
Image 1
Get out your DMM, and let's explore the simple ways to ground Strats, Teles, and Les Pauls. The good news is, there is no such thing as overgrounding.
We'll break this down into two sections. Today, we'll talk about grounding in general and different ways to do it. In part two, we'll focus on grounding legs on the casing of a pot, like on the Stratocaster's master volume pot. And we'll come back to all this in a future column about how to shield pickguards and compartments the right way, which is also an important part of the grounding system.
Before we start, let's remind ourselves: We're talking about grounding in passive guitars, so we're talking about your standard Stratocaster, Telecaster, Les Paul, and the like. We're not talking about your amps, stompboxes, grandma's old steam radio, and other active devices.
In other words, it doesn't make a "better" grounding, but for showcase reasons, this is a cool option, anyway ... you hear with your eyes, too.
The good basic news is that it's not really hard to understand and you only need a simple digital multimeter, or DMM, set to continuity to analyze the grounding system in your guitar. I usually set it to audio or "beep mode," so you don't have to watch the display of your DMM. It's really simple: When it beeps, there is contact. If not, there is no connection.
More good news: There's no "over-grounding." But there are things you can do wrong and then you're in trouble. My favorite on the "Grounding Pet Peeves" list is closing the ground ring on Les Pauls, ES-335s, and similar guitars. As you can see in Image 1, the ground ring is not closed, but many people like to add another ground wire, which I've marked blue, to "enhance" and complete the wiring because they feel that there's something missing. What happens if you do this? You created a perfect antenna to pick up radio and CB signals, so you can play along with your favorite radio station.
So, please don't do this. Sometimes less is more. Rant over ⦠for now.
Image 2
Image courtesy of singlecoil.com
For today's guinea pig, I chose the Stratocaster, but will also elaborate on other guitars. Let's have a look at how to connect all casings together to ground them. The two basic rules of thumb are:
1. When your pickguard, control plate, or compartment is conductive, you don't need to add any ground wires to the individual components. They're already connected together because their metal parts are touching the conductive surface. This is the shield underneath a Stratocaster pickguard, the metal control plate on a Telecaster, or the metal "cage" you can find in some Les Paul models where the pots are installed through. But always try before you trust! Use your DMM set to continuity and do a test to see if the surface is really conductive. If it is, your DMM will show (or beep) continuity. This is especially important when you see black shielding paint anywhere in your guitar. It should be conductive, but in most cases, it's simply black paint to mimic shielding. On some models, like an ES-335 and similar, there is neither a shield nor any conductive paint underneath the top, so there is no way around using wires to ground all metal parts. If you're unsure, always run a wire from part to part to ground it. Even if the surface is conductive, it will do no harm to have double-grounding.
2. All this will only have an effect when you connect the system to the string grounding wire, by simply soldering it to the back of a pot, to the ground lug of your output jack, or to the copper foil underneath your pickguard, etc. Whatever you prefer. This wire usually comes from the tremolo claw in a Stratocaster, from underneath the bridge plate in a Telecaster, or from one of the studs on a Les Paul, ES-335, etc. If you are unsure which of the wires is the right one, the test is really simple: Use your DMM with one probe on the stripped wire you want to test and the other touching one of the metal strings. Continuity? Congratulations, this is the string grounding wire.
Image 2 shows the most minimalistic grounding version: Underneath your Stratocaster pickguard is a conductive shield (same for the Telecaster metal control plate). Install the pots and the switch and that's it. No additional wire connections are necessary, as the conductive shield will connect all parts. Use your DMM with one probe on the back of the pot and the other touching the shield, and then repeat this procedure with all three pots and the switch.
Image 3
Image courtesy of singlecoil.com
This is a Fender Stratocaster from 1959, and you can see there are no additional ground wires from pot to pot. The shield underneath the pickguard makes the connection and this is the way all early Fender guitars were grounded. Leo Fender was an educated accountant, well known for not wasting anything, and his defined goal was to build guitars in large quantities but in a short and cost-effective time. So why waste a piece of wire when you don't need to, and why waste time for such an operation when it's not necessary?
The second grounding version involves simply running a wire from one metal part to the next. This can be an insulated wire or a bare solid wireāsometimes tubing is used with bare solid wire to insulate it. The diameter of the wire is not important: A heavy-gauged wire won't make a better ground, in this case.
