Grounding capacitors

[tone]

Hi guys.
I'm looking over a schematic before installing new pickups, pots, etc. And I was wondering where you all ground your capacitors to? This schematic is for a HSS wiring and uses two caps. If one leg of the cap has to connect to a lug on the tone pot, where do you ground the other leg? Anyone have pictures to show?

Thanks!

 

[Curly]

Re: Grounding capacitors

back of the pot

 

[tone]

Re: Grounding capacitors

So If I have it on one lug of a tone pot, I can ground it to the back of that same pot?

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Grounding capacitors

yes

 

[Artie]

Re: Grounding capacitors

But do understand that the back of a pot isn't ground until you ground it. Ultimately, everything you call "ground" must be connected to the sleeve terminal of the output jack.

 

[Amateur]

Re: Grounding capacitors

It may not be a bad idea to have a single point ground. That is to connect all ground wires to one location before you connect it to the sleeve of the output jack.

 

[Sludgenutz]

Re: Grounding capacitors

It may not be a bad idea to have a single point ground. That is to connect all ground wires to one location before you connect it to the sleeve of the output jack.

True, and you can use one long wire off of the outer terminal as a buss.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Grounding capacitors

I generally use the back of the pot, but essentially you can hook it up to anything that´s grounded such as the cavity shield, black wire of a vintage single coil, tailpiece ground....

Back of the pot is just practical is all

 

[tone]

Re: Grounding capacitors

It may not be a bad idea to have a single point ground. That is to connect all ground wires to one location before you connect it to the sleeve of the output jack.

Yeah I was thinking of putting together with all the pickup grounds on the back of the volume pot. But I don't think the cap would reach there from the tone pot? I need to find some pictures of how people do it. If anyone has some and feels like posting, please do!

When putting all grounds to one central point, like the volume pot, do you guys suggest to twist them all together and use just one solder joint? Or put them all on separately?

 

[Fritz6]

Re: Grounding capacitors

You can twist them all together. But if you want to do some pup swapping/tinkering, you'll have to desolder all the grounds to get the one out that you want. Unless you just cut it off.

Radio Shack has metal terminal strips that you can solder to the back of the pot. Bout 1/2 wide by 2-3/4 long. They're thin, heat up quick and have plenty of room for all the grounds.

Don't have to use them. But I think they come in handy if you're star grounding and you think the back of the pot might get a little crowded.

 

[Fritz6]

Re: Grounding capacitors

Also, a while back I was thinking of ways to reduce ground wires and came up with these:

Screw a terminal strip to the bottom of the control cavity. Solder the bridge and jack ground to it.

Then solder a wire to the strip and run it up thru the ground lug of the pot and then up onto the back of the pot. Solder the wire to the lug and the back of the pot.

Doing this eliminates two ground wires from the back of the pot. Grounds the shielding too.