How to improve ground connection to bridge post?

[candy apple]

My Jaguar which is grounded through the bridge makes a lot of crackling sounds whenever the vibrato is used or the bridge is touched or moved in any way. This is because the electronic connection between the screw that adjusts the bridge up and down and the thimble is inconsistent.

Does anyone know how to make it so there is a solid connection between the bridge height adjustment screw and the thimble it sits in?

[timtam]

There shouldn't really be an inconsistent connection between the bridge height grub screws and the thimble. Unless maybe the bottom of the thimble is full of accumulated debris. Might be worth looking down the thimbles with a strong light/magnifier ? How far do the conical-tip grub screws extend out of the bottom of the posts/how much is still in the posts ?

But you could also add an additional ground wire via the trem cavity. With the bare wire end sandwiched between the edge of the trem and the body. Ideally your body is already drilled for that tunnel between the main and trem cavities. If not, it requires a long 'aircraft' drill bit, that can be oriented almost parallel to the top surface. I've managed to do it with a Dremel with the flexible extension arm, to get down low to the surface, but it wasn't totally straightforward. That ground wire will ground the strings and the bridge (unless you have tusq saddles).

[candy apple]

I tried cleaning out the thimble and the conical screws stick out plenty from the posts. Yeah a ground wire to the vibrato would solve the problem, but there is no hole drilled to put a wire.

[JSett]

...but there is no hole drilled to put a wire.

Easy fix

[fisonic]

Might be a poor connection between the outside of the thimble & the ground wire.

[candy apple]

Thanks folks. I ended up drilling a hole through to the vibrato cavity and attaching a ground wire there and the problem is solved.

Its surprising nobody else seems to have this issue. Seems like a design flaw to have the ground wire attached to moving parts.

[skeletonpower]

Thanks folks. I ended up drilling a hole through to the vibrato cavity and attaching a ground wire there and the problem is solved.

Its surprising nobody else seems to have this issue. Seems like a design flaw to have the ground wire attached to moving parts.

I need to do this, but I'm lazy.

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

When I was assembling my Double Bound Jazzmaster I didn‘t know the ground wire should go between thimble and bridge-screw… used the sandwich method I knew from my Jag’s Vibrato and put it between wood and thimble… everything fine and silent ever since…