J Bass grounding issue?

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thatfenderguy
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J Bass grounding issue?

Post by thatfenderguy » Fri Sep 17, 2021 1:55 pm

Hey, guys. Question. Ive got this bastardized fender/squier j bass and I’m getting some really intense buzzing. It will go away when I touch the control plate, pedals, or my amplifier but not when I touch the strings. It looks like the ground wire is attached to a screw in the control cavity. Any ideas?

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HarlowTheFish
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Re: J Bass grounding issue?

Post by HarlowTheFish » Fri Sep 17, 2021 3:17 pm

There should be a run of wire to right below the bridge, which is where the bridge and the strings are grounded. Maybe pull the bridge and give it a look-see to make sure it's in place there and connected to the rest of the grounding.

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thatfenderguy
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Re: J Bass grounding issue?

Post by thatfenderguy » Fri Sep 17, 2021 6:31 pm

The ground wire runs from the electronics to a screw in the control cavity.

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HarlowTheFish
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Re: J Bass grounding issue?

Post by HarlowTheFish » Sat Sep 18, 2021 8:51 am

There should be a ground of some sort running to the bridge too. What seems to be going on is that your control plates and pots are grounded, which is why the noise stops when you touch them, but the bridge and strings are not, which is why they don't seem to be doing anything. You just need to run a wire from the bridge to the rest of the grounding if there isn't one already there.

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marqueemoon
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Re: J Bass grounding issue?

Post by marqueemoon » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:33 am

Some Jazz Basses aren’t routed under the bridge for a ground wire and instead have a strip of copper that runs between the bridge pickup and the bridge.

Obviously you’ll know right away if there’s a channel for a ground wire once you remove the bridge, but you may be able to tell by doing some research.

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