth. Instead, the signal needs to be grounded, which will produce the same basic effect, without the undesired consequences.

What materials do I need?

1. A switch of your choosing. This can be a headache on its own. For the inexperienced, picking out of the thousands of switches available at their nearest Radioshack can be tedious, to say the least. Preferably, go for a SPST Normally Open (N.O.). If you are looking for a Buckethead-style killswitch, look for a momentary push-button. If Tom Morello is closer to your style, pick up a standard toggle switch.

2. Wire. I used speaker wire, but any insulated wiring should do fine.

3. Soldering iron. Obviously, since we are installing electrical components in a guitar, we are going to need the ability to solder. Any soldering iron will do, though for safety concerns, I prefer a soldering gun.

4. A drill, and the proper bit size. This varies, depending on the size of switch you buy. Just remember, you can always increase the size of the hole, but never decrease it.

Installing the Killswitch

Start off by drilling your hole in the pickguard. Basically, just use common sense here. Make sure you're using the right size drill bit, make sure you have room in that spot for your switch, etc. Once you have the hole drilled, go ahead and put the killswitch into place. With the killswitch in place, go ahead and start heating up your soldering iron. Before we actually start soldering, however, I want to show you two pictures, because they illustrate what to do and what NOT to do.

The first picture: what to do with a N.O. (normally open) switch. As far as electronics are concerned, when two points are connected, they become the same point. Therefore, when you look at this diagram, you noticed that when the switch is activated, the hot (red) wire becomes grounded (green), thus silencing the guitar. This is by far the safest and most effective way to wire a killswitch. Unfortunately, the website also demonstrates a method you should NEVER use to wire a killswitch, or anything at all, for that matter.

Usually, we try not to bash other websites, but when something is blatantly wrong and/or dangerous, something has to be said about it. This diagram supposedly shows how you are supposed to wire a killswitch using a N.C. (normally closed) switch. From a practical, guitarist standpoint, using this wiring would not silence your guitar; it would do the exact opposite. Hitting this switch the way it is set would cause an obnoxious hum, one that even shielding your guitar could not fix, to come out of your amplifier, similar to unplugging your guitar and touching it to a piece of metal. On top of that, disconnecting the ground is the last thing you ever want to do with electronics. Why, you ask? Electricity always looks for the path of least resistance to the ground. If it is cut off from the intended ground, you become a potential target, thus increasing the risk for electrical shock. If you insist on using a N.C. switch, you would want to cut the power wire, but even that will give less than desirable results. Your best bet is to use the first diagram, using a N.O. switch. Even with this, however, there is one issue...

HELP! My killswitch pops!

Most tutorials don't teach you how to fix this mod's unfortunate side effect - the killswitch pops each time you press it. There are two ways to remedy the situation. The first way is the easiest: turn up the distortion. With enough distortion, the popping will be drowned out. However, this is just a band-aid for the real problem: the wiring. Rumor has it that putting a high-value resistor (greater than 2M) between the lugs on the switch will stop the popping, though I have yet to get my hands on such a resistor, and have yet to hear a definitive answer on the subject. However, as soon as I try it out, I will post it here.

Do you have other suggestions for our killswitch enthusiasts? Be sure to leave us a comment!

Installing a Killswitch

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