A Tale Of 2 Killpots

[diablo175]

A tale of 2 kill-pots. So, a few weeks back I struggled mightily to install a kill switch/volume pot in the Charvel custom shop. No exaggeration, I spent upwards of 5+ hours trying to make it work, even had Shane Huss assisting via text when I encountered hiccups. Eventually, I had to concede defeat and punted the project over to a tech who knows more about soldering and wiring than I do. Then, the other night, I began the process of installing a Killswitch/ tone pot in the “radioactive” Hamer Cali. The next night, I tested it, closed up the cavity, plugged it in and let it rip! Everything worked as it should!

You could argue that my soldering was below par on the Charvel effort, however, I'd also cite the difference between the two kill pots: Night and day, lads! The Fixit-ez kill pot is far superior to the Shadow & on numerous levels, not the least of which are product design, ease of installation and construction. For instance: why make your pot's shaft 6.8 mm vs. the normal size of 9mm?  To add insult to injury, the mucklucks at Shadow couldn't give me any guidance on wiring schematics for an otherwise straightforward 2 H/1 Vol/1 toggle config. How's that customer service working for ya? 😂

 

 

 

[stonge]

I installed an Iron Age killswitch into my EVH Star; the most nerve-wracking part was drilling a clean 5/8 hole through the face of the guitar (here's a tip - use blue painter's tape on the finish, mark the spot and slowly drill through with a forstner bit from the face of the guitar into the control cavity and you won't tear up the finish). The Iron Age was a non-LED switch in black and came with an o-ring to protect the guitar's finish when bolting it down.  It was an easy install, and I stuck a treble bleed in while I was there so I can turn down that high-output pickup without the tone going to mud. Now I can practice my Morse Code using feedback (mrs stonge just loves that lol).

[diablo175]

11 hours ago, stonge said:

I installed an Iron Age killswitch into my EVH Star; the most nerve-wracking part was drilling a clean 5/8 hole through the face of the guitar (here's a tip - use blue painter's tape on the finish, mark the spot and slowly drill through with a forstner bit from the face of the guitar into the control cavity and you won't tear up the finish). The Iron Age was a non-LED switch in black and came with an o-ring to protect the guitar's finish when bolting it down.  It was an easy install, and I stuck a treble bleed in while I was there so I can turn down that high-output pickup without the tone going to mud. Now I can practice my Morse Code using feedback (mrs stonge just loves that lol).

Funny you should mention Star guitars- the Shadow kill pot went in my Star.  

I initially had a mini toggle kill in my MelonCali but decided to try a proper button type as the toggle was just not responsive enough (or I am too clumsy with it) so, I went with this one: Waiting to get a new Gravelin Mongoose (in neon pink) and the neck back from Shane to be able to try it out. This kill button was also a LOT easier to install but I nearly managed to f*ck up the finish when I had to ream the toggle hole out for the wider button. Wish I had read your advice for drilling before I did it!

 

[scottcald]

Not a kill switch person, but this is good info.  Thanks.  BTW, Killpot is one of my favorite bands.  😀

[sixesandsevens]

18 hours ago, diablo175 said:

To add insult to injury, the mucklucks at Shadow couldn't give me any guidance on wiring schematics for an otherwise straightforward 2 H/1 Vol/1 toggle config. How's that customer service working for ya? 😂

 

Funny, but when I tried to install one with a blade switch it worked fine...

[diablo175]

1 minute ago, sixesandsevens said:

Funny, but when I tried to install one with a blade switch it worked fine...

If I thought for a minute you were being serious, I'd point out that the Shadow kill pot works fine in my toggle -equipped Charvel- just not as well as the one sold by Fixit-ez and is quite a bit more complicated to install. But since you're not being serious, I won't tell you all that.

 

[DBraz]

That radioactive Cali is so cool!  

[diablo175]

15 hours ago, DBraz said:

That radioactive Cali is so cool!  

Thanks mate!

While I couldn't be happier with this particular Cali, I wish the graphic had been done in house by Jim O'Connor. Also wishing I had these same ideas (and disposable income) available to me back when Hamer was both still thriving and building customs orders.

 

[diablo175]

16 hours ago, Ed Rechts said:

That “radioactive” Hamer Cali looks cooler every time you post a pic.

You have some nice toys, diablo.

Thanks for the Killpot info, I'm gonna make that happen in my P-90s'd planks.

Kill pots are, IMO, an inexpensive parlor trick but they are a lot of fun. Unless you're Buckethead and have incorporated it into your repertoire in a (arguably) creative manner, it really isn't a necessity. In the form of a tone or volume pot, they're harmless enough to have as an option and they are a nice technique gag at shows. They work well in place of Eddie's use of the toggle switch and the neck p'up disconnected on You Really Got Me (at 1:40) and Randy Rhoads who used it on his LP with the neck Vol rolled off.