In a shocking...ok totally foreseen...turn of events, I am having difficulty installing the used, pre-wired pickgaurd with EMG SA's. I also can't seem to download the instructions from the EMG website. Please excuse my lack of proper vernacular as this is the first install of pickups that I have ever attempted.

The loaded pickgaurd has 3 leads coming from it:

1. That comes from the battery...suspect this is a ground.

2. Should go to the input jack.

3. Appears to be another ground...does this go to the input jack?

Now when I look at the electronics that I removed...

1. There is a wire grounded to the Tremelo spring holder in the back.

2. Another wire that has an eye on it screwed to the body...does this act as a ground as well?

3. Then a wire inside another wire that runs to the input jack which then splits and grounds to the jack and the other part acts as an input.

So it seems as though there is one less ground wire with the EMG set than I had with the normal fender single coil set.

Any help would be appreciated and hopefully I have explained myself and this was not too confusing.

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CREDO ELVEM IPSUM ETAIM VIVERE

You need a stereo output jack theres 3 wires that go to it, a hot, a ground and a negative from the battery. This is so when you unplug the lead you break the circuit and preserve battery life. Emg's arent the easiest install first time round. Good luck.

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No no and no

That makes sense.

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CREDO ELVEM IPSUM ETAIM VIVERE

So there are no other grounds other than the one to the input jack?

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CREDO ELVEM IPSUM ETAIM VIVERE

Yep that stereo jack is quite important it has 3 lugs and really does save battery life. Are the braided wires properly connected to the volume pot with the white wires going to the switch? Thats a usuall one on emg installs thats done wrong,

I have a copy of the wiring diagram as a word file email me and i'll send it to you as i cant post it here,

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No no and no

No you need a ground to the guitar body too.

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No no and no

No need for a ground to the guitar body if you're talking about string grounding. The active pickups are already grounded in themselves. It says so on every EMG instruction in capital lettering as "DO NOT" I believe.

I tried sending you an email, did you get it?

That diagram would really help!

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CREDO ELVEM IPSUM ETAIM VIVERE

Diagrams sent

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No no and no

EMGs are not grounded to the strings through the spring claw like passive pickups. One of the nice advantages on stage... you can't get electrocuted. (Well, not through your guitar strings, anyway.)

EMG's do use a stereo jack, wired like a switch so that they stop drawing battery power when you unplug the guitar.

That guard should have shipped with the required stereo jack and instructions.

http://www.emginc.com/content/wiringdia ... trat_0.pdf

http://www.emginc.com/search/wiring

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(80’s Hair Metal) = A snapshot in time before Grunge ruined Rock & Roll forever!!!!

Thanks everyone for the help...hopefully I will get to the project tomorrow evening.

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CREDO ELVEM IPSUM ETAIM VIVERE

you also ground the pickups to the bridge and the strings but there was something else about grounding that i can't remember which eliminates all white noise

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Guitars
06 Cherry Red Squier Strat
-- Black David Gilmour Fender Stratocaster (not sig) but with EMGs
-- Epiphone Les Paul Blck Beauty
10 Mahogany & Gold strat

EMG recommends not grounding the strings. However, I always ground them anyway as this practice makes the guitar's circuit even quieter. As to the potential electrocution aspect(s), this should all been sorted out prior to playing, regardless.

FWIW, everyone keeps referring to the EMG jack as a, "stereo" jack". It is NOT a, "stereo jack". Rather, it is a three conductor jack where a second ground is engaged once the jack is plugged into. In this particular situation, this second ground activates the battery and thus, the circuit as a whole. Conversely, unplugging from the jack disconnects the circuit, thus preventing the battery from discharging while the guitar is not being amplified.

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You dig?

An A+ again Martian!