Bridge ground question...

[danny.merrill23]

Maybe this has been answered elsewhere here, but I've been unable to find it.

A few days ago I swapped out the stock pickups and bridge in my old beater rockwood P-bass knockoff. Everything sounds great but somehow in the process, the bridge ground disappeared. The ground wire is still connected in the control cavity and I have the wire taped to the body (with the exposed end sticking well out) underneath the bridge. I get a nasty hum when I play, but when I touch the volume or tone knobs (with the plastic covers off) The hum disappears. Also, just for fun, I had my home theater amp on, set to the ipod, and when I grabbed the exposed 1/8" plug with one hand and laid my hand across my strings with the other one, it hum disappears as well.

I don't know too much about this, but what it is telling me is that somehow the grounding wire isn't connecting the strings to the pot.

I was thinking that maybe it's because of the paint on the bridge and I should sand it off on the bottom, but really to connect the strings to the bottom of the bridge, there are several painted points of contact that would have to be modified.

Any help would be awesome. THis isn't by any means a great bass, or even my main one, but she was my first love and I would love to have her makeover be complete!

[bassmodder]

Try wrapping the end of the wire in tin foil to make it fatter. Also make sure your wire is not broken.

[The_D]

Take your bridge off mate. I recently rechecked all my grounding on my MIM Jazz cause it was getting a lot of noise. Whipped the bridge off and there was the loose ground wire hanging out a little groove cut under the bridge. I had a little play with it and it all fell apart. So I replaced the wire and it didnt make much difference to be honest but if its anything like mine was then replacing the pick ups might have worked that little bad boy out enough to lose contact.

Edited to add:
Do you have an Ohmmeter? Quicker than removing the bridge again.