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livemuser :
Well, since Teles have a pickguard covering, all you'll need to do is some routing under it. But routing might be some work, so it'll be much easier just putting the switch between tone and volume, which requires drilling a hole on the metal control plate instead (just a suggestion).
That's all up to you. If you're planning on using a guitar pickup selector, it's gonna be 3-way, but if you're going to use something from the electronics store, could be anything really.
Personally, I'm leaning towards killswitch button (momentary, like spiritmuse did; a la Jonny Greenwood and Buckethead) since it's almost impossible to get it stuck on off by mistake, and it's much faster (depending on which switch you get though). Again, just my opinion.
Yeah well, I just thought that the position Tom Morello had it in looked pretty convenient, and comfortable for using it while playing. I'll air-switch tomorrow to see which is most comfortable for me :P
I'm not really sure what would be best. I think a simple ON/OFF switch would suit me, easier to flick between imo 
Is there a special technique/tool used to route the hole in the body? Or do I just gouge out a roughly round hole in the wood? I can't see why it would matter, the pickguard will be over it... I'd really only need a perfect circle on the pickguard.
Then go in sideways and drill a hole wide enough for a cable (or two?) to fir through to the main cavity at the volume controls?
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Well, if it's a Fender Tele, it'd be a waste to just randomly hack away wood, even if it's covered by the pickguard.
No, the whole point of routing is to have the wires going inside the guitar, in this case, under the pickguard. So only hole you'll be making will be on the pickguard.
Keep in mind, some of the pickup selectors easily break with heavy duty killswitching...
edit: So, something like this. Black means it's under and routed.
You might only need two wires going to the killswitch if it's a two-way.
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no-name :
Help needed with a killswitch: shock!
I want to put a killswitch here:
Ala Tom Morello :P
I know I'd have to put a hole in my guitar to put the switch in, but since I've never touched the electronics etc inside my guitar, I have a few questions:
1. How does the wire from the killswitch get to the same part of the guitar as the volume & tone controls? (I know it's probably just a simple passage-like hole from the top to the bottom of the body, but how do you do it?)
2. Is it a 3 way switch I'd need - Ie On/Off/On - or a 2 way?
Any help is great, I'm a guitar mod retard :P
The stuff Livemuser has given you is all perfectly alright, but I'll give you my two cents too, hopefully I can be helpful too!
If I was you, I definitely wouldn't put the kill-switch there. The only reason I'm drilling holes in mine is because it cost £49, if it was an authentic Fender I wouldn't dream of it. What I would recommend is something similar to mine, and the same idea as livemuser suggested - drill a hole in the control plate, and put it between the tone and volume pots. If you decided to put it where you originally mentioned, you would need to route a hole for the switch, and then a passage for the wires to pass through (which might prove difficult in terms of getting the drill bit into the passage to make a clean straight drill) which could end badly. Also, the way the switch is wired screams to put it near the control plate, otherwise the wiring could even degrade your signal with the length to the switch (unlikely though). You'll need a powerful drill to get through the control plate, some metal drill-bits, strength and probably ear-muffs. Very loud and screechy, and it is a long process, but it's entirely possible (I used a file to ever so slowly make the hole bigger  ) If you are nervous about drilling holes in the control plate, then try ebay for blank Tele control plates, and you can use that.
As for the type of switch - use your imagination. Obviously everyone on here will think of a killswitch as being how Matt uses it, which would require an ON/ON/ON three way switch. However, I have no idea how to wire a switch like that. If you can tear yourself away from a 3 way switch, simply use a two way ON-ON switch, either SPST or DPST (non-locking in one direction like mine if you can, it's genius  ) as that as truly simple to wire. If you do get that one, I'll post a wiring diagram to put it in. Oh and just noticed you mentioned an ON-OFF-ON... DON'T get one that mentions off on the switch. I know this sounds right, and it will quieten the signal, but the whole point of the kill-switch is that it uses one "ON" value to run the signal to ground and truly kill the signal, giving complete silence. If you used an ON-OFF say, you would still get hum in the off setting.
Hope I've helped.
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Well, isn't it implied that off is going to ground?
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Not necessarily. Although it could be. From what I've read, using an OFF setting still gives you some hum and static instead of complete silence. I could be wrong though.
