2020-03-01 Total Guitar

THE GAS

STATION

TOTAL GUITAR MARCH 2020

K

illswitches aregreat

fun. They’rea great

way to incorporate

some hard-hitting

rhythmicgatedsoundsinto

yourplayingtechnique,

especiallyiftheswitchis

somewhereeasytograb!The

soundoftenusedby

BucketheadorTomMorello

createsa silencewhenthe

switch is depressed;release

and your guitar soundcomes

back, simple. The wayyouuse

it is wherethegeniuscan

strike!There’slotsofbuttons

andswitchesonlinesothe

choice is yours, but youmust

keep in mind the mechanical

resistance – you’ll want it to be

easy to activate and not tough

like the button on an elevator!

We’ll be using a momentary

push-to-make button to do

the switching for us so you can

just slap the button down.

Wheretoputit though?

Mostpushbuttonsrequire

adrill-holeanda nuttofasten

onthereverseoftheswitch,

soaslongasyouhaveroom,

scratchplates,controlplates

orLes Paul pickup selector

holes make great candidates.

You can use this simple circuit

and method on any guitar!

MEET YOUR EXPERT

JackEllisrunsJack’s

InstrumentServices

fromhisworkshopin

Manchester.Inhis

careerhe has worked on

thousands of instruments,

from simple fixes and

upgrades, to complete

rebuilds. For more info, see:

http://www.jacksinstrument

services.co.uk

WHATYOUNEED

SPST momentary

push-to-make

switchbutton

Safetygoggles

Correct size HSS

drill bit or cone step

Centrepunch

Pinhammer

Maskingtape

PH1screwdriver

Solderingiron

60/40solder

Spare cable

Pen

Verniercalipers

Adjustable spanner

SKILL LEVEL

Medium

108

Words: Jack Ellis

FIX YOUR GUITAR

ADDING A KILL SWITCH

TO YOUR GUITAR

Upgrade time: here’s how to put a super fun kill switch button into your guitar

remember

Think about where you’d

likeyourkillswitch

buttontogo–

tobe itneeds

easytouseand

thewiresmust

reachit,too