Question on grounding

[sztriki]

Hi all, I'm kinda noob with electronics and stuff like that, but can handle a solder and the wiring diagram that came with my pickup set is so straightforward I can't really screw it up. However, I do have a question.
I have a Schecter C1 Blackjack which normally comes with SD Blackouts, but I bought it second hand and it was fitted with active EMGs. Now, I'm not too keen on any active pickups, especially EMGs, so they have to go. I bought a SD Distortion Mayhem set but the thing is the EMGs don't need any grounding, while conventional humbuckers do. As far as I know they normally lead a wire to the trem claw or the bridge posts depending on the bridge type.
First of all I don't know if the SD Blackouts need to be ground, because if they do then I should have some way of grounding, but there's nothing leading to the bridge (there's no tailpiece, just the Tune-o-Matic, it's string-thru-body). My question is that does it need to go to the bridge (ie. something that I normally touch with my hand while playing) or can I lead the ground to any metallic surface that is not connected to anything? There's a battery socket, so if I just put a screw or a piece of metal there would it do for grounding?
Thanks!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Question on grounding

For passive pickups, you must have a wire connecting to the Tune-o-Matic bridge. Hopefully, the Blackouts wiring harness will have included this.

The bridge grounding wire needs to run from the control cavity to the hole for the threaded metal insert where the bridge post is installed. If there is no existing hole for this wire, some lucky person is going to have to drill one.

In my opinion, this is not a job for newbies.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Question on grounding

If there isn't a wire there, I'd definitely add one.

I can think of about four ways to do this off hand. Two are "official" ways and two are "cheater" ways.

Official ways:

1. Drill from the bridge post cavity into the pickup cavity. Pass the wire through the pickup cavity on the way to the control cavity. This is not a hard drilling job at all, though it requires a longer ground wire.

2. Drill from the bridge post cavity straight to the control cavity. A bit more critical in terms of drilling properly, but still not hard.

Cheater ways:

1. Drill just like in #1 above, except solder the pickup wire to the pickup's baseplate instead of in the control cavity.

2. This is the REAL cheater way. Don't drill the body at all. Just drill a little notch in the bottom rear of the bridge pickup ring, and use a black-insulated wire run over the top. One end tucks into the bridge post cavity, and the other end gets soldered to the pickup baseplate or gets passed into the control cavity and grounded there.

In any case, the key is to have a drill bit that is long enough to allow you to drill at the right angle. Also, you just need a tiny hole – just big enough to get a wire through freely.

 

[BlueTalon]

Re: Question on grounding

I should have some way of grounding, but there's nothing leading to the bridge (there's no tailpiece, just the Tune-o-Matic, it's string-thru-body). My question is that does it need to go to the bridge (ie. something that I normally touch with my hand while playing) or can I lead the ground to any metallic surface that is not connected to anything? There's a battery socket, so if I just put a screw or a piece of metal there would it do for grounding?
Thanks!

The whole point of grounding is to eliminate the possibility of unwanted signal or noise or voltage. Anything with a metal exterior, like your pots or your bridge, should be grounded. That's why you always see ground wires going to the bridge on a well set-up guitar, and ground wires soldered to the back of your pots. (That's not the only way to ground your pots, but it's the most common, and probably the most reliable.) Ultimately, everything that's grounded is going to connect at non-signal side of the jack.

If you are doing guitar surgery, now would be a great time to shield your guitar, if you're interested in doing that. Long story short, shielding is also grounded, meaning it also connects at the jack.

 

[sztriki]

Re: Question on grounding

Thanks for the replies, I'll take the whole stuff apart during the weekend. If I find no hole leading to the bridge post I'll either drill one (given that I do have a drill bit of proper length) or just use the "cheating" method.
Also, I did think about shielding, would help a lot as my 80s Laney AOR tends to become very noisy with high output pickups such as the SH-6.