String Grounding

[skh515]

I read this article online about cutting the ground wire going to the bridge. The idea is, if you touch a hot mic, the strings won't complete the circuit and you won't have your Almonds roasted.

I didn't bother grounding the bridge on my Mahogany Hardtail and I've removed the ground wire on the spring claw of a couple of Strats.

So is this guy just obsessed with electrocution, or is this a good idea?
Has anybody else un-grounded their strings?

Submitted for your approval,
Steve

 

[proxy]

Re: String Grounding

Bad idea. The idea of the ground being there is that instead of the circuit being grounded through your feet to the ground, it is goes through the bridge grounding.

This is why when Tom Morello during I believe the Testify solo stands on a big rubber mat when they did it live. He was touching the guitar cable to different parts of the guitar and the guitar would not be properly grounded this and he could potentially recieve a huge shock. Slim but still possible, thats why he stood on the mat.

 

[skh515]

Re: String Grounding

Bump

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: String Grounding

I've heard people say the shock potential was one reason for using active pickups (no ground) or a wireless unit.

 

[casblah]

Re: String Grounding

I cannot believe that bypassing the ground on your electric guitar is a good idea. It's there for a reason.

 

[skh515]

Re: String Grounding

I cannot believe that bypassing the ground on your electric guitar is a good idea. It's there for a reason.

Yes, but is it a good reason?

:burnout:

 

[Quencho092]

Re: String Grounding

doesn't that cut back on noise or something?

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: String Grounding

I thought that leaving your strings without a ground let them act like antennae for electrical noise...

Chip

 

[theboatcandream]

Re: String Grounding

If I hear a slight hum which goes away when I touch the strings, bridge, or tuners, is that a good or a bad thing?

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: String Grounding

If I hear a slight hum which goes away when I touch the strings, bridge, or tuners, is that a good or a bad thing?

That's a "bad" thing - it means YOU are the ground for the strings.

Chip

 

[Dodger]

Re: String Grounding

That's a "bad" thing - it means YOU are the ground for the strings.

Chip

I dont feel safe anymore. If i play loud i got feedback from the bridge humbucker that goes away if my hands are touching the strings. The guitar has a ground to the claw i know that and on the pots also what can i do to make the guitar ground properly?

 

[theboatcandream]

Re: String Grounding

I dont feel safe anymore. If i play loud i got feedback from the bridge humbucker that goes away if my hands are touching the strings. The guitar has a ground to the claw i know that and on the pots also what can i do to make the guitar ground properly?

Feedback isn't the same thing as buzzing from something being ungrounded...

 

[skh515]

Re: String Grounding

I dont feel safe anymore. If i play loud i got feedback from the bridge humbucker that goes away if my hands are touching the strings. The guitar has a ground to the claw i know that and on the pots also what can i do to make the guitar ground properly?

The grounding of the signal through your body is not harmful, as far as I know. The signal running through your guitar is not very strong, that's why Jack-legs like myself can do they're own wiring without invoking darwinism.

I think the concern is major electrical shock coming from another source, like an ungrounded microphone.

This guy also said that a resistor could be put in the grounding wire to protect you.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: String Grounding

Here's what I've always heard, never happened to me though. In the bad old days of two prong electrical cords on amplifiers, guitarist/vocalist people would actually get shocked on the lips because the amp wasn't grounded. Now that we ground our amps using 3 prong electrical wires, that shock is generally thought to be reduced to almost zero chance.

Like someone above pointed out, you if you lose the safe ground through your instrument, you become the ground. Electricity takes the path of least resistance. A good wired ground will be that preferred path over the human body.

 

[Jocelyn]

Re: String Grounding

ok but what if instead of the bridge a grounding is made through a small metal object in the tone cavity? What I mean is instaed of connecting the bridge as a common ground why not a small metal object instead.

 

[Jocelyn]

Re: String Grounding

anyone

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: String Grounding

ok but what if instead of the bridge a grounding is made through a small metal object in the tone cavity? What I mean is instaed of connecting the bridge as a common ground why not a small metal object instead.

It would work, but the best idea is to have one common ground circuit. I do this all the time when doing residential wiring. I did a 7 wire splice on a lab final I did yesterday. Really, any kind of metal can be served as a ground. This is why there are grounding rods outside of people's homes (which are attached to the grounding section on the main service panel of a home).

As Scott pointed out, electricity will find the fastest and easiest way to ground. That will include you if there is no other way. Elements such as copper are far more conductive than the human body and electricity will always go for that route if it's available.

If there is a bit of hum going away when you touch the strings, I wouldn't worry about it. Some pickups are noisier than others and while a good wiring job will cut it down, if it's still there slightly, you're going to be fine (it's not going to do damage or cause any long term problems for you).

I would make sure that the bridge is always grounded on a guitar. Not only have I found that it minimizes the amount of hum and interference in an electrical circuit, but this way a main part of your guitar will have a proper grounding means so that you won't have to worry about it flowing through you

 

[Jocelyn]

Re: String Grounding

Thanks for the reply . The reason I asked was because, the ground is not connected to the bridge on my guitar. Some one had replaced the bridge and then did not connect the ground to the bridge. I can see the ground wire that originaly conneted to the bridge just lying unconnected. Now the problem here is that the bridge was badly mounted, one screws used to bolt it down does not turn, so I cant even unscrew the bridge and reconnect the ground to it. The action is correct however.

 

[Galaxy]

Re: String Grounding

Thanks for the reply . The reason I asked was because, the ground is not connected to the bridge on my guitar. Some one had replaced the bridge and then did not connect the ground to the bridge. I can see the ground wire that originaly conneted to the bridge just lying unconnected. Now the problem here is that the bridge was badly mounted, one screws used to bolt it down does not turn, so I cant even unscrew the bridge and reconnect the ground to it. The action is correct however.

You don't have to ground the bridge. You can ground to the spring claw, will work out the same. To make my Guitars I also use conductive copper paint for all the electrical cavities and holes that are drilled for the wireing.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: String Grounding

You don't have to ground the bridge. You can ground to the spring claw, will work out the same.

This is true. Because it is all connected, grounding the spring claw will effectively ground the bridge.