Metal pickup rings for Jazzmaster HH?

[ChrisDesign]

So I have a standard l Jazzmaster with Humbuckers in pickup rings. If I swap the black plastic rings out for chrome ones, do I need to ground Them? I know the bridge and pickup covers need grounding.

[Danley]

They should be grounded by the pickup screw (assuming the pickup baseplate is grounded by a bare wire from the humbucker.)

[jvin248]

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No reason to ground the trim rings.

"Metal" trim rings are a chrome-like coating over plastic.

If you are looking to fix noise issues, replace the two wires from the volume pot to the jack with shielded cable and use shielding tape in the cavities.

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[Embenny]

I have some humbucker rings that are solid, chromed metal, and Danley is correct that they will be grounded by the screws as long as the baseplate (+/- cover if there is one) is grounded.

[ChrisDesign]

The pickups are grounded by the pickup wires. The nickel covers are soldered to the base plate. My metal pickup rings are solid metal.

I’m going to investigate more shielding options.

[Danley]

The pickups are grounded by the pickup wires. The nickel covers are soldered to the base plate. My metal pickup rings are solid metal.

I’m going to investigate more shielding options.

Shielding and grounding are different things, though any shielding should always be grounded. Do you have a noise issue? Humbuckers usually don’t require as much shielding as singles; Gibson Les Paul cavities usually do not have shielding for example, although it can still be helpful.