Jazz bass pickup install question

[kwantize]

I'm changing the pickups in my MIM jazz bass V. I'm pretty good at soddering, but kind of a newb with guitar electronics. I'm curious what this wire is (see pic) Is it a second ground? It's not in the fender diagram or the pickup diagram. Both diagrams are showing the black wire from the neck pickup going here, and I'm wondering if I should solder both of the wires together to the back of the neck pickup control pot. On a side note, when I got this bass the bridge pickup control didn't work, it didn't bother me because I got a really good deal & I planned to replace the pickups anyway. It looks like it might just be wired wrong though. These are the stock pickups, and I'm pretty sure it came this way from the factory, but can anyone tell me why the black wires from the bridge pickup and neck pickup are both soldered to the bridge control pot?

[impactwrench]

Looks like you're pointing at the ground wire connecting the shielding paint to the pot. Some fenders have these, others dont. I had an MIM P apart last week and it didnt have that wire. If theres no shielding paint, it wont have that wire.

[blahblahblake]

Originally Posted by impactwrench

Looks like you're pointing at the ground wire connecting the shielding paint to the pot.

+1 A good bit of the wiring diagrams from Fender's web site will show this connection to a grounding lug.

[walterw]

right; that wire has nothing to do with anything else, it just grounds the shielding paint.

it's not the source of any other problems.

[lowendgenerator]

Originally Posted by impactwrench

Looks like you're pointing at the ground wire connecting the shielding paint to the pot. Some fenders have these, others dont. I had an MIM P apart last week and it didnt have that wire. If theres no shielding paint, it wont have that wire.

P basses don't really need shielding or extra grounding, they're hum cancelling by nature.

[kwantize]

So would the best thing to do be to twist the shielding paint ground wire together with the black wire from the neck pickup, tin them, and then sodder them onto the back of the neck pup control pot?

[lowendgenerator]

Originally Posted by kwantize

So would the best thing to do be to twist the shielding paint ground wire together with the black wire from the neck pickup, tin them, and then sodder them onto the back of the neck pup control pot?

Yes, in a normal wiring scheme that would be correct.

[JHAz]

Originally Posted by kwantize

So would the best thing to do be to twist the shielding paint ground wire together with the black wire from the neck pickup, tin them, and then sodder them onto the back of the neck pup control pot?

Nothing actually useful to add, but you should "solder," not "sodder" . . . minor point, and one of the many English words that are pronounced nothing like they're spekkes, but easy enough to get it right and then othe rfolks'll feel more comfortable you know what you're talking about.