Killswitch tutorial

**BriGuy** · Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 1894 Location: Boston

All of the original pics from Netonex's post have expired and a bunch of you have been begging for a nice tutorial on how to do a Buckethead style killswitch mod, so here ya go.

For those unfamiliar with this mod, this is basically a mod that substitutes your strum bar with a button to semi-reproduce the killswitch effect that Buckethead and Tom Morello use to get those crazy sounds. This mod is actually a reverse-killswitch because a real one cuts out the sound when you hit it and this type "strums" when you hit it. That being said, here's the details on how to pull it off.

It's a rather simple mod actually that can use either your select button or another type of switch/button to use as an alternate strum. Since I always tilt to use my starpower (like a real man) I hijacked my select button as my killswitch.

If you are using your select as a killswitch, the first thing have to do is cut the wire that leads to the select button:

Then solder a wire (of any reasonable gauge) to the select button post. (The center wire is the ground)
You can also reverse the position of the circuit board that holds the select and start button by screwing it on backwards. This moves your killswitch to the start button position and your start button to the old select button position.

Then solder that wire to either of the strum contacts. This picture shows how a momentary switch can be wired up for the same result. The ground can be spliced onto the wire or soldered directly onto the PCB board.

Ignore all the other wires (those were used for my tapping button mod).
Either of those contacts is fine to solder to but your circuit board may be different depending on what model you are using.

If you'd like to save your select button for star power deployment but still would like a killswitch, you can still do this mod by adding your own switch. Just go to an electronics store (like radio shack) and get a button/switch that is a momentary on type. This switch will probably have two prongs in which to solder your wires onto. Wire one to the strum contact and the other to a ground such as the "backup ground/wire post" in the last pic.

You'll have to mount your new switch somewhere by drilling a hole in the body and securing your switch. One good place is somewhere on the face that you would not hit accidently while playing normally. Another interesting idea would be to place it up on the neck so you can hit it easily while tapping a section.

Good luck with your killswitches!

***Any scores achieved while using this or any other functionally different mods should NOT be submitted to scorehero.
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**IWillKickU** · Joined: 06 Dec 2007 Posts: 2830 Location: In the Undertow

Briguy, why can't everyone be as altruistic as you? I wanna have your babies!

Thanks for the tutorial!

**GuitarHeroFaLife** · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 5:34 pm Post subject:

i did this to my SG...worked perfectly! do you think i could do it to my wii les paul?
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**Erodyne** · Joined: 15 Dec 2007 Posts: 1493

**allstar340** · Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Posts: 13

IT WORKS
!!!1!!1!11!1!!!

lol thx dude

**MuckFizzou** · Joined: 19 Aug 2007 Posts: 302 Location: Olathe, KS

Will a thin copper cable wire work?
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Met Danica Patrick on April 24th, 2009

**BriGuy** · Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 1894 Location: Boston

**ZackaryCF** · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 899 Location: West Mitten

Nice tutorial Bri, but I dont under stand what you said about if you want to save your select button. I'm going to do this mod to my Kramer and i want a switch A. Because switches are friggen sweet looking and B. because the SEL on Kramers is very stiff and would make a poor killswitch. Any ways you said something about "splicing a wire to the select post" but i dont see why youd even consider the SEL button if youre not using it as your switch. Please explain. Thanks in advance.

**BriGuy** · Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 1894 Location: Boston

I'm a tilter....I always tilt. I never use the select button and I didn't want to mess up any of my custom paint jobs. So I disabled the select function for that button and now it is my killswitch button. If you want to keep the functionality of your select button, you need to cut a hole in the body and install a momentary switch on the body somewhere, but it should work just as good.
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**ZackaryCF** · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 899 Location: West Mitten

I know, this is where i get confused "and splice a wire to the select button wire that was cut in the first pic"

I;m probobly just missing something simple, but i dont understand why the select button would even be involved if im installing a seperate switch.

**IWillKickU** · Joined: 06 Dec 2007 Posts: 2830 Location: In the Undertow

If you are installing a seperate switch, the select button is not affected. Briguy's tutorial outlines how to turn your select button into a switch. If you aren't going to use your select button (ie drill a hole in the shell and install a new button for your killswitch), you just run the wire to your killswitch button. Briguy used his select button because. . . well:

**ZackaryCF** · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 899 Location: West Mitten

Ok, that's what I thought, I just somehow got confused

**MrMiniMog** · Joined: 07 Feb 2008 Posts: 282 Location: Kingston, NY

I'm confused....If I were to use my own swtich lets say. In the 1st post its saying that I wire my swtich the select button, and then to the ground. Wouldn't that just make my swtich activate start power? (or his select)

Shouldn't it be wire the switch to a strum contact, and then to ground?

**IWillKickU** · Joined: 06 Dec 2007 Posts: 2830 Location: In the Undertow

**MrMiniMog** · Joined: 07 Feb 2008 Posts: 282 Location: Kingston, NY