keep on modding! Dirk Wackerĭirk Wacker lives in Germany and has been addicted to all kinds of guitars since the age of five. So, the two ways shown above are far superior and highly recommended.Īlright, that’s it! Stay tuned for more Strat mods coming next month when I’ll show you the so-called “Blender Strat” mod a fine modification for players who want to be able to dial in virtually endless combinations of their three pickups. But remember the basic rule: never break the signal! If you wire such a switch in-line of the signal wire or the ground wire, chances are good that you’ll get a bad hum instead of silence when pressing the button. Some words about the second type, the “push-to-break” ON-(OFF) momentary switch: with this switch you’ll have to make a break in one of the lines to make it work like a kill switch. It’s an equivalent circuit, just a different physical arrangement. Usually there are already more than enough connections at the volume pot, especially when using an additional treble bleed network, so connecting the switch to the output jack may be easier and you won’t have to mess around with tons of wires. Try to install the switch near the output jack so you can keep the wires as short as possible to prevent it from picking up any hum, radio stations, etc.Īn alternative way to wire the same switch is to insert it between the middle lug of the Strat´s master volume pot and the right lug of the same pot, connected to ground. As soon as you release the button, the loop is disabled and your guitar is roaring again. This way, it will short the complete circuit, creating a loop from input to output that bypasses the signal when the button of the switch is pressed. Then solder two short wires to the contacts of the switch and connect the other ends to the output jack as shown in the diagram. Decide where to place the momentary switch on your Strat pickguard, drill a hole and install the switch. It’s possible to use either type to set up a momentary kill switch, but I highly recommend you use a “push-to-make” (ON)-OFF type. This switch returns to its normally closed (on) position when you release the button. The second type is the “push-to-break” ON-(OFF) momentary switch (aka “N.C. When you press the switch, you make a connection between the two contacts. This switch returns to its normally open (off) position when you release the button, like a doorbell. The first type is the so-called “push-to-make” (ON)-OFF momentary switch (aka “N.O. If you mess things up at this point, the guitar will be shut down when you’re not pushing the switch, and it will only be engaged when pressing the switch (though this would be a great practical joke you could play on your fellow guitarists). There are two different types of SPST momentary switches available, so you have to be careful about what type you buy in order to wire the mod correctly. It’s also much easier to operate in places without much space-like the typical Stratocaster pickguard. This has the advantage of allowing you to alternate between off and on even faster than with a typical throw-type toggle switch. The momentary switch is only engaged as long as you press the button. A better solution is to use a so-called momentary switch as a “musical kill switch.”Ī momentary switch sports a button you have to push in order to open or close the contact, rather than using a toggle or normal switch. But if you’re looking for the staccato on/off effect (the “machine-gun” sound), this setup tends to work poorly on a Stratocaster. It will do, if your intention is only to use it to shut down the guitar while on a break during a gig or in the studio. Ultimately, an additional toggle switch or a push/pull pot isn’t the perfect solution for a kill switch on a Strat. You can rewire your guitar for a master volume/master tone configuration and take out one of the tone pots to make space for the toggle switch, but this is still a compromise. It’s hard to find a spot you can reach to wiggle it back and forth to shut down the guitar-without messing around with the other elements on the pickguard, anyway. This month we’ll discuss the benefits of setting up a momentary kill switch on a Stratocaster and how to do it.Īs you may have discovered, the standard Stratocaster pickguard with three controls and 5-way switch is not the best place for a toggle kill switch. Hello and welcome back to “Mod Garage.” Last month we talked about kill switch basics and how to wire one up using a 2PDT (on/ on) switching device, like a push/pull pot or a toggle switch.
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