Kill/Mute Switch Popping Issue

[Vincent P]

I added a kill or mute switch to my Fender Jazz 24, and plan on adding one to my MIA Deluxe. Both of these units have active pickups. For those who know (may be stating the obvious) if you leave the cord plugged in it drains the battery more rapidly.

So adding in this switch has allowed me to leave the cord plugged in, and the volume knob set where I usually practice.

My issue know is that when I turn on the switch for the first time when powering up the rack and amp, I get your typical loud pop in the speaker.

Question. Would adding a resistor or capacitor to this switch eliminate this annoying poping?

 

[walterw]

so this switch is disconnecting the battery? that would create noise upon switching it back on. a resistor would continuously drain DC current, negating the point of the switch. a capacitor might be worth a try. (no idea what size, maybe try a .1 uF?)

 

[Vincent P]

Thanks Walter, this is what I was thinking too. Will give it a try.

 

[R. Laevinus]

I use kill switches on all of my electric instruments, every one, and I have only once experienced a problem like yours. There are two ways to wire such a switch - shunting the hot line to ground (short-circuiting the pickup) or simply breaking the hot line. I've done - and do - both.

So my first reccomendation is to use a better quality switch. The one time I had such a problem was when I used a low-quality switch from my local electronics parts shop. I now get my components from guitar stores and online parts retailers, and while they cost more, they DO work better.

As for adding a resistor or a cap - I am firmly of the opinion that that will do nothing for your problem. (If it does though, be sure to send me a diagram of what you did!)

I would guesstimate that the problem lies in the fact that you have an active circuit - the pop, I would guess, comes not from the switch but from the pre. You mentioned that you wanted to use the switch to help you save battery power, which means that the switch is also (or primarily) cutting juice to the pre - I would assume that the pop comes from the pre being powered up, much the same way as turning on your mains BEFORE powering up your mixer results in a nasty pop.

As far as I know, there's no way to solve this problem with one switch (at least not without a whole pile of tone-sucking circuitry), however, you might be able to get away with using two switches - one to short-circuit your output line, and one to cut power to the pre. Just be sure to activate the pre before you pump in the hot signal to the amp, and you should be okay.