Best way to ground when wiring pickups

[mjarema414]

I recently had to solder to the back of a pot and found it difficult to hold the wire in place while applying solder to the wire/pot. I just wanted to know the technique people in here use when grounding a pickup or if there is a better way. It took me a couple of times to get it to stick without putting a huge glob of solder on the wire/pot. Thanks for any insight.

 

[scottish]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

there are a couple of things you can do which will make it easier:

-i like to rough up the back of the pot just by scratching it a little with a box cutter where the solder will be applied

-you can buy something called solder spreader from radio shack, its just like gunk that helps the solder spread better and not clump up

-i use artery clamp scissors to hold the wires, i just find its easier to hold them steady and you wont burn yourself either

hope this helps

 

[DazH]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

I put all the ground points on a metal washer & solder them in a circle & use that as the main ground, called star ground. check it up - it makes things soooo much easie r& much tidier.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

I've done the star ground, back of pots, stuff like that. What I've been doing lately is soldering the trem ground straight to the output jack ground lug. That's one less wire in the cavity. Then the pickup ground and volume pot ground wires get hooked up to the same lug on the volume pot. If a tone pot (or 2) is used, it's grounded there as well.

When wiring Strats with SSS, 1V, 2T, 5-way, then I'll run a ground across all 3 pots and ground the pickups to the back of the volume. It's just easier in that situation.

When soldering the wires to the back of a pot, I'll hold the end down (pre-tinned) with the soldering iron tip and get some solder flowing (not gobbing). If it's gobbing up, it's not hot enough. Once the solder flows, I hold the wire with my finger and remove the iron or I'll use the tip of a flathead screwdriver and use that to hold them down while I remove the iron.

 

[mjarema414]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

With a star ground, do you then solder the washer to the back of a pot? Sounds like an easy alternative and a way to physically wrap the wire.

 

[DazH]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

nah, the back of the pot is just a place to put them, the washer is a better alternative in my opinion. you basically just connect the washer with the real ground i.e connect the ground wire of the output jack to it & therefor the ground line is connected to the washer, the washer becomes ground & so does everything attached.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

No, you solder a wire to the washer that then goes to the ground lug of the volume pot (not the back), the same lug that has a wire going to the ground lug on the output jack. If you go the washer route, make sure to cover it with electrical tape so it doesn't make contact with anything it shouldn't.

 

[mustaine-who?]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

No, you solder a wire to the washer that then goes to the ground lug of the volume pot (not the back), the same lug that has a wire going to the ground lug on the output jack. If you go the washer route, make sure to cover it with electrical tape so it doesn't make contact with anything it shouldn't.

Great idea!

New PuPs going in this weekend...gonna try that.

 

[Pwil803]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

So I've got my own question about ground wires myself both the grounds from my trem claw and my output jack have come unsoldered from the back of the volume pot could I possibly just wrap them around the one from my tone pot and everything still work? This is just temporary I just have to wait a few days till I get paid

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

-you can buy something called solder spreader from radio shack, its just like gunk that helps the solder spread better and not clump up.

If you don't have a Radio Shack nearby, any hardware store will carry soldering flux.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

I put all the ground points on a metal washer & solder them in a circle & use that as the main ground, called star ground. check it up - it makes things soooo much easie r& much tidier.

That seems like MORE work since you have to run a wire to the back of the pots anyway for the pots to be grounded. You're just introducing one more item (the washer) to have grounding wires soldered to.

Also, if you are going to do a star, just eliminate the washer and connect/twist all of the wires together and solder them. That's much easier to solder than a bulky washer...it takes less heat, less solder, and the solder flows better. Plus you don't have to worry about getting the washer hot enough to attach one wire without melting off another.

A simple wire connecting the backs of the pots is so much easier and neater if you know what you're doing.

Plus, you also have an extra step of either screwing it down to the guitar body or insulating the washer so it doesn't contact anything it shouldn't

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

I've done the star ground, back of pots, stuff like that. What I've been doing lately is soldering the trem ground straight to the output jack ground lug. That's one less wire in the cavity. Then the pickup ground and volume pot ground wires get hooked up to the same lug on the volume pot. If a tone pot (or 2) is used, it's grounded there as well.

When wiring Strats with SSS, 1V, 2T, 5-way, then I'll run a ground across all 3 pots and ground the pickups to the back of the volume. It's just easier in that situation.

When soldering the wires to the back of a pot, I'll hold the end down (pre-tinned) with the soldering iron tip and get some solder flowing (not gobbing). If it's gobbing up, it's not hot enough. Once the solder flows, I hold the wire with my finger and remove the iron or I'll use the tip of a flathead screwdriver and use that to hold them down while I remove the iron.

Using the screwdriver is a good idea because it also acts as a heat sink to draw heat away from the pot. But...if you're holding the iron with one hand and the wire with the other hand, what do you use to hold the screwdriver?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

No, you solder a wire to the washer that then goes to the ground lug of the volume pot (not the back), the same lug that has a wire going to the ground lug on the output jack. If you go the washer route, make sure to cover it with electrical tape so it doesn't make contact with anything it shouldn't.

And what about the tone pot?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

So I've got my own question about ground wires myself both the grounds from my trem claw and my output jack have come unsoldered from the back of the volume pot could I possibly just wrap them around the one from my tone pot and everything still work? This is just temporary I just have to wait a few days till I get paid

You need to wait to get paid just to solder a ground connection?!

 

[dave74]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

I bring them all to the back of the volume pot at two points.
Usually I bring the main pickup ground and the output-jack to the lug and then bend it over to solder on the back.
The other grounds I twist-up and go to the other side of the same pot.
I get too messy if trying to connect them all individually to the same pot.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

No, you solder a wire to the washer that then goes to the ground lug of the volume pot (not the back), the same lug that has a wire going to the ground lug on the output jack. If you go the washer route, make sure to cover it with electrical tape so it doesn't make contact with anything it shouldn't.

Well, the ground lug of the volume pot still has to be soldered to the back of the pot so the pot will be grounded.

 

[Wolfshead]

Re: Best way to ground when wiring pickups

there are a couple of things you can do which will make it easier:

-i like to rough up the back of the pot just by scratching it a little with a box cutter where the solder will be applied

-you can buy something called solder spreader from radio shack, its just like gunk that helps the solder spread better and not clump up

-i use artery clamp scissors to hold the wires, i just find its easier to hold them steady and you wont burn yourself either

hope this helps

Solder spreader? Do you mean flux? If so, yes, that is an essential IMO, I can't do without it! And, like others, I hold the wire in place using a flat screwdriver or pair of pliers once it's sodlered on.