Wiring... I just can't seem to get my head around it...

[Rexel Matador]

Hi all,

 

I'm building a bass with PJ pickups. I want it to have a stacked master volume/tone pot and a blend pot (to save space). I have found a wiring diagram, but I'm still struggling to understand where all those grounds are supposed to go. The diagram doesn't include the bridge ground wire.

 

I also intend to shield the cavity with copper tape, and that will need to be connected to ground too, right?

 

If someone could explain it to me like I'm a 5-year-old, that would be much appreciated. If I'm going to keep building basses, I really need to figure this stuff out.

 

I'm determined not to do my usual thing of just using EMGs because it's all done for you!

 

Edit: forgot to post the diagram...

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Rexel Matador

[Hellzero]

Can you show that diagram?

[Rexel Matador]

Just now, Hellzero said:

Can you show that diagram?

Just edited my post to include it - brain hasn't fully woken up yet!

[Hellzero]

Quite easy, but harder to explain to a 5 years old kid, but I'll try.

 

I'm on my third coffee, so it will help.

[Hellzero]

First of all, all shieldings wherever they are must be grounded otherwise it's useless.

 

Don't forget to shield the pickup(s) cavity too and star ground it.

 

All the wires going to earth have to be star grounded including the wire coming from the bridge.

 

Star grounding simply means that all these wires come to a single point, here, for example, in the control cavity on the copper.

 

Is it clear enough?

 

Do you understand the rest of the diagram?

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Hellzero
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[Rexel Matador]

Yep - ground everything to a single point on the copper shielding. Got it. Much appreciated!

[Rexel Matador]

It won't have a pickguard, so presumably I should put shielding in the pickup cavities and have wires running from there to the grounding point in the main cavity too? Does it actually have much effect given that they're not enclosed, as it were?

[Hellzero]

The effect of a fully grounded shielding is silence, so shielding the pickup cavities will have a huge impact on the final signal to noise ratio.

[Rexel Matador]

Thanks again, much appreciated. I get it in theory now, so as long as my soldering skills are up to the task, it should be all good!

[Norris]

10 hours ago, Rexel Matador said:

Yep - ground everything to a single point on the copper shielding. Got it. Much appreciated!

... and then connect that to the ground connector on your jack socket (the outer connector, not the signal connector that the tip of the jack plug touches)