Image 3 shows the grounding version with simply a bare solid wire running from part to part. Image 4 shows the grounding version with tubing over the wire running from part to part. Please note that both pickguards in Image 3 and Image 4 don't have a conductive shield. Also note that there is a wire running from the volume pot to the 5-way pickup selector switch to ground it as well.
Image 4
Image courtesy of singlecoil.com
On some guitars, you can see that a ground strap is used to connect the parts, but this is the same principle and only a variation regarding materials. John "Dawk" Stillwell (may he rest in peace), the former guitar tech for Ritchie Blackmore, was well known for using this technique, and you can see what this looks like in Image 5.
Image 5
Image courtesy of singlecoil.com
It looks pretty cool but has no advantage over using an insulated wire or bare wire. In other words, it doesn't make a "better" grounding, but for showcase reasons, this is a cool option, anyway ... you hear with your eyes, too. As you can see, this pickguard has a highly conductive copper shield, so any connection between the parts is obsolete anyway.
So, what version is the best, you might ask? For me, it's using a bare solid AWG 19 wire (also sometimes called "ground bus wire") that I only put sleeve on in certain guitars, such as a Les Paul. On all Fender guitars, and especially in any Stratocaster, I use it bare for some good reasons. With this technique, you can minimize the number of soldering spots and it offers some great advantages that you'll see in the second part of this series when we talk about grounding legs on pots.
Why is it important to minimize the number of soldering spots on the cases of the pots? It not only looks neat and tidy and saves time and material (Leo Fender would have chosen this technique for sure), but it also minimizes the risk of damage from overheating, which is the most important reason for me. The easiest way to damage a pot is to overheat it, especially when attaching a ground wire to the back casing. It usually takes 60 watts of power for this, and with a wrong soldering technique this can be a real disaster. I've discussed this topic before, but if you aren't familiar, read my column "How to Install and Maintain Your Guitar's Pots," from the May 2020 issue.
I'll share two advantages, shown on a Stratocaster, of why I prefer this technique. (I'll give more advantages in the sequel installment of this column).
Image 6
Image courtesy of singlecoil.com
In Image 6, you can clearly see on the casing of the pot that there is only one soldering spot to connect the wire. With an insulated wire running from pot to pot, you would have two soldering spots or you have to heat it up for a second time. Next, look at the leg of the tone capacitor that needs to be connected to ground. Instead of making an extra soldering spot for it on the case or heating up an existing soldering spot for a second time, I simply solder it to the ground wire and that's it. The still unpopulated soldering spot on the back of the case is for the string grounding wire.
That's it, for now. Next month we'll continue our relic'ing project, focusing on the pickup and its cover, so stay tuned.
Until then ... keep on modding!A sample page from the authorās analog log.
Seasonal changes are tough on your acoustic. Hereās how you can take better care of your prized instrument.
As you read this, spring is in bloom in most of the US, or maybe it has been for some time. Iām timing this column specifically to ask acoustic guitarists, in this season of increasing humidity and comfortable conditions, to prepare for whatās coming. Itās never too soon, and time flies. Before you know it, weāll be back to the maintenance phase and you might be blowing up the phones of your local guitar shops, luthiers, and techs. Iām here to encourage a decidedly old-school approach to preventative guitar maintenance, and yes, it starts now.
Why, you ask? Well, as the lead luthier at Acoustic Music Works, I can tell you that in my nearly 15 years in this position, this was the worst winter ever for preventable repairs on acoustic guitars. Fret sprout, bridge lifts, top sink, soundboard cracks, back cracks, loose binding, general malaise⦠These hit us very hard in the winter that spanned 2024 and 2025. Am I complaining? On the one hand, no. This is part of how we make our money. On the other hand, yes! Repair schedules related to dryness and humidity issues can stretch into weeks and even months, and nobody wants to be without their favorite instruments for that amount of time. With a little thoughtfulness, however, you might get through next winter (and every one thereafter) without hefty repair bills or time apart from your musical companion.
Our preparation is going to start with an unlikely but very important guitar accessory: the humble notebook. Plain, lined, grid, day planner⦠it doesnāt matter. We all need to actively participate in our instrument maintenance, and in my experience, fancy apps that track humidity via Bluetooth breed a kind of laziness, a feeling of safety that might prevent us from actually physically looking in on conditions. Better we keep an analog, well, log, so that we know where things stand, and I suggest checking in daily.
