kill switch?

[Dolebludger]

This may seem like a stupid question, but I honestly don't know what a kill switch is/does. Could somebody educate me?

 

[rabidhamster]

It grounds out the signal. Just like turning one volume down all the way on a Gibson and flicking the switch, only easier and you can use it in any position.

Its mostly used for stutter sounds or hand gated tremolo effects, but it also works to mute the guitar instantly when you're not playing.

Tom Morello made good use of the effect in Rage against the machine.

 

[Dolebludger]

Rabid,

Thanks for the response and education. Is a kill switch a separate switch on the guitar, or is it incorporated into one of the pots/knobs (as in pushing down to "kill")?

 

[Frogfur]

Ok, i had one on my jazz box. A simple on/off micro switch.
The way i had it setup was to kill the back pickup of the three P-90s.

This instrument had three individual volume controls, [one for each pickup.]
and one master tone control.

The idea was, to be able to set the bridge pickup to performance volume for solos
and then kill it until needed. That left the middle and neck for rhythm work and other fills.
Then, when time to solo, just a quick flip of the switch would bring it in instantly where you'd have had to dial it to anyway, and then kill it afterwords.
Much faster! and quite reliable as well.

 

[Dolebludger]

Frogfur,

That is a very interesting use for this switch. Its usefulness would seem to require a separate volume control for each pup, and it seems that a separate tone control would be helpful as well. Of course with a two pup jazz box (with LP-like switches and knobs) I think one could use the pup selector switch to accomplish the same thing. And that's what I have for a jazz box.

BTW, what make and model of jazz box is that?

 

[Coldacre]

Rabid,

Thanks for the response and education. Is a kill switch a separate switch on the guitar, or is it incorporated into one of the pots/knobs (as in pushing down to "kill")?

can be either. its an after market mod, so it completely depends on what guitar you have and where you want it.

Jonny Greenwood has one on his Tele. its the black button in between the tone knob and the (missing) volume knob

used for a stuttering effect:

first 25 seconds - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBev8Om8Kew

 

[etzeppy]

can be either. its an after market mod, so it completely depends on what guitar you have and where you want it.

Jonny Greenwood has one on his Tele. its the black button in between the tone knob and the (missing) volume knob


used for a stuttering effect:

first 25 seconds - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBev8Om8Kew

Jonny is great example. Skip to 2:50 in this one:

 

[Dolebludger]

Thanks all, for the good information.

 

[p90fool]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-woe3SCAaA

 

[Bigfoot410]

My BFG had one. No idea what to do with it so I gave it to a member here and my BFG has a three-way toggle in it's place now.

 

[Mookakian]

1.50 in here, bit sloppy but live tom rips it to peices!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyxKJLgfT7A

 

[Dolebludger]

Thanks for the above video clips. Now I am fully educated of what a kill switch is and does. By way of information, I will not be getting one on any of my guitars, as I have no three pup models, and the stuttering sound is nothing I could use on anything I play.