Rhiannon and Galadriel

[Scoops]

This bass will be strung with nylon tapewounds - they do not conduct electricity due to a plastic coating, and a bridge ground would not help.

What if the original owner/buyer sells it to somebody. They decide to change the pups and strings. Whole new ball game here.

Ok I get that you are going to ground 1 string and use the zero fret as a "buss bar" so to speak, my 20 years of being an electrical designer sends up some red flags on this. Just sayin.

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

What if the original owner/buyer sells it to somebody. They decide to change the pups and strings. Whole new ball game here.

Ok I get that you are going to ground 1 string and use the zero fret as a "buss bar" so to speak, my 20 years of being an electrical designer sends up some red flags on this. Just sayin.

 

[Hopkins]

If you don't ground your strings you run the chance of electrocuting your self. I did this once. I read an article (back in the 80's if I remember correctly) where some guy was saying that the ground wasn't necessary, and if you took out the ground, it would be like magic sauce and improve tone.

OK. I Did it.

Went to do sound check that night. Was playing, went to sing, my lips touched the microphone, everything turn white, and my but hit the ground.

I do understand that companies like EMG say you don't have to ground the bridge/strings. Don't know what the science is. I think it has something to do with the low output of the pups.

Whatever the case, I would look into this a little deeper if I were you. If you don't, you could add a whole new meaning to "Killer axe"

You got hit with a hot mic, it didn't really have anything to do with the instrument you were playing. Grounding the bridge is more for shielding purposes than safety. Think about it, grounding the bridge has more of a chance of introducing current to the strings than without a grounded bridge.

Guitar players come up with some strange theories on what has a positive affect on guitar tone.

 

[Will_White]

If you don't ground your strings you run the chance of electrocuting your self. I did this once. I read an article (back in the 80's if I remember correctly) where some guy was saying that the ground wasn't necessary, and if you took out the ground, it would be like magic sauce and improve tone.

OK. I Did it.

Went to do sound check that night. Was playing, went to sing, my lips touched the microphone, everything turn white, and my but hit the ground.

I do understand that companies like EMG say you don't have to ground the bridge/strings. Don't know what the science is. I think it has something to do with the low output of the pups.

Whatever the case, I would look into this a little deeper if I were you. If you don't, you could add a whole new meaning to "Killer axe"

It's actually safer if you don't have a bridge ground, your less likely to be the path to ground if something goes wrong with your amp, it's only for shielding purposes EMGs don't require it because they are completely shielded like a lipstick tube pickup.

 

[Scoops]

You got hit with a hot mic, it didn't really have anything to do with the instrument you were playing. Grounding the bridge is more for shielding purposes than safety. Think about it, grounding the bridge has more of a chance of introducing current to the strings than without a grounded bridge.

Guitar players come up with some strange theories on what has a positive affect on guitar tone.

>>>Not intending to hijack this thread<<<

Actually, I kinda disagree with your comment. (The following is something I found on a different forum, but states the situation clearly)

The ground is going back to the amp, not through you to the earth if the bridge is grounded. The "Ground" we refer to when talking about household wiring is actually a metal pipe or rod that goes down into the earth somewhere near where your electrical panel is installed. It's quite literally a connection to "earth". Your electrical panel is grounded to this pipe, and therefore to the earth. Ground wires from the panel continue this earth connection up to the sockets on your walls. The amp plugs into the socket and connects this ground wire to the metal amp chassis. Then you plug the guitar into the chassis and the ground connection is extended to the strings of the guitar. There's a unbroken metal to metal connection from your guitar strings all the way to that pipe driven into the ground. The earth can absorb a tremendous amount of electrical current so any potentially harmful wire that happened to come in contact with your guitar would have it's current shunted away down that chain of ground wires to the earth instead of through you. In theory anyways. There's a potentially lethal configuration where you have one hand on the grounded guitar and contact some high voltage with your other hand, like hot mike. Then you become part of the path from the bad stuff to ground and it runs across your chest where you're most vulnerable.

This is what and how I understand the situation to be true from my direct experience.

Now granted, this happened when I was probably playing an amp without the 3 prong plug. I also understand that there are many safety precautions taken by manufacturers to prevent people from electrocuting themselves. But in a world where Murphy's law exists, we should have a good understanding of this sort of thing.

 

[Will_White]

>>>Not intending to hijack this thread<<<

Actually, I kinda disagree with your comment. (The following is something I found on a different forum, but states the situation clearly)

The ground is going back to the amp, not through you to the earth if the bridge is grounded. The "Ground" we refer to when talking about household wiring is actually a metal pipe or rod that goes down into the earth somewhere near where your electrical panel is installed. It's quite literally a connection to "earth". Your electrical panel is grounded to this pipe, and therefore to the earth. Ground wires from the panel continue this earth connection up to the sockets on your walls. The amp plugs into the socket and connects this ground wire to the metal amp chassis. Then you plug the guitar into the chassis and the ground connection is extended to the strings of the guitar. There's a unbroken metal to metal connection from your guitar strings all the way to that pipe driven into the ground. The earth can absorb a tremendous amount of electrical current so any potentially harmful wire that happened to come in contact with your guitar would have it's current shunted away down that chain of ground wires to the earth instead of through you. In theory anyways. There's a potentially lethal configuration where you have one hand on the grounded guitar and contact some high voltage with your other hand, like hot mike. Then you become part of the path from the bad stuff to ground and it runs across your chest where you're most vulnerable.

