SD Blackout on EMG wired-guitar, do I need to add a ground wire?

[BrockSamson]

I've been wondering lately. I put a set of Blackout Metal / LW Classic II's in a Jackson that originally had EMGs.

I just used the quick connect wiring that was already in the guitar.

However, do I need to somehow add a ground wire? I get a noticeable amount of hiss/buzz from the pickups. Not sure if it's due to the almost criminally high output of the Duncans or the wiring for EMGs.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: SD Blackout on EMG wired-guitar, do I need to add a ground wire?

Does your Jackson have a vibrato bridge?

If so, unscrew the spring cavity cover plate. Look at the spring tensioning "claw".

Is there an insulated wire soldered to the claw that disappears through the side of the spring cavity in the general direction of the control cavity?

YES? - Your bridge is grounded.
NO? - Run a cable betweeen the "claw" and the underside of one of the control pots.

*

The standard recommendations in the installation instructions of the big two are, SD = yes, EMG = no. Strangely, my LTD EC-401w came from the factory with EMG pickups on a Quik Connect loom that included a bridge ground wire.

 

[Terpdudematt]

Re: SD Blackout on EMG wired-guitar, do I need to add a ground wire?

Hey Funkfingers, I have an LTD EC 1000 with EMGs. I opened up the back plate where you access the pots and I saw 3 wires running toward the tail end of the guitar. I then opened up the battery cavity and saw that only 2 of those wires ran there. Can I assume the 3rd wire is the bridge ground?

 

[Terpdudematt]

Re: SD Blackout on EMG wired-guitar, do I need to add a ground wire?

I looked at the installation instructions and wiring digrams for the Blackouts (all models), and it doesn't say anything about a bridge ground.

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: SD Blackout on EMG wired-guitar, do I need to add a ground wire?

The bridge ground is implied. It's EMG that specifies that you don't need one, but in our opinion it is extremely beneficial.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: SD Blackout on EMG wired-guitar, do I need to add a ground wire?

Hey Funkfingers, I have an LTD EC 1000 with EMGs. I opened up the back plate where you access the pots and I saw 3 wires running toward the tail end of the guitar. I then opened up the battery cavity and saw that only 2 of those wires ran there. Can I assume the 3rd wire is the bridge ground?

On my Indonesian-made EC-401, the control cavity cover plate is triangular with rounded corners. The control cavity itself is a squashed hexagon.

Looking at the longest edge of the cavity, the red/black battery wires are top right.

The black bridge ground wire is roughly halfway along the cavity edge.

All of the pickup and selector switch cabling passes through a wide aperture, lower down in the cavity and roughly one inch to the left of the bridge ground wire.

Logically, the black wire in your EC 1000 that runs to neither the battery compartment nor the pickups and selector switch ought to be a bridge/tailpiece ground.