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Ground Wire to Bridge

F

Funkflats11

Aug 30, 2009
60
0
NJ
#1
Hello,

I am currently putting in new electronics into my P-bass using a wiring kit from Basspartsresource.com. I have hit a snag though in that I lost my ground wire going to the bridge (the one bent under the bridge). Does anyone know where I can get a new wire like this or can I just order some other type of conducting wire that would serve the same purpose?

Thanks to anyone who can help
 
#3
Yup any stranded wire will work. On the end that will go under the bridge, strip a good half inch of the wire and lightly twist it together. . Since theres no solder joint and its not attached to one of those thin metal circle things you want more bare wire so great contact is made. On other end, just strip regular amount for soldering to back of pot as usual and twist then solder.
 
#4
darkstorm said:
Yup any stranded wire will work. On the end that will go under the bridge, strip a good half inch of the wire and lightly twist it together. . Since theres no solder joint and its not attached to one of those thin metal circle things you want more bare wire so great contact is made. On other end, just strip regular amount for soldering to back of pot as usual and twist then solder.
Click to expand...

Easy as that!:D
 
#6
even if they don't require it - it's highly recommended - else you will get buzzing when hitting the strings. I have an audere pre in my bass and had to make both bridge ground - and of course pot ground ( cavity is conductive so I just used one of those washers with the possiblity to squezze together over a wire). my bass is now dead silent.
 
#7
You might even consider using shielded single conductor wire. Sometimes longer runs of un-shielded wire (like the grounding wire that goes from the cavity to the bridge) can pick up electronic frequencies, causing a little extra buzz on a bass. With shielded wire you will avoid this possibility.

Here is an example of shielded, single conductor wire:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electro..._Circuit_Wire.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=3158
 
#8
XylemBassGuitar said:
You might even consider using shielded single conductor wire. Sometimes longer runs of un-shielded wire (like the grounding wire that goes from the cavity to the bridge) can pick up electronic frequencies, causing a little extra buzz on a bass. With shielded wire you will avoid this possibility.

Here is an example of shielded, single conductor wire:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electro..._Circuit_Wire.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=3158
Click to expand...

Um.... where would you ground the shield ???? To the same ground you're 'protecting' ???
 
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#11
XylemBassGuitar said:
You might even consider using shielded single conductor wire. Sometimes longer runs of un-shielded wire (like the grounding wire that goes from the cavity to the bridge) can pick up electronic frequencies, causing a little extra buzz on a bass. With shielded wire you will avoid this possibility.
Click to expand...

The wire from ground to the bridge is supposed to pick up noise from the bridge and strings and carry it to ground. That's the entire point of grounding the bridge. If the wire itself intercepts and grounds out more noise than is picked up solely by the strings/bridge, then it's just doing its job yet better.

Where would a shield over a ground wire get attached? If it's a shield, it can't be attached to the wire it is shielding, or it does nothing at all.
 
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#13
ddnidd1 said:
Um.... where would you ground the shield ???? To the same ground you're 'protecting' ???
Click to expand...

4StringTheorist said:
The wire from ground to the bridge is supposed to pick up noise from the bridge and strings and carry it to ground. That's the entire point of grounding the bridge. If the wire itself intercepts and grounds out more noise than is picked up solely by the strings/bridge, then it's just doing its job yet better.

Where would a shield over a ground wire get attached? If it's a shield, it can't be attached to the wire it is shielding, or it does nothing at all.
Click to expand...



The shielding around the wire (the braided wire around the copper lead) is connected, soldered, etc., to the shielding of the electronics cavity (which is usually some kind of foil or shielding paint).

walterw said:
there's no reason to shield a wire that is itself grounded.
Click to expand...

The grounding wire usually runs from the electronics cavity to the bridge, an area that is not shielded by foil, shielding paint, etc. Since this area is not shielded, any surrounding electronic frequencies (flourescent lights, computers, etc.) can enter the unshielded wire. The shielding simply prevents radio frequencies from entering the wire (put a wire cage around a radio and notice how it will block the incoming frequencies).