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If we all used ground, we won't to worry about it, haha.
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Thanks for the help.
I'll probably just put it in the control plate, you've both convinced me :P
I'm confused about the ON/OFF/SPST/DPST thing. Can someone explain?
I was under the impression that it would be a simple ON - guitar signal as normal / OFF - cuts the signal? I get the feeling its more complicated than that...
Also, in regard to the electronics, will I need any special tools that aren't in the average toolbox?
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no-name :
Thanks for the help.
I'll probably just put it in the control plate, you've both convinced me :P
I'm confused about the ON/OFF/SPST/DPST thing. Can someone explain?
I was under the impression that it would be a simple ON - guitar signal as normal / OFF - cuts the signal? I get the feeling its more complicated than that...
Also, in regard to the electronics, will I need any special tools that aren't in the average toolbox?
I couldn't gaurantee that you need an ON-ON as oppose to an ON-OFF switch, but for all the difference it will make, you're as well getting on ON-ON. Here's a (very) basic wiring diagram of how my Tele is at the moment.
the red blue and yellow wires are new wires used for the switch, with the black ones being those that should already be there. I know it looks like I havent used part of the switch, but all I could find at home was a DPST (I think) switch, which has six lugs. The smart man's choice would be to get a two way switch with three lugs, then it's easier.
As for tools you'll need, it's pretty simple...a soldering iron and solder. Some wire cutters/strippers would be useful too, although I used scissors You might be able to get away with just using the existing wire inside the guitar, but if not, you'll need some fairly flexible and fairly thick (although not too thick) stranded wire. All of this would be available from maplin, even though they are robbing bastards.
Here's what you would do. And I'm assuming you have a basic knowledge of how to solder - if not, I would read up a bit on how to do it properly, otherwise you'll end up like me with guitar homicide on your charge sheet...
1) Take off the control plate and find the wire soldered to the middle lug of the volume pot (the pot closest to the selector switch). If you bought some extra wire, just de-solder this wire at the lug, or simply cut it (desoldering would be cleaner if you can do it right). Depending on the type of wire used, this wire from the jack may contain both an earth and a live wire, with the earth soldered to the back of the pot casing. De-solder this too if it is.
2) Get the switch into position, tighten all the nuts to fix it in place (this is of course if you have already drilled the hole to fit it in  )
3) Solder the live jack wire to the switch lug closest to the side you want the switch to be on. For example, if you want the guitar to be on when the switch is facing the strings, solder the wire to the lug closest to the strings. Solder the earth wire for the jack to...earth, funnily enough.
4) Cut a shortish length of wire from the stuff you've bought and solder one end to the middle lug of the volume pot, and the other to the lug on the switch we just soldered the Jack to. Think of that lug is connecting the two wires so the gutiar signal will flow through it.
5) Cut another shortish length of wire and strip about an inch of the coating away at one end. solder the wire to the switch so that the bare wire contacts with both the remaining lugs on the switch, but not the third that we've already soldered. Then get a nice lump of solder on the back of the pot casing and connect the other end of the wire to this, to earth the signal.
6) It's time to put it all back together, although if you've not done much soldering, it might be an idea to give the wires you've done a quick pull to see if the joints are good enough. You don't want to put it all back together and find a wire has come loose.
I know these instructions have probably confused you more, but that is literally all I did to make the switch, and it works great.
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Nicely written spiritmuse. You also want to try out the switch before you close everything up, haha.
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livemuser :
Nicely written spiritmuse. You also want to try out the switch before you close everything up, haha.
Good point. As I found out my cost when I had forgotten to earth the last two lugs - no silence. Boo.
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So you have something like this , a DPDT switch?
And I'd be looking at something like this (SPDT?), which is easier to work with because it only has 3 lugs to the DPDT's 6?
They really cheap anyway, so I'll probably buy both and a bunch of cable just to be sure
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On the second link, I used the Sub-Minature switch K, and by the looks of it, that is the only one of its kind (two way, one momentary) there. So you'd need the DPDT.
That is if you want the momentary of course, if not then any one of those will do.
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Righto, thanks
I'll probably go get what I need from Maplin at the weekend, then go through it with my dad. He might know better than me, he is an engineer after all :P
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Mystery
6180 posts
 - Gumdrop House on Lollipop Lane(!)
