# Where to buy button killswitch



## Dan Caldwell (Feb 26, 2017)

Anyone have a good place to get or order puchbutton type killswitch where the shipping isn’t more than the switch? 

Been doing some searching and haven’t really found a good source. 

Thanks, 

Dan


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Are you looking for something similar to the pic below?

What is the application?

Any specific voltage or current requirements?


----------



## Dan Caldwell (Feb 26, 2017)

greco said:


> Are you looking for something similar to the pic below?
> 
> What is the application?
> 
> Any specific voltage or current requirements?


Yup something like,that. Ideally black or silver. Just want it to kill the sound when pressed. No idea what voltage etc. It’s for a guitar with passive pickups if that helps?


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

OK...The voltage and current in guitars are minuscule.

Many prefer these mini toggle switches for that purpose. Small, inexpensive, only a small hole needed for mounting and generally easy to find.


----------



## Dan Caldwell (Feb 26, 2017)

I’m thinking the button type as there is already a hole from the previous owner moving the volume knob(it would be in the way when picking) and the button will be low profile. I’m thinking if I use that other switch it smash into it all the time.


----------



## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

How often do you go to Ottawa?


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Now focused on Ottawa...


----------



## Dan Caldwell (Feb 26, 2017)

Hammerhands said:


> How often do you go to Ottawa?


Usually there every week.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

@mhammer Can you help Dan with the name of an Ottawa electronics store that might have these?

Thanks


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Dan Caldwell said:


> Anyone have a good place to get or order puchbutton type killswitch where the shipping isn’t more than the switch?
> 
> Been doing some searching and haven’t really found a good source.
> 
> ...


A killswitch usually wants a nice big soft-touch momentary. The purpose is to produce a "stutter" effect (think of a manually-controlled maximum-depth tremolo) by pressing the switch rapidly. The toggles are great for standby switches, but what people mean by "killswitches" are a different sort of beast.

Dan, if you're in Ottawa, go to Active Tech on Merivale, beside the Food Basics. They have those switches. They won't be cheap, compared to advertised prices, but if you're in town anyway, it will be cheaper than buying a budget switch and paying for shipping on top of that.

The simplest killswitch would be an SPST normally-off connected between hot and ground. Pressing the switch ground the signal and input to whatever the guitar is plugged into. The tricky part is location. Ideally, one wants a killswitch where the user can be nimble in pressing it. You also want the killswitch to be wired up to the master output, so that it doesn't matter what pickup/s you have on.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

mhammer said:


> Dan, if you're in Ottawa, go to Active Tech on Merivale, beside the Food Basics.


@mhammer Thanks for your help.


----------



## Dan Caldwell (Feb 26, 2017)

greco said:


> Fair enough.
> 
> What is the diameter of the hole and the clearance/depth of space below the mounting hole?


Hole


mhammer said:


> A ki
> 
> A killswitch usually wants a nice big soft-touch momentary. The purpose is to produce a "stutter" effect (think of a manually-controlled maximum-depth tremolo) by pressing the switch rapidly. The toggles are great for standby switches, but what people mean by "killswitches" are a different sort of beast.
> 
> ...


awesome thanks!


----------



## GTmaker (Apr 24, 2006)

most electronic tuners have a built in kill switch.
plug into the tuner and the " out" goes everywhere else.

press the tuner to tune OR kill the signal....
great way to switch guitars too.

that's how I would kill the signal.
G.


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Ah, so what you describe is essentially a "mute" switch. I was thinking more in terms of a momentary switch for stutter effects, like what David Torn has on the guitars Saul Koll makes for him.

Out of curiosity, I stopped off at ActiveTech on the way home from an appointment this morning, to see what they had in stock. The optimal killswitch of the type I describe is often referred to as an "arcade-type switch". That is, something designed to providereliable momentary switching as an easy target to hit that can withstand a lot of smashing.

Active DID have something like that. It was about $11+tax. An appropriate shape on the surface; about an inch and a half in diameter, and nicely curved. Not to tall and not too flat. But the chassis was about an inch and a half deep, which may be problematic for installation.

I'll be going into Montreal later this week, and hope to make a brief stop into ABRA electronics, nea the Decarie Circle, ( Montreal Store ). They carry a lot more interesting stuff than Active, including lots of surplus oddball things. I'll see what they have that might fit the bill. They ship, as far as I know, and though shipping might jack up the cost, having the right type of switch can make a big difference.


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

mhammer said:


> Ah, so what you describe is essentially a "mute" switch. I was thinking more in terms of a momentary switch for stutter effects, like what David Torn has on the guitars Saul Koll makes for him.
> 
> Out of curiosity, I stopped off at ActiveTech on the way home from an appointment this morning, to see what they had in stock. The optimal killswitch of the type I describe is often referred to as an "arcade-type switch". That is, something designed to providereliable momentary switching as an easy target to hit that can withstand a lot of smashing.
> 
> ...


I like Abra. We used to order from them a lot when I was teaching electronics


----------



## Guest (Oct 20, 2018)

Next Gen has a cool kill switch for $2. Stutter switch type, guitar is only off when pushed and held. Non latching.











Killswitch - SPST Soft Off-(On) Momentary


----------

