..sheilding "wire"...

[dougray]

...where can one buy the thin 26ga? bare wire that is soldered from pot.to pot. for grounding/sheilding etc. i think its aluminum?..or what can i use..TIA

[mikecg]

Sept 9, 2023 11:22:28 GMT -5 dougray said:

...where can one buy the thin 26ga? bare wire that is soldered from pot.to pot. for grounding/sheilding etc. i think its aluminum?..or what can i use..TIA

Hey there - Doug,

You can buy 26 awg tinned copper wire - I think you call it buss or bus wire in the states - from Ebay - from an outfit that goes by the name of Remington Industries.  They will sell you a 25 foot length for around $10. If you can make do with a shorter length, try looking for a card of fuse wire in a local hardware store. You are looking for copper or tinned copper wire, and the gauge is not too critical for guitar wiring, as the 'amperage' is very low. Sometimes - if you are lucky, you can find useful lengths of discarded house wiring in a dumpster, and if you strip off the insulation you will find a bundle of thin bare copper wire - just right for guitar ground wiring!

Here's a link to the Ebay seller:

www.ebay.com/itm/372103157350?hash=item56a3139666%3Ag%3AfSQAAOSwDNdVw2Kr&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8Pa9yj7ISsu1L9qgcW2z8XC336OzSPnzikNyRrfxYSGvKOCHWc%2Bpx3TJsI1WjmPlpWVhhOsTkeIJBxyCEKetbh1L7RGL%2B6%2FtB1dNfLgJvX5%2FuYVHMoqoQy4GqtrwV5gtUNCdtSL1N5pyjsrlRX0tPYqFAlekwHduj6meFKbcYimSQTWJvAC%2Fdw98VUaUiWkdf%2B7muSfW9MMGUwU2NJhbv56kYN49CCEBH1xUgUilr8QOE8OcvFDBWiTW1%2BLIr4g4R%2BNdPbZ6unFcfxvp%2Fo7Gf3eRJ9dePHeTL2vp01j9%2B6vvm8JT3mBr9BNMWDtDkBElHg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6b6ib7PYg&shqty=1&isGTR=1#shId

[sumgai]

Sept 9, 2023 16:57:41 GMT -5 mikecg said:

They will sell you a 25 foot length for around $10

$0.40 per foot? That's a tad expensive, I think.


Instead, find some multi-wire flat cable used in older computers. Either for old floppy or hard drives, or other peripherals. Used computer shops, or repair shops, usually have a bunch of this stuff laying around, often on its way to the dumpster. This stuff is most often 24 or 26 gauge solid core, an ideal size for use in guitar modding projects.

Separate away as many individual pieces as you need, strip back insulation as needed, break out the soldering pencil, and you're good to go!

HTH







sumgai

[newey]

The wire used for that grounding doesn't need to be bare. I typically use the same 24 gauge wire I'm using to wire everything else, usually in a different color for visual reference. Guitar makers don't use insulated wire for those runs because bare wire is cheaper, but I've already got plenty of the insulated wire that I'm using, so no need to buy big lengths of a different type of wire.