Guitar Star Grounding Myth

[alex73013]

I've been reading up on several different grounding methods mainly to make things cleaner and easier inside the guitar. I've always been perplexed by the notion that you have to ground everything at the same point which seems somewhat impossible if you have a shielded pickguard since that would be a point where everything is grounded in addition to the central ground you designate which is the grounded to the ground point on the output jack.

Here's a good article on someone's blog that explains the myth: http://searcystringworks.blogspot.com/2009/04/buzz-kill-star-grounding-myth.html

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Guitar Star Grounding Myth

Yes, it’s nonsense. A guitar has a single ground which is the output jack via the amp.

People who claim you can have ground loops don’t understand what a ground loop is.

All grounded parts in a guitar are at the same ground potential.


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[alex73013]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

Yes, it’s nonsense. A guitar has a single ground which is the output jack via the amp.

People who claim you can have ground loops don’t understand what a ground loop is.

All grounded parts in a guitar are at the same ground potential.


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I bet in a couple years the next fad will be to have a bunch of ground wires from the various components going directly to the outer sleeve of the output jack.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

I bet in a couple years the next fad will be to have a bunch of ground wires from the various components going directly to the outer sleeve of the output jack.

I’m quite sure I’ve seen that done!


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[Chistopher]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

Here's a good article on someone's blog that explains the myth: http://searcystringworks.blogspot.com/2009/04/buzz-kill-star-grounding-myth.html

Some of the comments on that are pretty funny. One guy was trying to say that star grounding doesn't allow the signal to go through all the components.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

Star grounding was a big thing 20 years ago online.

 

[aiaosu]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

I have a Squier Strat I got a good deal on...sat in the garage (hot) for a year collecting dust. When I went to play it (I'm a newbie), it had tons of noise and squealing.

Talked to a guy who told me it was a ground issue and he tried grounding from different places and shielding. That didn't solve anything.

Ultimately, the volume and one of the tone pots (cheap stuff) were bad. Once I replaced the cheap pots and wiring, no more grounding issues...and with just the standard strat ground.

Bottom line, I found that the electronics in my guitar are a basic circuit. Cheap parts, bad wiring, pickups, etc have a lot to do with noise and grounding. I could have attached 5 ground wires to each part and it still wouldn't fix the problem. I also learned to apply common sense and time proven methods and not just listen to popular theory. Just my 2 cents.

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[Clint 55]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

Having broken components doesn't suggest grounding and shielding is purposeless.

 

[aiaosu]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

I didn't mean to suggest it was meaningless or purposeless. I was trying to say that, in my case, shielding and trying to run additional grounding didn't address the issue. I actually don't know how the shielding affects my guitar as the guy I was talking to installed shielding prior to me switching out electronics, which did address the problem.

In the context of this discussion, we don't know that running additional grounding or shielding should be the go to.

Having broken components doesn't suggest grounding and shielding is purposeless.

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[Mikesr1963]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

Star grounding was a big thing 20 years ago online.

Truth.

The guitarnuts website was the go to place then and they still exist but the theory has changed.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

With a lot of conductive paint and noiseless pickups you don't have to worry about grounding any of the components, just ground the paint and you basically have a Faraday cage.

It's still always good practice to ground your components.

 

[Nagisa]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

Ha, everyone knows the REAL solution to buzz is to buy more gear. A new noise gate, new pickups, one of those $60 dehummer things, a new psu, a new guitar, a new house, a new wife, an island in the bermuda triangle. Eventually you’ll either solve the issue or stop caring about it

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

I like buzz and hum. It's how I know everything is on and how loud it is.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

With a lot of conductive paint and noiseless pickups you don't have to worry about grounding any of the components, just ground the paint and you basically have a Faraday cage.

It's still always good practice to ground your components.

Tape is much better than paint for shielding though.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

I bet in a couple years the next fad will be to have a bunch of ground wires from the various components going directly to the outer sleeve of the output jack.

Cthulu grounding!

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Guitar Star Grounding Myth

Tape is much better than paint for shielding though.

I've found that too, but paint is so much easier to use and both get the noise down to a negligible level.