āThis was the worst winter ever for preventable repairs on acoustic guitars.ā
Track your relative humidity, both in the case and in the room where your instruments mostly reside, but also take notes on your action height, top deflection (StewMac has some great tips for measuring this) and anything related to playability that you believe you can observe empirically.
Dryness is the root cause of most guitar issues that manifest in the fall and winter months. Symptoms of dryness include sharp fret ends, falling action and dead frets, sunken top around the sound hole, and cracks and bridge lifts. With your trusty notebook, youāll get a feel for the sensitivity level of your instrument, and that knowledge is power!
A few other basic implements will not only assist you in your observations, but may also satisfy your need to buy guitar-related things (at least for a minute). Getting quick and comfortable with a fret rocker is a great skill to have, and is invaluable in diagnosing buzzes due to high frets or frets that have come unseated due to dryness. A well-calibrated relief gauge might seem luxurious, but it can prevent you from making unnecessary or extreme truss rod adjustments. A string action gauge, or even a simple machinistās rule or set of feeler gauges, will help you keep track of your action. Get a three-pack of hygrometers so you can average their readings, rather than depending on one.
Lest we forget: A guitar can not only be too dry, it can also be too wet. By beginning your maintenance diligence in the spring/summer, youāll also be able to tell if your instrument is the victim of a too-humid environment. The signs of over-humidification are subtle: Your action may rise from a puffed-up top, and in extreme cases, glue joints could begin to fail. In my experience, an over-humidified guitar will suffer from dulled tone, almost like a sock in the sound hole. If youāre sensing a lack of clarity in your guitar all of a sudden, start with new strings. If it persists, it might be due to over-humidification, and you may want to introduce a desiccant to the case for a time. The more lightly built your guitar is, the more sensitive it will be to seasonal changes.
By getting into these habits early, youāll be empowered by knowing your instrument more intimately. Youāll understand when and why changes in tone and playability might have occurred, and youāll hopefully save on repair bills year-round. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Who knows? I might just send you a notebook with an AMW sticker on the cover!
This wonky Zim-Gar was one of many guitars sold by importer Gar-Zim Musical Instruments, operated by Larry Zimmerman and his wife.
The 1960s were strange days indeed for import guitars, like this cleaver-friendly Zim-Gar electric.
Recently I started sharing my work office with a true gem of a guy ⦠one of the nicest fellas Iāve ever come across. If youāve been following my column here, you might remember my other work mate Dylan, who is always telling me about new, fad-type things (like hot Honey guitars) and trying to convince me to use AI more. (What can I say, heās a millennial.) But Steve, on the other hand, is about 10 years my senior and is a native New YorkerāBrooklyn actually, from the Canarsie neighborhood. Steve is a retired teacher and spent many years teaching in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn, and man, he has some amazing stories.
Mostly we talk about music and sports (heās exiled here among us Philadelphia sports fans) and heās just endlessly interesting to me. He has a huge appetite and can eat a whole pizza. When he talks, he sounds like one of the Ramones and he still has an apartment in Rockaway Beach. We both love Seinfeld and, like George Costanza, Steve knows where all the great bathrooms are across New York City. Since heās been added to my circle (and is such a mensch), I decided I should work him into a column.
So hereās the connection: Back in the day there were many American importers, dealers, and wholesalers. A lot of them were based in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, but I only know of one guitar importer located in Brooklyn: Gar-Zim Musical Instruments. The company was run by Larry Zimmerman and his wife, and the couple had some success importing and selling Japanese guitars and drums. I used to see early Teisco imports with the Zim-Gar badge, which was the brand name of Gar-Zim. Iāve also seen Kawai guitars with the Zim-Gar label, but the Zimmermanās seemed to sell cheaper and cheaper gear as the ā60s wore on, including the piece you see here.
