How to ground a pickup??

[prusaw]

My Eastman 722ce has an undersaddle pickup with volume control. I was getting a loud buzzing sound from it in church today. When I'd touch the jack with my finger the buzz would disappear. I'm pretty sure I need to ground the system better. Any advice on how to do this? Seems like I could do it myself-- can't be that hard, can it? Would appreciate recommendations.

thanks,

Pete

[leonard d rock]

I would be interested in the answer to this question too. i use an a/e into an eq, chorus and delay into amp. with the effects or not, there is a little hum on my guitar. touching the plug makes the hum disappear

[Gypsyblue]

In a conventional electric guitar the ground would be connected to the outside of the output jack and outer shield of the shielded cable. Also there would be a wire inside the guitar running to the metal bridge saddles and when you put your hands on the strings you would reduce the hum.

Can't think of a way to do that on a conventional acoustic guitar with a plastic or bone saddle.

Sounds like some kind of ground fault in the way things are wired in your church or in the PA.

[Rick Jones]

Plug into a DI with a ground lift....have you tried that already?

With the older Fishman matrix's I used years ago, they did this if the red foil got torn or worn through...I glued a layer of kitchen foil to the bottom of my saddle once when touring, it cured the hum until I got back home and replaced the pickup with a baggs ribbon (back then!).

[dave251]

The simplest method is to make a "ground plane"....a piece of brass or copper that is glued to the bridge plate, and has holes in it to receive the bridge pins. The strings will be forced against it....A wire is run to the "ground" of the output jack....I done dozens of these on UST equipped guitars.

Self adhesive copper foil( like the kind used to shield pickup cavities on electric guitars) works quite well. Stew Mac sells it....