I have a 1973 Gibson SG and while I was replacing some pots a while ago the ground wire snapped. Now when I play it of course there's a really loud buzz unless I'm touching the input jack. For our last recording, I clipped an old guitar string to the input jack and then taped the string to my pinkie, but I'm not so sure this little contraption would work well live.

Anyway, anyone have any tips on how to replace a ground wire? It looks like Gibson places the ground wire in the socket that the bridge pin gets glued into. At least that's what they did in 1973. Is there any way to run a ground wire without having to remove that pin somehow? If I have to remove that bridge pin, how would I do that? If it's too much for my meager ken, any idea how much it would cost to have a tech replace the ground wire? Any help would be appreciated.

I would advise against attaching it to your pinkie, you can get electrocuted by that.

With fenders, they attach the ground to the bridge. dunno where they attach it with an SG. If you're into the ghetto style fix, connect between the output jack and the bridge with a piece of wire.

eliya

eliya wrote:I would advise against attaching it to your pinkie, you can get electrocuted by that.

With fenders, they attach the ground to the bridge. dunno where they attach it with an SG. If you're into the ghetto style fix, connect between the output jack and the bridge with a piece of wire.

eliya

Thanks for the response. Yeah I am *really* wary of dodgy electricity, that's why I only used the "pinky ground" in my own home studio, where I know the ground is safe.

I'm after a bit more permanent solution, I have a feeling a wire on the outside of the guitar wouldn't hold up after a show or two.

dre wrote:I'm after a bit more permanent solution, I have a feeling a wire on the outside of the guitar wouldn't hold up after a show or two.

earlier, dre wrote:I have a 1973 Gibson SG and while I was replacing some pots a while ago the ground wire snapped.

I know Im going out on a limb here, but have you considered replacing the snapped ground wire or reattaching it?

endofanera wrote:I know Im going out on a limb here, but have you considered replacing the snapped ground wire or reattaching it?

See thread title.


The thing is, and I also have this problem, is that the ground wire goes through a very narrow hole. Reattaching it would necessitate removing the stud that the bridge inserts into, as far as I can tell. And that looks to be difficult to do.

zom-zom wrote:

endofanera wrote:I know Im going out on a limb here, but have you considered replacing the snapped ground wire or reattaching it?

See thread title.


The thing is, and I also have this problem, is that the ground wire goes through a very narrow hole. Reattaching it would necessitate removing the stud that the bridge inserts into, as far as I can tell. And that looks to be difficult to do.

Ah. Wasnt clear to me from the title that it had snapped off up inside the hole. I guess I should have surmised that.

Yeah, that's a bear to fix. Ive done half-assed repairs on Les Paul Jrs by just running a bare ground wire out from the back of the pickguard and soldering it to a bridge post stud, but that's ugly and, as stated, half-assed, albeit perhaps less so than a wire taped to the pinky.

If you cant reach the wire then I dont think there's an easier way to fix it than pulling out those bridge studs. Not fun.

Just fill the fucking hole with melted solder. If the wire from the bridge is still attatched and in there somewhere you'll get a connection, then you can glob the cavity-end of the ground wire into that silvery hole. Mmm, sweet silvery hole. It's just an SG and it can take it. Take it in the sweet silvery hole. Mm mmm.

Boombats, in spite of his disgustingly electro-erotic spin, has a good idea.

I just fixed my guitar. I pulled out the ground wire, it offered no real resistance. The length however, appeared to be the full piece of wire.

I shoved it back in as tightly as I could, and attached a VOM to the wire and the bridge. A connection was made. I then shoved a slightly larger diameter piece of wired into the hole, wedging and pushing the ground wire in more.

Then, I got the iron up to the highest setting since this is just a thick, bare steel wire that I'm attaching to another.

The thick, delicious silvery solder entered the hole, sliding it's richness a fair distance, sealing the circuit, I should hope.

zom-zom wrote:Boombats, in spite of his disgustingly electro-erotic spin, has a good idea

[killjoy]

Not agreed.

Chances are that the solder won't make it to the end of the hole and you'll be more fucked than you already were.

And even if it does make it, if you get a dry joint you'll end up with incurable on/off/on grounding.

[/killjoy]

Do you mean a "cold" solder? I've soldered miles of connections, I know what I'm doing.

Of course it didn't make it to the end of the hole. I merely wanted to seal the end of the hole. I wiggled things, shook things around and the connection is solid, tight.

And if I need to do so, easily removable.

Do you have a better idea?