āThis build reminds me of the cutting boards I used to make in wood shop back in my high school days.ā
The model name and factory origin of this guitar is a mystery to me, but this build reminds me of the cutting boards I used to make in wood shop back in my high school days. The guitar is just flat across the top and back, with absolutely no contouring or shaping. Its offset body is plywood with a thin veneer on the top and back. From a distance this guitar actually looks kind of nice, but up close you can see a rather crude and clunky instrument that offers little flexibility and playability. The non-adjustable bridge is off center, as is the tremolo. It was really hard to get this guitar playing well, but in the end it was worth it, because the pickups were the saving grace. Another example of gold-foils, these units sound strong and raw. The electronics consist of an on/off switch for each pickup and a volume and tone knob. The tuners are okay, and the headstock design is reminiscent of the Kay ādragon snoutā shape of the mid to late ā60s, which is where I would place the birthdate of this one, probably circa 1966. Everything is just so goofy about this buildāeven the upper strap button is located on the back of the neck. It reminds me of that era when simple wood factories that were making furniture were tasked with building electric guitars, and they simply didnāt know what they were doing. So, you get oddities like this one.
Gar-Zim continued to sell guitars and other musical instruments through the 1970s and possibly into the ā80s. I once even saw a guitar with the label Lim-Gar, which is totally puzzling. I think there shouldāve been a Stee-Gar designation for my new buddy Steve-o! Yes, good readers, with guitars and me, there are always just a few degrees of separation.
Dive into the ART Tube MP/C with PG contributor Tom Butwin. Experience how this classic tube-driven preamp and compressor can add warmth and clarity to your sound. From studio recordings to re-amping and live stage applications, this time-tested design packs a ton of features for an affordable price.
Art Tube Mp Project Series Tube Microphone/Instrument Preamp
Designed in Rochester NY and originally released in 1995, the Tube MP is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025.
The Tube MP/C is the most fully-featured member of the Tube MP family, designed for recording guitarists and bassists. It is a tube mic preamp and instrument DI with advanced features including an optical compressor/limiter and switchable line/instrument output levels for use as a re-amping device.
Guitarist Scott Metzger and his Lollar P-90-loaded Creston T-style onstage with LaMP, next to organist Ray Paczkowski.
The guitarist, who splits his time between the groove-driven jam band supergroup and Joe Russoās Almost Dead, energizes the Tele vernacular on One of Us.
āNight after night playing next toDean Ween was really my foundation for learning what it means to be a lead guitarist, and how to do a gig, and the pacing of a gig, and a lot of things that I still consider really, really important lessons,ā says guitarist Scott Metzger. Heās thinking back to his formative years in the small town of New Hope, Pennsylvania, about 40 miles north of Philadelphia and across the river from his hometown of Lambertville, New Jersey. It was there, on the intimate, low-ceilinged stage at eclectic musical outpost John & Peterās, that the guitarist cut his teeth next to the Ween co-founderāreal name Mickey Melchiondoāas a member of Chris Harfordās Band of Changes, which Metzger joined at just 17 years old.
āThey treated me like a kid, man,ā he continues. āThey really put me through the paces. There was a lot of hazing, and there was some tough love on a lot of those nights.ā
Metzger estimates he left it all on the John & Peterās stage hundreds of times, forming an old-school style of musical apprenticeship that can be heard in his playing today, three decades later. In any of the improv-heavy settings where he tends to find himselfāsuch as his collaborative trio, LaMP, with members of the Trey Anastasio Band, the transformative Grateful Dead tribute Joe Russoās Almost Dead, or in freelance situationsāMetzger takes the patient and complementary approach of someone playing the long game. Heās a supportive and colorful collaborator who, to make a baseball analogy, always seems to have a good read on the musical ball, equally adept as a finely attuned rhythm player or commanding lead voice. For that, he offers a lot of credit to those early days.
Guitarist Scott Metzger and his Lollar P-90-loaded Creston T-style onstage with LaMP, next to organist Ray Paczkowski.
Photo by Andrew Blackstein
āI kept my mouth shut and my eyes open,ā Metzger explains, āand I learned what it takes to become a good, competent guitarist and what it means to have a distinct voiceāDean Ween has one of the most distinct lead guitar voices in rock ānā roll as far as Iām concerned. But not only that, also how to support a singer, and how to play a song, and when not to solo, which is just as important as knowing when to.ā
Metzger remembers his early teen years, learning tunes by the Ramonesāhis first concertāand Jerseyās own Misfits, and getting turned ontoHendrix bootlegs and Boredoms records at New Hopeās Now and Then shop. Later, Melchiondo expanded his psychedelic worldview, hipping him to P-Funkā specificallyEddie Hazelās guitar workāand theAllman Brothers.