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Guess this is the right place to ask..
Two things, really. Both pickup related. I want to replace both pickups in my guitar, eventually, but I was just wondering if someone had a link to a guide online that shows/tells about replacing pick ups at all? Or if not, can someone give me a brief breakdown of how easy it is and what I'd have to do if I did it myself? I really want to do it myself for something to do, and so I can be proud of just a slight modification haha.
Second of all, anyone who has got a Fernandes Sustainer in their guitar, how easy are they to put in? Same questions as before really, how easy and what does it involve? I think I've heard it needs a bit of routing, but, how so, really? And how much? Easy enough for someone with no real experience if I practised on my old shitty guitar first or something? Hah.
Thanks to any help anyone can provide. It would be most appreciated. ;]
EDIT: Oh yeah, and in case it's important to know, the pickups I'll be putting in will be humbuckers.
Argos is the shop that said We think all shops should be like this, and all other shops said, No...
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I think this looks like a decent guide to installing a sustainer.
Just do a google for a pickup tutorial, I'm sure there'll be a decent guide somewhere.
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Mystery
6180 posts
- Gumdrop House on Lollipop Lane(!)
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no-name :
I think this looks like a decent guide to installing a sustainer.
Thanks
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Just do a google for a pickup tutorial, I'm sure there'll be a decent guide somewhere.
Yup, yup, I will try again.. I just don't really know what I'm looking for really.. Well, I do but, I just wouldn't know if it was a decent one or not hah, that's the only reason I thought to ask as I did search found one or two but they didn't look very helpful really so I thought since I was asking about sustainer anyway, might as well ask But yeah, I'll search again..
Argos is the shop that said We think all shops should be like this, and all other shops said, No...
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Yeah it's difficult to sift through the shite you find on Google to get a decent guide. It's maybe worth going to a guitar shop or a luthier, they'll be able to show you.
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For general help with modding here's a good place:
www.mrguitartech.com
Forums are very helpful, it's a bit new though at the moment!
...the fact that it been chosen makes me thing it`ll be pants and were getting NSC 2. - Me, about Survival.
Its not elitism, some people are just better than others. - Joe.
Twitter
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I think my tele could have a hole big enough for a motherbucker under the bridge. The fact that I might have to duct tape it in is another story...
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does anybody know a decent website to buy leads just to connect a guitar to a Kaoss Padd then to the amp? all the leads i find are bloody tiny!
Karl Pilkington has a head like a FUCKING ORANGE
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hello everyone, i have a question. my first guitar is amazing i love it to death, but i can't decide if i want to mod it or not... it just has a lot of sentimental value to me and i don't know if i want to mess it up..
I WAS ANSWERED ON MUSE CHAT!!!
~Austin,TX 9/17/06~Houston, TX 9/18/06~San Antonio,TX 4/16/07~Austin,TX 9/15/07~Monterrey, Mexico 7/16/08~Arlington,TX 10/12/09~Houston,TX 3/18/10~Austin,TX 3/19/10~Austin,TX 10/9/10
my band - http://knightsofficial.com
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nick727 :
hello everyone, i have a question. my first guitar is amazing i love it to death, but i can't decide if i want to mod it or not... it just has a lot of sentimental value to me and i don't know if i want to mess it up..
....so your question is whether to mod it or not? Well by the sounds of it you don't want to, or maybe I'm missing something
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I have a few questions. An old guitar I dont use anymore. I think the whole tonation is messed up or something? its an old strat copy but I think the bridge saddles need adjusting as some notes sound like shit and theres alot of fret buzz and some strings are higher than others. Its all abit messed up.
But anyway I wanted to just make it alright as I wanted to mod it abit nothing exciting just colour change, switch to just a bridge humbucker etc
Any suggestions on how to do it? Its not worth taking it into a shop to do it.
And do you think its definitely the bridge saddles?
Suggestions would be appreciated
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is it fret buzz or fret rattle? theres a big difference. if you can still hear it through the amplifier then its buzz, if not its just rattle which just means the strings are low.
adjust the height on the saddles and see if its still there. as for intonation fret the strings one by one at the 12th fret, then play the 12th fret harmonic - they should sound the same. if not, the saddles will need moving either backwards or forwards depending on what they need
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