This is what and how I understand the situation to be true from my direct experience.

Now granted, this happened when I was probably playing an amp without the 3 prong plug. I also understand that there are many safety precautions taken by manufacturers to prevent people from electrocuting themselves. But in a world where Murphy's law exists, we should have a good understanding of this sort of thing.

Then you had no safety ground anyway so it wouldn't of mattered

 

[Scoops]

Then you had no safety ground anyway so it wouldn't of mattered

There may of not of been a safety ground so to speak, but there was an earth ground. If you take a look at your household wiring, the white and green wires get tied together at the fuse box.

So Id like to run an experiment, and Will you can be my lead tester. I'll design all the tests, and you'll be able to play vintage equipment. Sound good?

 

[Hopkins]

>>>Not intending to hijack this thread<<<

Actually, I kinda disagree with your comment. (The following is something I found on a different forum, but states the situation clearly)

The ground is going back to the amp, not through you to the earth if the bridge is grounded. The "Ground" we refer to when talking about household wiring is actually a metal pipe or rod that goes down into the earth somewhere near where your electrical panel is installed. It's quite literally a connection to "earth". Your electrical panel is grounded to this pipe, and therefore to the earth. Ground wires from the panel continue this earth connection up to the sockets on your walls. The amp plugs into the socket and connects this ground wire to the metal amp chassis. Then you plug the guitar into the chassis and the ground connection is extended to the strings of the guitar. There's a unbroken metal to metal connection from your guitar strings all the way to that pipe driven into the ground. The earth can absorb a tremendous amount of electrical current so any potentially harmful wire that happened to come in contact with your guitar would have it's current shunted away down that chain of ground wires to the earth instead of through you. In theory anyways. There's a potentially lethal configuration where you have one hand on the grounded guitar and contact some high voltage with your other hand, like hot mike. Then you become part of the path from the bad stuff to ground and it runs across your chest where you're most vulnerable.

This is what and how I understand the situation to be true from my direct experience.

Now granted, this happened when I was probably playing an amp without the 3 prong plug. I also understand that there are many safety precautions taken by manufacturers to prevent people from electrocuting themselves. But in a world where Murphy's law exists, we should have a good understanding of this sort of thing.

Still, it had nothing to do with the fact that your bridge was grounded or not, it was simply a matter of electricity finding the path of least resistance to ground which happened to be your body. If you would have had your bridge grounded, you still would have gotten shocked, the electrons may have just taken a different path to ground through the bridge instead of your feet. That is also a reason that your amp and the PA should be on the same ground circuit.

 

[delta7fred]

Use a circuit checker to make sure you don't have a hot mic, don't think you can make a bass that will tolerate one (see Hopkins posts above).

I have a circuit checker in one of our extension cords and if it flags up anything wrong with the mains supply then I won't plug any of our kit in, simple as that. Fortunately UK regulations are very tight on mains wiring.

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

After a false start with a cross grain laminated head piece I managed to produce one that will work well. The silver screw is just a placeholder.

 

[JustForSport]

The ground is going back to the amp, not through you to the earth if the bridge is grounded.

The current went from the mike THRU YOU to the ground, whether it was to the bass and back to the amp, thru your wet shoes, or whatever. if you are insulated from ground, the current has no way to complete a circuit thru you. Any better grounding just gives it a better path thru you to the ground.

OT: I like all wood- like this bass: less current carrying capacity

It sure is coming along nicely!

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

Side dots. Black side dots. On the side.

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

Stage 1 of the fingerboard CA coating is done - we just need some sanding and polishing.

 

[Rôckhewer]

Wow, that worked really well compared to what mine looked like prior to sanding.
So you use a fresh paper towel each coat right?
I mean. ..you don't keep the same one in your hand until it starts to get hard & crispy but flat on the applicating surface....?

Any particular brand of paper towel you prefer?
....Brawny?.....Viva?.....The "quicker picker-upper"
Walmart generic
Perhaps that nasty brown gas station stuff, comes in a roll a hundred miles long?
I would think you would NOT want it to be all that absorbant.....

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

I was out of paper towels and had to use some old paper dinner napkins I had on hand. I used a new napkin for each coat, and sanded back every four or five coats to keep things smooth and not build up ridges. Unfortunately the paper towels do soak up quite a bit more of the CA that would be ideal, but the process works well. I am very happy with how it turned out, and now I just need to get it polished up....and I need to clean all of sanding dust from my desk.

 

[PDX Rich]

That board is looking killer!

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

That board is looking killer!

@rondodunbar has VERY good taste when it comes to wood.

 

[Hamish MacCleod]

@rondodunbar has VERY good taste when it comes to wood.

Michael, I think you have pretty good taste in wood as well. As I recall we batted wood selection back and forth, never really disagreeing but sort of coming to a mutual feel about what would be best.
Rondo

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

Some decent progress tonight. I got the headpiece drilled, and put some strings on her for a sanity check. I am using some cheapo rounds I have on hand rather than the nylon wound strings destined for her. I need to get the nut shaped and slotted, and the bridge dropped significantly to get the action reasonable.

 

[Hamish MacCleod]

Michael,
She is looking very nice.
Rondo