I got bored in class yesterday, so I went and got my guitar out of my truck and went to the ag building with my soldering tools and installed a very cosmetic small, pushbutton killswitch ala Buckethead into my black and white Iceman..... It looks and sounds great. It will take some time to develop the tequnique into something musical, but it is fun to play around with. I'll post pics later

Thats pretty cool. One of my guitars has one, but I didn't install it - the wiring in the toggle switch got fucked up and I like it...so I kept it that way. How long have you been working with guitars?

how can a kill switch sound great?

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^ haha, you know what he ment!

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I fit a toggle kill-switch on one of my guitars. I played on with that type of momentary off switch, and it is fucking cool. I never could find anything suitable to use for the switch, though. What did you use?

I just recently figured out you can just roll down the neck pup volume to 0% and use the toggle as a kill. Works like a charm on my EMG guitar because I hate the 85!

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sadly, most guitars have 1 volume and 2 tone... IF they have 2 volumes at all. The only company i know that differs from this is schecter who do 2 volume 1 tone/coiltap for both

but yeah, i do that too... its lespaul style kill. this kinda kill disengages when you take your finger off of it because it doesnt click, it just is a spring loaded button that cuts the current when its pressed all the way down.... cool if you play a note and then just tap it a bunch...

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Depends what's being played

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My Plat. Warlock has two volume and I use to do that. I have an older model, so I'm not sure if they all have that now.

If you want to hear some great killswitch work and how it can be incorporated into songs, check out Morello's genious usage in these Rage Against the Machine tracks: Know Your Enemy (intro), Bullet In The Head (verse), Bulls On Parade (solo), Mic Check (solo), Born As Ghosts (solo).

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I love Morello's stuff... I actually bought a momentary 1/2 inch pushbutton from radioshack. I've done a few mods on my Iceman (pickups, treble bleed cap, changed the pots, made the action incredible, and engraved and molded a silver cross into the headstock) .I prefer the button over a switch because of the speed you can press it. Any Buckethead song shows how a killswitch can sound great.... I think he is incredibly underrated

How difficult is it to install the button? Care to elaborate a bit?

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As simple as 2/3 solders. My one I just put it between two components ( cant remember what ones, I think output jack and switch). Took about 3 minutes.

Never break the signal.... no one wants an unplugged-guitar noise.. I came up with the idea in ag, but mine is incredibly smooth durring the transition (better than anyone else's Ive heard). I drilled the hole, dropped in the switch, soldered a wire to the hot lug of the volume pot, connected that to one pole of the switch, soldered a wire to the pot casing, and connected it to the other pole. It took maybe 15 minutes. That grounds out the signal instead of cutting it and sounds way better than interupting it. Just make sure you get the right switch.

This sounds very interesting indeed.

I just found this at youtube, its Tom Morello showing some killswitch Tricks:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7LFUva7Xe94

Man, those people are impressed so easily. Simpletons.

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Morello is the man, and his technique extends far beyond killswitching. I really need to learn more about the electronics and schematics of the guitar. Any recommended reading?

I thought this was great off the comments from that video: "ur a fucking idiot, Tom has no talent FUCK YOU, u wanna see talent look at CHILDREN OF BODOM's guitarist/singer ALEXI LAIHO, FUCK YOU"

I feel like I live in Bizarro world, where technicality is more praised than creativity. Oh wait, I do!

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I did a Google Book Search and here are some results I got. All I ever even read close to the subject was some little websites and the wiring and electronics chapter from Ralph Denyer's Guitar Handbook, which doesn't get to advanced. There's a good chance you could probably walk into any major bookstore, head for the music section and find one of those books above pretty quick.

And Darko, I don't know who's worse, people who dis dudes because they don't play enough notes but always do the smartest most musical thing on the guitar, or people who dis dudes who simply play fast alot of time regardless of how much musicality they bring to the table. I think Zappa put it best... just 'shut up 'n' play yer guitar.'

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Morello may create interesting new sounds but I don't think he deserves half the praise he gets. I don't like Laiho/similar shredders myself either because in most cases they can only shred and not write memorable songs.

I just found it funny that everyone was applausing because all he was doing was rubbing the strings while engaging/disengaging the switch.

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n00bs...

Yeah but you'd think some of the people attending that performance/demonstration would know at least something about guitar playing, or they wouldn't care.

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Its annoying that they place emphasis on his ability to make cool sounds, only on his guitar. He says the album only has drums, vocals, guitar and bass. I mean, does he fucking know what that pedalboard at his feet does?...

The killswitch can be quite musical. Bitch about Morello all you want, but the man is talented. Anyone care to challenge Buckethead's ability? I think heuses it better than Morello, and both are amazing. Look at "Buckethead lesson" on youtube....

Buckethead is a horrible musician though... Doesn't write anything memorable IMO.

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Be is definately not for everyone, but he is an awesome musician... I think he is incredibly underrated.

Buckethead is one of the greatest guitarists of all time imo. He is the only shredder I know who can/has play(ed) just about anything. And he does everything well.

I think Yngwie Malmsteen could just about play anything, and there are countless others too, just most are less fat.

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Yeah, I know there are others, Malmsteen is amazing...I should've said that he is the only shredder I know that can play just about every style of music and bring something new and unique to it. Guess that's just my taste though.

You'd better take that back, this is coming from a guy that listens to monotonous death metal......You obviously haven't heard that much of his material if you're calling him a "horrible musician".