Wiring a momentary killswitch

[Devotee]

So, i decided to tear out the electronics in my Elite KV and replace everything in order to install a momentary killswitch and delete the stock active mid-boost circuit. I never actually found any use for it and i found myself changing batteries way more often than i prefer just to get a signal out of the guitar.

I tore out the electronics, threw in a couple of 500K CTS audio taper pots, an Orange Drop .47μF tone cap and wired everything up with some 50's-style vintage cloth covered wire. I put a red NC push button in the volume position, moved back the volume control to where the tone was and the tone control back to where the mid boost was. Now i know why some people bitch about the volume knob placement on Jacksons. :idea:

I didn't have any trouble with the wiring but i did need to ream out the holes for the pot shafts and killswitch with some 120 grit sandpaper wrapped around a paintbrush. Enlarging the hole for the killswitch was a bit of a pain in the ass since the shaft diametre is around 15mm but it worked out great.

The result? The active circuit was a real tone-sucker! The overall sound is much clearer, warmer and the pickup characteristics seem to be more apparent. I love the roll-off of the Orange Drop too.

My attempt at a clean wiring job:


New control layout:


Wiring diagram:

[sixx_ gunner]

Looks good! Thanks for sharing your experience! Should help those with questions!

[artonsafari]

Clean install.

[pianoguyy]

Have you used it yet?
I have a kill switch, its a flip switch. Its out of the way. I would be too afraid of accidentally hitting it where you have it.

[levantin]

Gtwgits

[toejam]

an Orange Drop .47μF tone cap

The result? The active circuit was a real tone-sucker! The overall sound is much clearer, warmer and the pickup characteristics seem to be more apparent. I love the roll-off of the Orange Drop too.

Warmer? How much warmer did you need with the Invader which is pretty dark/warm sounding to begin with? The .047 cap will indeed make things warmer, as it's usually used for bass guitars. Nice job you did!

[Axewielder]

Why were your batteries discharging? Were you leaving the guitar plugged in all the time??

[warlok]

toejam, Duncan calls for a .047 on a lot of their diagrams. I don't uynderstand as it's usually way too dark/warm for me. I like .022 or .015 personally.

[Devotee]

Have you used it yet?
I have a kill switch, its a flip switch. Its out of the way. I would be too afraid of accidentally hitting it where you have it.

I have jammed on it a bit. The push button is almost flush to the body so it doesn't get in the way at all, even with my ham-fisted playing.

Gtwgits

Yeah yeah, i'll try and get some decent shots of the whole axe soon.

Warmer? How much warmer did you need with the Invader which is pretty dark/warm sounding to begin with? The .047 cap will indeed make things warmer, as it's usually used for bass guitars. Nice job you did!

Thanks Toe! Yeah, the Invader is a generally dark-sounding pickup, but i've got a FU Tone big brass block in the guitar which really balances it out. Things only start to get really dark when you start rolling the tone knob down.

Why were your batteries discharging? Were you leaving the guitar plugged in all the time??

That's a good question, i honestly have no idea. It would go from having enough juice one day to no signal suddenly the next. I never left it plugged in, so i figured that maybe the jack was mono so the circuit was always closed, so the battery was always discharging. I had to keep taking the battery out before putting the guitar away so it didn't drain. But once i got to rewiring it though i discovered that they did indeed use a stereo jack. :think:

[toejam]

toejam, Duncan calls for a .047 on a lot of their diagrams. I don't uynderstand as it's usually way too dark/warm for me. I like .022 or .015 personally.

That is weird. I like .022 usually. Then again, I'd rather not even have a tone control at all.

[toejam]

Thanks Toe! Yeah, the Invader is a generally dark-sounding pickup, but i've got a FU Tone big brass block in the guitar which really balances it out. Things only start to get really dark when you start rolling the tone knob down.

Cool. As long as it works for you. I had a friend who wired a Tone Zone into an old Dinky HX I had, and he put in a .047 he had lying around from an old bass. I thought it was weird, but I never touched the tone knob anyway, so it still sounded pretty good.

[Devotee]

[Brandenburg]

I have a kill switch on my guitar but my reason is probably different than others..I like the idea of cutting the signal when im done playing or when someone is trying to talk to me.. dont have to touch shit but flip a switch.. Its a nice convenience .I also use it as an effect ever so often..

as for tone control..I have a push/pull 500K pot with 2 orange drops.. a .022 and a .047.. I might screw around with different value caps when I rewire my guitar in the near future.. Hardly ever use the tone control as I keep the volume bypass engaged most of the time and this also bypasses the tone as well.. Just like to have tonal options even If i never use them..

[Axewielder]

That's a good question, i honestly have no idea. It would go from having enough juice one day to no signal suddenly the next. I never left it plugged in, so i figured that maybe the jack was mono so the circuit was always closed, so the battery was always discharging. I had to keep taking the battery out before putting the guitar away so it didn't drain. But once i got to rewiring it though i discovered that they did indeed use a stereo jack. :think:

The guitar is mono but the stereo jack is used to de-energize the active electronics. When you remove a mono guitar cable connector, the ring and middle contacts on that connector open up, which basically acts like a power switch.

[Brandenburg]

well.. with a stereo jack.. when you plug a guitar cable in .. it completes a circuit to the batery....as axewielder said..its a switch