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Posted

run a ground to the back of your volume pot, then run a wire from there to the bridge or the Trem claw in the spring cavity (if you have a strat).

when you put the wire on the output jack solder the ground/shield to the back of your volume pot then its all grounded.

Posted

For maximum hum elimination, you have to ground somewhere continuous with the strings. The bridge is the most convenient, but on strats they often use the trem claw... much easier... the strings touch the saddles, which touch the base, which is connected to the block, which has metal springs running to the trem claw... all metal, all continuous.

The "safety" issue is that if you plug into an incorrectly-wired outlet, or your amp has its "reverse" switch flipped the wrong way, you can be on the receiving end of a shock. The solution isn't really to accident-proof your guitar, it's to always carry an outlet-checker in your gig bag, and check outlets before you plug in. :D Do it in advance so that if it's just one fluke outlet, you can find a way to run your power cord to one that's wired up correctly. If they're ALL screwed up, have a word with the manager to let him know... you might save someone's life. :D

Greg

Posted

Nah. I'm pretty sure when you touch the strings, you become part of the shield, not the ground. Guitars that are REALLY well-shielded will present very little difference in hum between when you're touching the strings and not. That's because your body's not really adding much to the equation when the shielding's already kick-butt.

As for your bass, dunno. Guitars with active electronics don't have the strings grounded. EMG says not only that it doesn't help, but that it's incorrect to ground the bridge/strings when using their pickups. Dunno exactly why, but I believe them. :D

It's also possible that your bass's pickups are bucking the hum really effectively, so that you're not noticing a difference between when you're touching and not...?

But in any event, yes it's considered common practice to always ground the bridge of guitars/basses that feature passive pickups.

Greg

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