three Posted 1 hour ago Posted 1 hour ago I have a bit of a problem and hope that some of the technically gifted on here may be able to help. I'm currently( re-) refurbishing my old Gibson Ripper - a long story. It was recently re-finished very beautifully by Bow Finishing. During the process, a Supertone bridge was fitted. The new scratchplate with a new Ripper bespoke circuit arrived from Armstrong last week (pickups tested and updated etc.) and I'm now re-assembling. However, as I tried to re-connect the grounding wire from the bridge (original and pretty fragile) to the pot, the wire snapped at the edge of the hole as it enters the cavity. As one might imagine, the language was dreadful. As the finish is new (poly), I'm pretty concerned about trying to remove the bridge to insert a new earthing wire. The language yesterday when the wire snapped would be as nothing to what might ensue if a piece of finish came away with the bridge. So, a question: is there an alternative means of ensuring good string grounding without a wire from the bridge to the pot? I'm hoping that there's an ingenious way of achieving the same bridge-wire-pot outcome without risk. If not, I suspect that the re-wiring job is one best left to the professionals (my cack-handed amateurism is potentially dangerous). Thanks in advance Quote
neepheid Posted 1 hour ago Posted 1 hour ago (edited) Well, there's the old Fender trick of a ribbon of copper foil going from under the bridge to (in the Ripper's case) the underside of the pickguard? Yes, it's visible, but it's electrically sound, reversible, and easily achieved... Edited 1 hour ago by neepheid 1 Quote
neepheid Posted 58 minutes ago Posted 58 minutes ago To be honest, the gap between a Supertone bridge and the edge of the fingerboard, it would be hardly noticeable... 1 Quote
gary mac Posted 37 minutes ago Posted 37 minutes ago That would work, although for a sound connection he would still need to remove or at least loosen the bridge. 1 Quote
neepheid Posted 26 minutes ago Posted 26 minutes ago 3 minutes ago, gary mac said: That would work, although for a sound connection he would still need to remove or at least loosen the bridge. I did say "under the bridge" - so what you're saying was implied and I didn't really feel the need to explain how that is achieved. The OP spoke of reassembling the bass, so I presume that they're able to loosen some strings then take off a bridge... Quote
three Posted 23 minutes ago Author Posted 23 minutes ago (edited) 16 minutes ago, gary mac said: That would work, although for a sound connection he would still need to remove or at least loosen the bridge. Thanks both and what a lovely Ripper! This might offer a solution - it is a very small gap - though as noted, I'd still need to lift the bridge slightly to ensure good contact. I'll drop Bow Finishing a note too to get a view on the hardness of the finish and likelihood of removing a chunk of it. Edited 20 minutes ago by three Quote
neepheid Posted 22 minutes ago Posted 22 minutes ago Furthermore, I totally get the desire to avoid replacing the bridge wire, because it's a PITA. On a Gibson three point bridge (even with an aftermarket replacement), to replace the bridge wire, you need to remove the bridge mounting bush out of the bass to run a new wire then reinsert the mounting bush, which will probably make it looser (as it's purely friction based), so yeah it's a pisser. Quote
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