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Post subject: Why so many ground wires?
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 9:57 am
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I'm currently wiring a strat. I was googling pics of harnesses from different eras mostly to see exactly what caps they used at those times. I saw many older ones up to about 1985 then the rest were all only a few years old. Then I noticed something odd. None of the older ones had the pots connected to each other with a ground. Fender has made improvements and innovations over the years but grounding isn't new. The pots are all in secure contact with aluminum and thereby eachother. If the volume pot is grounded to the trem claw and cavity shielding, isn't the loop across the other pots useless overkill? If not, then why isn't the body of the selector switch in that loop?
early 60's
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Post subject: Re: Why so many ground wires?
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 12:02 pm
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With time aluminium shield and pot / switch body could have bad contact . With soldered wire never ground problem.

Wjy some new guitars have no soldered wire between pots ? Cost cutting ?


Last edited by stratele52 on Sat Apr 13, 2013 1:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Why so many ground wires?
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 12:38 pm
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Pots and switches do get loose over time, you're supposed to tighten them.
It's the new ones that have the ground wire. That's what made me wonder. Maybe the old shielding was better, but I doubt it, aluminum is still aluminum. I know the '62s had an actual sheet of aluminum, but the ones in the pics seem to just have foil like the new ones use.

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Post subject: Re: Why so many ground wires?
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 4:09 pm
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In addition to the pots becoming loose over time, their toothed washers will eat through the aluminum shield and hence, the integrity of the foil as a ground is compromised.

And yes, CBS did stop with the ground wires as a cost cutting measure.

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Post subject: Re: Why so many ground wires?
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 4:35 pm
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I've read some discussions that say that they create grounds loops in their wiring scheme. I think Fender would know if this was true. Do you guys think there is any truth to that?

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Post subject: Re: Why so many ground wires?
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 6:35 pm
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The 1'st pick is pre cbs.
As you tighten the nuts the lock washer has more contact, not less. It starts out with just the teeth in contact and ends up with the flat part in contact, as well as a larger surface area of the teeth. My #1 strat is over 23 years old and I've only had to tighten the pot nuts once.

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Post subject: Re: Why so many ground wires?
Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 1:16 am
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Deluxe Matt wrote:
I've read some discussions that say that they create grounds loops in their wiring scheme. I think Fender would know if this was true. Do you guys think there is any truth to that?



Myself I never read anything about that.


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Post subject: Re: Why so many ground wires?
Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 1:14 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
Deluxe Matt wrote:
I've read some discussions that say that they create grounds loops in their wiring scheme. I think Fender would know if this was true. Do you guys think there is any truth to that?



Myself I never read anything about that.


http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/shield3.php

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Post subject: Re: Why so many ground wires?
Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:20 pm
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Deluxe Matt wrote:
I've read some discussions that say that they create grounds loops in their wiring scheme. I think Fender would know if this was true. Do you guys think there is any truth to that?


To have a ground loop, there would have to be two different sources emitting different voltages. This is clearly not the case in a typical Strat wiring.

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Post subject: Re: Why so many ground wires?
Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:23 pm
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I figured it was something like that. My guess was that the voltage was so low that it did not matter. Thanks.

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Post subject: Re: Why so many ground wires?
Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:30 pm
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Deluxe Matt wrote:
I figured it was something like that. My guess was that the voltage was so low that it did not matter. Thanks.


Any time!

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