Chris,
The on/on switch is just like you said... when you use it in your guitar.
Wire up just one side of it and when you select that side, you get output.
Select the other way (where nothing is connected) and you get silence.
I've wired mine up to the tone knob wires on all my guitars (cuz the tone knob removal was the first mod on any of 'em...) but I don't know how that would work with EMG's... the values for everything are way different, and you're working with an active system.
Chances are, it wouldn't hurt anything, but you never know...
Just find the connections where the tone pot regularly hooks up and wire those to points to the swtich. When you turn the switch on, it effectively shorts out the audio signal and no sound comes out of the guitar. Flip it the other way and you're rarin' to go. I personally don't see how anyone plays without a kill switch, but that's just me... and, actually, I'm using it less these days now that I have a Boss NS-2. It kills everything dead when you're not playing and doesn't touch your tone.
As for the switch, it's completly passive - it doesn't do anything to the signal and/or tone that a regular piece of wire would do.
Additionally, with an EMG setup, you have the option of putting the switch in-line with the battery wire. The only problem I foresee with this is that it might POP really loud as the pickups turn on. Normally you wouldn't hear this, cuz you either attribute it to plugging the guitar in, or you are fancy-smart and turn yer amp off while yer pluggin' in yer guitar.
Your third option, and probably safest (but least satisfactory) would be to wire the switch in-line with the hot wire from the pickup. Or the hot wire going to the output... Both of these options let a LITTLE bit of signal thru when you turn it off, tho.
BTW - when I say wire it in-line, basically cut the wire you want to use (battery, hot (white) from pickup or output and then connect the two ends where you cut it to the switch.
I would try wiring it up like a tone-knob first, tho, cuz that's how I've gotten the best results. Even if you use a tone knob, add two extra wires and run them to the switch. When you turn it on, it still shorts out the whole guitar.
Need anything else, just ask...
ryan
ryan@arcofdescent.com
