Star Grounding question

[pack2113]

I've have read over the Star Grounding instructions several times and I have a question for the more knowledgable. I've noticed in the picture 5b( ) and a few others that there is a wire to the far left of the picture that I can't figure out where it goes. The instructions may say where to solder the wire I just may be misunderstanding it. Thanks for any help.

[ChrisK]

It likely goes to the same point as the wire in 5A goes to, which would be the pickup selector switch.

[pack2113]

I don't think that were talking about the same wire. I am talking about the wire that is soldered in with pickup grounds and output jack ground that is on the ring terminal of the capacitor. I may just be over looking where that wire goes in the directions. You seem to know a lot about this stuff so I'm sure you know where the wire goes that I'm talking about. I apologize for the lack of knowledge I'm showing but I'm VERY new to this kind of stuff.

[ashcatlt]

I don't think it matters where that wire goes as long as you get the point of the illustration. All signal returns are collected at this ring terminal and isolated from all shield connections by way of the isolation cap.

Anyway, it's probably meant to represent the wire from the ground side of the volume and tone pots.

[ChrisK]

Oh, you meant the (color unspecified) wire(s) not quite that far left.

As ashcatlt sezs, it (they - the two black wires (color specified) that go south on either side of the isolation cap) go to the ground terminals/lugs (and not case/shell backs) of the volume and tone pots and the output jack. This node (circled in pink in fig 5A) is connected to the amp ground also known as the output jack sleeve. Unfortunately, this point and the output jack plate ARE at amp ground and hence, the jack plate is still a shock hazard.

Also, in fig 4, the removal of ""ground loops" is moot. These are no longer ground/signal conductors, but shield points. As a result, no signal and hence no current flows, and a loop is meaningless.

The reason that the pot shells are connected by wires is that the cavity/pick guard shields are SHIELDS and NOT signal conductors, and are unreliable as such.

Manufacturers are businesses. They get to keep the difference between product cost and product sale price. As a result, one can rest quite assured that they would not spend a penny more than empirically necessary.

This shell wiring IS done for a reason!