Wiring diagram's for idiots

[ocguy106]

Like the subect says. I know that there has been diagrams posted in the past and I have searched the web and found quite a few. I used to own a stereo shop and can run through 12v, radios, alarms you name it no problem. But none of the diagrams I have seen so far show exactly how to do the grounding. I see they have a ground and I assume it goes to the bridge. but some have it grounded to the pots themselve and others don't. Add to that I won't have a bridge it is string through with TOM. So is there a wiring diagram out there that has actual pictures to follow? That is what I am looking for.

Thank You

 

[dbw]

You can ground wherever you like!  It's easiest to pick one spot, like the back of one of the pots.  So long as there are no loops in the ground anywhere is fine.  By the way, you'll need to ground even the string-through TOM... they come with a ground wire installed.  If you're shielding the guitar it's easier still since all the pots will be grounded to start with.

 

[jackthehack]

There are many different wiring diagrams, but unless active pickups are installed:

1.) Bridge should run to one of the common grounds
2.) The back of all pots should be grounded to one another (back of vol pot typical choice for "common" gnd point)
3.) Typically tone caps get grounded back to back of tone pot
4.) #1 lug of volume pots get grounded to back of volume pot
5.) Common gnd. MUST go out to gnd on output jack.

Shielding will NOT necessarily ground your pots. Use the wiring diagrams on the Seymour Duncan website; they cover almost every application and typically do not leave anything out other than the bridge grounding wire on some diagrams.

If you have some pickup/switching combination NOT covered on the SD site, you can always post here for answers

 

[Alfang]

All metal parts that are not a signal path should be grounded, dont worry about the term "ground loop" it's just not a problem, not in the guitar anyway,  just ground everything.

 

[Xplorervoodoo]

5.) Common gnd. MUST go out to gnd on output jack.

THANK you...  I've been researching wiring diagrams, trying to refresh what I learned in my brief electronics section of my mechanic's course.  I knew that grounds had to either literally connect to the ground, or to the negative post of a battery.  It just didn't click that the output jack connected to the power source (i.e. battery, wall outlet, whatever) :tard:

Heh, now I feel slightly less stupid.  But only slightly!  :laughing7:

You'd be surprised how many sites that describe guitar wiring leave that out.  I even have the "Guitar Electronics for Musicians" book, and even that failed to mention that simple little statement.

 

[ocguy106]

Xplorervoodoo

It's funny cause I read the post and I kept thinking the samething too. And I kept wondering how to fully ground wood. I just didn't wrap my head around were the ground was coming from...then I read your statement and it all make perfect sense to me know. I, like yourself feel slightly less stupid now.

Thank You.....back to waiting as I think my order is going to take several months to fill....getting anxcious already and I know I am not ever close to delivery.

 

[stubhead]

A lot of diagrams show all kinds of wires grounded to the pots, at the same time you're supposed to avoid overheating them and frying them. On rocket science guitars, I've come to the point of screwing a little eyebolt into the cavity, making sure each pot had one ground wire. Then I hook all the other ground wires to the eyebolt, heat the jeebers out of it with a 140 watt gun and ground them all together. If you think about the idea that you might want to unhook some wires and rewire stuff sometime (it'll happen...) it kind of makes sense not to load up a pot with all kinds of grounding functions. Somebody here (CB?) is doing something similar with contact strips, I think.

 

[jackthehack]

CB does the contact strips. For doing guitar/bass wiring you really don't need any thing more than a 15-25w soldering iron like the $7.95 ones from Radio Shack work just fine. Don't get within a mile of a vol/tone pot or a guitar/bass circuit with a 140w iron or a pro Weller unit unless you have the output dialed WAY down; I have WD2000M units at work but wouldn't think of using them to wire up a guitar.  I have access to If using the CTS pots Warmoth sells, you need to take a dremel/file/etc. and rough up the chrome to get solder to stick to them, else you can wind up overheating them enough to create issues even with a low wattage iron.

 

[kataar]

and sandpaper works as well. i just use some general purpose 150 grit, and it roughs it up nice.

 

[Tweed]

Why not ground to the pots, bridge, and shielding?

 

[Phrygian]

Why not ground to the pots, bridge, and shielding?

IMO, ideally you want to have a single common ground point as close to the input jack ground as possible.  Assuming a master volume pot, the easiest way to do it is to bring all of the grounds together to the volume pot case, and run shielded cable from the input jack to the volume pot.

 

[stubhead]

Why not ground to the pots, bridge, and shielding?

Yes, but I think of it as grounding from them, but:

the easiest way to do it is to bring all of the grounds together to the volume pot case, and run shielded cable from the input jack to the volume pot.

Agreed also (gosh I'm in a happy mood dis moanin'), but the point I was making is it's easiest on the volume pot if you've only got a single soldering point to it, and a single solder to each of the other pots. Many diagrams show 2, 3, even 4 wires soldered to a pot's back and besides exponentially increasing the risk of frying it, it makes for an extra task to change pickups, pots or caps later. I like to solder the dainty stuff like pots & caps with a quick shiny 30 watt melt, but pull my grounds together next to the output jack on a separate point and solder them up with some juice. There are some things like the ground to bridge, the output jack and connecting the foil shielding to itself where a big gun can't hurt anything so I do those first. (The evil emanations from a 140 watt gun can actually eat pickup's magnets, besides frying them, so I keep them apart for sure.)
I hate soldering, yet I love rocket-science-wired guitars, so I try to figure out ways to get it over with soonest.
I've had nightmares about soldering.... :help: :blob7: bzzzt... bzzzt....

 

[DiMitriR33]

CB does the contact strips. For doing guitar/bass wiring you really don't need any thing more than a 15-25w soldering iron like the $7.95 ones from Radio Shack work just fine. Don't get within a mile of a vol/tone pot or a guitar/bass circuit with a 140w iron or a pro Weller unit unless you have the output dialed WAY down; I have WD2000M units at work but wouldn't think of using them to wire up a guitar.  I have access to If using the CTS pots Warmoth sells, you need to take a dremel/file/etc. and rough up the chrome to get solder to stick to them, else you can wind up overheating them enough to create issues even with a low wattage iron.

jack i like a hot iron on the pots, means you get it hot and soldered quickly, i don't sujjest to use anything over 75 watts though. and if you're in experienced i'd go 30w but once you get good a hotter iron gets on the pot backs gets it done faster meaning less heat exposure and lowers the chance of causing damage. i have 3 irons now. a 15w a 45w and a 60w i find i can use the 45 on anything in the guitar, the 60 is a bit too hot for pot lugs and switches, the 15 makes grounds difficult to get hot enough for good adhesion on pots.

 

[jackthehack]

"Many diagrams show 2, 3, even 4 wires soldered to a pot's back and besides exponentially increasing the risk of frying it"

You twist the ends together and attach with a single solder join

 

[DangerousR6]

I got a lot of help from this place when trying to figure out how to wire mine, plus I studied some of my other guitars......