Star Grounding
- Thread starter Sniper1
- Start date
man_in_a_blackbox
New member
Re: Star Grounding
I do not know if it is worth doing on your Les Paul. Factory Les Pauls are not shielded this way (or are ESP) and there have been no complaints in the past...
Still, There are 3 very good reasons to 'star ground' a guitar :-
1. by adding a 400v capacitor you might hold off a bad DC surge for a few crucial seconds - a killer shock is no joke.
2. the additional shielding will stop unnecessary buzz and hum from bare wires and components which are obviously not shielded.
3. If you follow all his instructions then you will replace unshielded wires with shielded ones and yes, the circuitry becomes emtombed in shield. That is basically a good idea for a Strat or Tele.
Note: it will NOT stop 60 cycle hum on vintage single coil pickups, but will help a little - especially if you have lo output pups. The pickup rises thru the shielding and it happily receives signals from around the universe...
Note: the chances of a noticable improvement by replacing the earthing to the pots with the shielded base is negligable (the concern of an earthing loop is probably open to debate).
Note: at first I used an electronc spray paint but it became flaky at places and did not conduct when some other places got dirty or eroded with time. I used alu foil for the front plate and robust copper tape for the guitar body.
here is the link:- http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/index.php
I do not know if it is worth doing on your Les Paul. Factory Les Pauls are not shielded this way (or are ESP) and there have been no complaints in the past...
Still, There are 3 very good reasons to 'star ground' a guitar :-
1. by adding a 400v capacitor you might hold off a bad DC surge for a few crucial seconds - a killer shock is no joke.
2. the additional shielding will stop unnecessary buzz and hum from bare wires and components which are obviously not shielded.
3. If you follow all his instructions then you will replace unshielded wires with shielded ones and yes, the circuitry becomes emtombed in shield. That is basically a good idea for a Strat or Tele.
Note: it will NOT stop 60 cycle hum on vintage single coil pickups, but will help a little - especially if you have lo output pups. The pickup rises thru the shielding and it happily receives signals from around the universe...
Note: the chances of a noticable improvement by replacing the earthing to the pots with the shielded base is negligable (the concern of an earthing loop is probably open to debate).
Note: at first I used an electronc spray paint but it became flaky at places and did not conduct when some other places got dirty or eroded with time. I used alu foil for the front plate and robust copper tape for the guitar body.
here is the link:- http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/index.php
ElUnoAstuto
New member
Re: Star Grounding
perluss one
I did it to my strat, and it's quieter than my Jackson with actives
perluss one
I did it to my strat, and it's quieter than my Jackson with actives
CloneRanger
New member
Re: Star Grounding
Reviving this thread, because it looks like it might've been the only one on the subject here, ever. Did my epic Warmoth build (8 years from start to finish) star grounded, and I can't possibly recommend it too much. Buzz is lowered something on the order of 20 dBs, and the difference between touching strings or hardware and hands off is almost negligible. In addition to having "more tone" (because of less noise), the middle position on this 2 p'up instrument has such a defined sound, it sounds more like a virtual middle p'up, rather than bridge & neck parallel. Definitely a must if you're doing a parts project or renovation.
Reviving this thread, because it looks like it might've been the only one on the subject here, ever. Did my epic Warmoth build (8 years from start to finish) star grounded, and I can't possibly recommend it too much. Buzz is lowered something on the order of 20 dBs, and the difference between touching strings or hardware and hands off is almost negligible. In addition to having "more tone" (because of less noise), the middle position on this 2 p'up instrument has such a defined sound, it sounds more like a virtual middle p'up, rather than bridge & neck parallel. Definitely a must if you're doing a parts project or renovation.
