Members liamthetate Posted July 16, 2006 Members Share Posted July 16, 2006 Hi guys,I plan to install a killswitch on my guitar. Its gonna be wired in towards the end of the signal path...so basically just before the hot wire gets to the guitar jack.I'm using a DPDT (though i think i should go and buy a SPDT). The hot lead goes to the middle poll, then one of the outer polls continues this signal to the jack and the other outer poll has no wire attached to it. So effectively its switching the whole guitar signal on and off. Do i make sense? So my question is.... do i need to 'ground' this killswitch?Will it buzz and hum like crazy? Does this proposed idea set me up for a nasty electric shock in the future? Thanks for your timeLiam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madgrinder7 Posted July 16, 2006 Members Share Posted July 16, 2006 are the light switches in your house grounded? yes... yes they are. same principle for ANY metal part in the signal path on your guitar. Any open connection or ungrounded part will act as an antenna and introduce hum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted July 16, 2006 Members Share Posted July 16, 2006 On that note, SPDT, hot to middle then ONE POLE TO GROUND, the other to the output. The switch probably self grounds to the cavity shielding.There is a resistor/cap deal that you can 'series' into the bridge ground that will stop lethal voltages. I don't know the values but you can check sites like Guitar Electronics. They probably have a better circuit for your mod come to think of it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members liamthetate Posted July 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 thanks guys... on that note would it make sense to use a DPDT instead? Where the hot signal is wired across the middle two poles, then on one side a hot and ground (on).... then the other side just ground (off)?Does that make sense? or like you say maybe the switch is grounded by being in contact with cavitiy shielding... and all of the above DPDT talk is unnecassary:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phrostbit Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Originally posted by liamthetate Hi guys,I plan to install a killswitch on my guitar. Its gonna be wired in towards the end of the signal path...so basically just before the hot wire gets to the guitar jack.I'm using a DPDT (though i think i should go and buy a SPDT). The hot lead goes to the middle poll, then one of the outer polls continues this signal to the jack and the other outer poll has no wire attached to it. So effectively its switching the whole guitar signal on and off. Do i make sense?So my question is.... do i need to 'ground' this killswitch?Will it buzz and hum like crazy? Does this proposed idea set me up for a nasty electric shock in the future?Thanks for your timeLiam The whole point of a kill-switch is to send the guitar's signal to ground, not to an open post. On most DPDT switches you have two columns of three posts. One simple way of wiring the killswitch would be to wire the hot lead to the bottom left of the switch. Then wire the top right of the other column to ground. Now make a jumper between the bottom left and the middle right. When you pull your pot up the guitar's single will be forced to ground. Ala-ka-killswitch. This is just one way of doing it, and you can do alot more witha single DPDT pot than just this, but if you send your hot signal to an open post you've basically created an antennae (as margrinder also said). Have fun! --Phrostbit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members liamthetate Posted July 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 cheers!however all i want is literally a kill switch, nothing else, no extra tonal options... just a quick switch (not a pot or button) just a switch to flick the signal on or off.... sooooooo lesson learnt, one side of the poll will be just ground. however i'm still unclear about the hot signal 'travelling' through the switch..... should/could I wire a hot and a ground to the middle polls....then on one side have hot and ground continue to the guitar jack and on the other side have both polls wired to ground.or is that just unnecassary? my concern is the 'hot/live' signal travelling through the switch and frying my brains if an electric current accidently went into my guitar:) i suppose the other option is to wire the 3 single coil pickups into TPDT switch...grounded on one side, hot on the other. This having the benefit of an electric current being blocked/subdued by a 400v cap/resistor before it got to the switch. ( http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/shield3.php ) Appreiciate the comments and help guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members axegrinder Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 If you are using a momentary push button switch (a la Buckethead): in the UP (open) position the hot signal travels to the jack; in the DOWN (closed) position the hot is connected to ground. If all else fails, some experimenting with a continuity tester should yield the correct soldering points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 If you consider the Vol pot all it does is progressively ground the signal. So on that thought; SPST (ON/ON) inbetween the pickup selector and first Vol pot should do it. Hot to one pole. Jumper from same pole to Vol pot. Standard. Second pole jumps to ground. One flick. Shoulda thunk it out the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bruce Bennett Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by liamthetate cheers!however all i want is literally a kill switch, nothing else, no extra tonal options... just a quick switch (not a pot or button) just a switch to flick the signal on or off....sooooooolesson learnt, one side of the poll will be just ground. however i'm still unclear about the hot signal 'travelling' through the switch..... should/could I wire a hot and a ground to the middle polls....then on one side have hot and ground continue to the guitar jack and on the other side have both polls wired to ground.or is that just unnecassary?my concern is the 'hot/live' signal travelling through the switch and frying my brains if an electric current accidently went into my guitar:)i suppose the other option is to wire the 3 single coil pickups into TPDT switch...grounded on one side, hot on the other. This having the benefit of an electric current being blocked/subdued by a 400v cap/resistor before it got to the switch. ( http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/shield3.php )Appreiciate the comments and help guys! there is no "hot voltage" traveling through your guitar EVER. only small milli-amps of AC signal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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