Check out these StewMac articles, they all recommend the use of shielded wire for longer runs of wire like the one(s) that go from the pickups to the cavity or the one that goes to ground:

Invalid Link Removed
 
#14
You don't need to shield a ground since all your shields should be grounded.. thats just plain.. redundant.


No matter what Stewmac does or doesn't say...


And you won't get any more (or less) hum grounding your bridge with EMG pickups in your bass.
 
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#15
XylemBassGuitar said:
The grounding wire usually runs from the electronics cavity to the bridge, an area that is not shielded by foil, shielding paint, etc. Since this area is not shielded, any surrounding electronic frequencies (flourescent lights, computers, etc.) can enter the unshielded wire. The shielding simply prevents radio frequencies from entering the wire (put a wire cage around a radio and notice how it will block the incoming frequencies).
Click to expand...
Doesn't matter- any and all wires that go to ground, including the bridge ground, can pick up all the noise they want. It will all go to ground, meaning the noise won't be heard.

JackANSI said:
You don't need to shield a ground since all your shields should be grounded.. thats just plain.. redundant.


No matter what Stewmac does or doesn't say...


And you won't get any more (or less) hum grounding your bridge with EMG pickups in your bass.
Click to expand...
All true.
 
#17
XylemBassGuitar said:
The shielding around the wire (the braided wire around the copper lead) is connected, soldered, etc., to the shielding of the electronics cavity (which is usually some kind of foil or shielding paint).
Click to expand...

Exactly right, then. The question remains.. how do you expect the shield to do anything when it is connected to the very wire it is wrapped around to shield?

i.e. if the shield and the wire it surrounds are connected, then they are in a very real sense the same wire. (The are the same equipotential surface in the physics jargon of my education) A wire doesn't shield itself.

XylemBassGuitar said:
The grounding wire usually runs from the electronics cavity to the bridge, an area that is not shielded by foil, shielding paint, etc. Since this area is not shielded, any surrounding electronic frequencies (flourescent lights, computers, etc.) can enter the unshielded wire. The shielding simply prevents radio frequencies from entering the wire (put a wire cage around a radio and notice how it will block the incoming frequencies).

Check out these StewMac articles, they all recommend the use of shielded wire for longer runs of wire like the one(s) that go from the pickups to the cavity or the one that goes to ground:
Click to expand...

This works when you run to the pickup cavities, and it's a good idea! In that case, the shield is grounded, and the wire inside the shield is the hot wire from the pickup. NOT connected as the same wire as in the case of shielding the bridge ground case.

I don't think anyone's disputing that shielded wires can be very effective when you shield a signal wire. What's nonsense is shielding the ground wire to the bridge because you use the ground as a shield in all cases and shielding ground with ground is redundant. You can't shield a shield with itself.

It's like the old joke "why don't they build the whole plane out of the black box?" or Baron Munchausen lifting himself into the air by pulling up on his own ponytail in the Terry Gilliam film... it sounds neat, but physically it's nonsense.
 
#18
XylemBassGuitar said:
You might even consider using shielded single conductor wire. Sometimes longer runs of un-shielded wire (like the grounding wire that goes from the cavity to the bridge) can pick up electronic frequencies, causing a little extra buzz on a bass. With shielded wire you will avoid this possibility.
Click to expand...

The wire going to the bridge is grounded. No signal goes through that wire so there is no need for shielded wire. It is only one conductor. If you used two conductor coax wire, both conductors would be grounded.

On signal carrying shielded wires, the the shield is grounded. Shielded wire from the pots to the jack is a good idea.
 
#19
SGD Lutherie said:
The wire going to the bridge is grounded. No signal goes through that wire so there is no need for shielded wire. It is only one conductor. If you used two conductor coax wire, both conductors would be grounded.

On signal carrying shielded wires, the the shield is grounded. Shielded wire from the pots to the jack is a good idea.
Click to expand...

I need to start using shielded wire for my wiring jobs. That also explains why my shielding job still left a little bit of hum in my buddy's p-bass.
 

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