Help confirming diagram: 2 knob strat & guitarnuts shielding

[youenjoymyself]

Hi! I am new to this forum and to wiring guitars in general. I am about to start my first guitar mod project on my strat. It will be a full rewiring (new pickups, SSS) with master tone and master volume knobs only. Standard 5 way selector. However, I will aslo be doing the guitarnuts full shielding and star ground/ common ground. I have never done this type of work and can't find the exact diagram so can anyone confirm that I have it correct? Link below. Any help is much appreciated. Let me know if I need to clarify or change anything. Thanks!!

Link to diagram I made:

i.imgur.com/Qd8vTS8.jpg

Edit: blue wires are ground, red are hot/lead (?). The ground wire going to the tone pot is conected to the ring terminal at the pot mount (as instructed in guitarnuts guide)

[ashcatlt]

Thanks for stopping by!

That'll work. Unless it doesn't You've interpreted everything correctly, and it looks good as long as both pots and the switch contact the shield foil. You don't really need the jumper between the two sides of the 5-way (just take the output from the lug on the side where the pickups are), but it won't hurt anything.

[youenjoymyself]

Thanks for the help! Not sure I fully understand where you say to take the output from the lug on the side where the pickups are. Can I just omit the wire that goes from one side to the other of the 5 way selector? Also, do I need the ground cable that goes under the tone pot or is that taken care of with the capacitor going to the star ground? Much appreciated!

[ashcatlt]

Dec 19, 2014 9:21:38 GMT -5 youenjoymyself said:

Thanks for the help! Not sure I fully understand where you say to take the output from the lug on the side where the pickups are. Can I just omit the wire that goes from one side to the other of the 5 way selector?

Well, you also have to move the wire going to the V pot...

Also, do I need the ground cable that goes under the tone pot or is that taken care of with the capacitor going to the star ground? Much appreciated!

Normally in QTB, the star ground is isolated from the foil shield, and that wire from the shaft of the T pot is the only thing that's likely to ground the shield, so without it, it's kinda not a shield at all. Since you don't seem to be installing the "safety cap" you can get away with connecting the star ground directly to the shield (some folks will just screw it into the side of the shielded cavity) and then eliminate that wire. If your 5-way has a frame ground lug, you could use that for your star ground and then the wire isn't needed either. Whichever way you do it, it requires that the bodies of both pots and the switch actually touch the foil shield.

[youenjoymyself]

I chose to omit the safety cap because I use a new Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III amp and I doubt it would have faulty wiring. Also, I have metal knobs and I think if I understand the QTB info under the "Why a 400V Capacitor?" section, it says they will not be isolated anyways so I don't think that capacitor is worth it. Unfortunately, the CLR 5 way selector I ordered from StewMac doesn't seem to have a ground lug. To avoid drilling a second hole in the cavity, can I connect my star ground to the same terminal I will be connecting the tremelo claw ground wire to? Also, I can't seem to find any diagrams that omit that wire connecting the opposite lugs of the selector. You sure that is OK to leave out? Is it not necessary in my case because of the master tone function? Sorry: I am researching my best about this stuff but I still don't full understand the function of each and every little part.... planning to put it together like following Lego instructions

Edit: forgot to ask, how come the tone capacitor the tone pot to the star ground doesn't achieve this?

ashcatlt, you have already been a huge help! Thank you!! Can't wait to have a quiet strat for once  and I am putting in some Lindy Fralin Blues Special pups which I have been saving up for a while now.

[ashcatlt]

Dec 19, 2014 15:18:51 GMT -5 youenjoymyself said:

I chose to omit the safety cap because I use a new Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III amp and I doubt it would have faulty wiring. Also, I have metal knobs and I think if I understand the QTB info under the "Why a 400V Capacitor?" section, it says they will not be isolated anyways so I don't think that capacitor is worth it.

We don't take much stock in that "safety cap" around here anyway. There are ways to make it work even with metal knobs, but it only helps with a rare minority of faults, and the better way to deal with those is to fix the amp itself.

Unfortunately, the CLR 5 way selector I ordered from StewMac doesn't seem to have a ground lug. To avoid drilling a second hole in the cavity, can I connect my star ground to the same terminal I will be connecting the tremelo claw ground wire to?

Probably, as long as that is continuous to the shield. Or, just tape it off, and run that wire around the T shaft.

Also, I can't seem to find any diagrams that omit that wire connecting the opposite lugs of the selector. You sure that is OK to leave out?

Yes, as long as you move that wire from the V pot to the lug where that jumper comes from.

 Is it not necessary in my case because of the master tone function?

Exactly. It's not a huge deal really, but since you're not actually switching anything on that side of the switch, you don't really need to use that lug. Technically, one might make the argument that with the jumper you're adding a little more noise since you're connecting the hot signal wire to open lugs, which are basically little antennae. In practice, it won't make a difference either way.

Edit: forgot to ask, how come the tone capacitor the tone pot to the star ground doesn't achieve this?

You need something taking all the junk the shield picks up and "dumping it to ground", or the shield does nothing. If the star ground is taped off (per normal QTB instructions), then the only thing connecting it to the shield is that wire around the T shaft. None of the lugs of the pot are connected to its case, and therefore none of them are connected to the shield, and therefore that cap can't help.

ashcatlt, you have already been a huge help! Thank you!! Can't wait to have a quiet strat for once  and I am putting in some Lindy Fralin Blues Special pups which I have been saving up for a while now.

Glad to help. Hope it works out for you.

[newey]

Technically, one might make the argument that with the jumper you're adding a little more noise since you're connecting the hot signal wire to open lugs, which are basically little antennae. In practice, it won't make a difference either way.

A better argument for doing what ashcatlt suggests is that it eliminates two soldered connections, and thus simplifies the wiring. More solder joins means more potential points of failure.

and, to youenjoy-

Hello and Welcome to G-Nutz2!