Frosty329 Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 Hi all, I’m building my first guitar and I’m definitely hooked, plans for the second already. I’m just a bit stuck on the best way to get an earth wire to the bridge? I’m building a strat style shape but without a scratch plate and using a hardtail bridge. What’s the neatest way to get the wire from the controls cavity? Do I need to drill an access hole from under the bridge through to the cavity? I would appreciate any help! cheers Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 The usual approach is to use a long, thin drill bit and angle it from the area where the bridge makes contact with the face of the guitar, such that it exits into the side walls of the control cavity. I use a 150mm long 1/8" drill bit for this purpose. The wire you poke through the resultant hole just gets a few cm of insulation stripped off and the pressure of the bridge being screwed to the body keeps the exposed copper strands in contact with the bridge plate, thus providing an electrical connection for your string ground. If you're using a bridge with a black coating don't forget to sand off any paint to expose bare metal underneath where the wire makes contact. The wire will not make an electrical connection through paint. Here's the rough idea I use. In this case it's for a multiscale bridge with individual saddles, but the principle is the same. You can skip the steps involving the use of conductive aluminium tape if you want. As long as the stripped wire makes contact with bare metal undeneath the bridge and isn't at risk of pulling back through the hole you should be good: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 @curtisa nailed it. In case your next build has a wraparound or tune-o-matic bridge, the idea is similar. However, since the bridge is above the body the ground wire channel starts from the nearest stud hole. The pressure of the stud ensures good contact for a bare wire there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty329 Posted June 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 @curtisa Thankyou very much, perfect explanation and the photos were really helpful! @bizman62 A wraparound is a definite for the next guitar, thanks for the heads up on that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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