Metzger at home in Brooklyn, surrounded by an inspiring array of gear and posters.
Photo by Andrew Blackstein
It wasnāt long until Metzger put all those early lessons to work on the road. At 19, he was playing with his experimental trio F-Hole at Princeton, New Jerseyās Small World coffee when Phish guitaristTrey Anastasio wandered in. āAs soon as we get done playing,ā Metzger recalls, āhe makes a beeline to me and basically started interrogating me about who I was listening to and what I was into gear wise and what kind of guitarists I was into. What I didn't realize was that he was basically auditioning me in real time to be in his friend Tom Marshall's band, who writes all the lyrics for Phish and was putting together a band at the time.ā
Metzger scored the gig with Marshallās Amfibian, playing sold-out shows on the road and opening him up to a whole new musical world. āI wasnāt that familiar with Phish at all,ā he points out. āBut I knew I liked being up in front of all those people and being able to just play all night. I was really kind of a focal point of the band, and that was my introduction to what is now considered the jam band scene.ā
Fast-forward to the present: Metzger is a formidable member of the jam scene. Heās led and collaborated on a host of projects, including WOLF!, with bassist Jon Shaw and drummer Taylor Floreth; the blazing country-swing trio Showdown Kids, with his wife, violinist Katie Jacoby, and guitarist Simon Kafka; and his resplendent, forward-thinking 2022 acoustic-focused solo record, Too Close to Reason. In 2013, he teamed up with his longtime pal drummer Joe Russo, along with guitarist Tom Hamilton Jr., bassist Dave Dreiwitz, and keyboardist Marco Benevento, in forming Joe Russoās Almost Dead. Colloquially known as JRAD, the group, in a sea of reverence, treats the Grateful Deadās songbook almost as if itās an edition of the Real Bookāthe shorthand jazz-standards tomeācracking open the large catalog and infusing their own voices with every improv-heavy performance.
Scott Metzgerās Gear
Guitars
- Creston T-style
- Ronin Songbird
Amps
- Headstrong Verbrovibe 1x15
- Victoria 35210
Effects
- Bearfoot Putting Green Compressor
- Benson Germanium Fuzz
- Paul Cochrane Timmy overdrive
- Interstellar Audio Machines Octonaut Hyperdrive
- Analog Man-modded MXR Phase 90
- Ibanez Analog Delay
- Keeley 30ms Double Tracker
- Benson Delay
- Wilson Wah pedal
- Line 6 DL4
- Voodoo Lab power supply
Strings and Picks
- DāAddario NYXL .011s
- Dunlop Prime Tone 1.0 mm
Being a part of a Dead tribute act was never part of Metzgerās plan. In fact, he says he wasnāt all that familiar with the bandās catalog. āI wasnāt sure I was the right guy for the band,ā he says. But with exploration and personal vocabulary so paramount in JRAD, Russo knew Metzger was the right guitarist for the job.
āYou have to be willing to get in there and do your thing and make your mark unapologetically,ā Metzger muses. āThat's something that's made us stand out in a world of bands that are playing those songs.ā
JRAD has developed a large, dedicated following, rising to the top of the Dead tribute scene. āThe size of the audience that we have is mind blowing,ā Metzger points out, āand the fact that the audiences are willing to go to the places musically with us that we take it, it almost feels like we're testing how much we can get away with a lot of the time.ā
Metzger and LaMP bandmates Paczkowski and drummer Russ Lawton. āThose two guys are kind of celebrities up in Burlington,ā he says, āso it's like doing a gig with the mayor or something.ā
Photo by David Gray
These days, JRAD makes up about half of Metzgerās current gig commitments, and LaMP fills the other. The trio was formed one night in 2018 at Burlington, Vermontās jam nexus Nectarās, when the guitarist joined forces with keyboardist Ray Paczkowski and drummer Russ Lawton, both longtime members of Trey Anastasioās solo band, who also work as the psych-funk duo Soul Monde. āRight off the bat, there was a chemistry that was going to work,ā Metzger recalls. āThose two guys are kind of celebrities up in Burlington, so itās like doing a gig with the mayor or something. The whole town came out to see us, the place was packed, and I think it was very clear to everybody there that night, including us, that it would be a crime not to do it again.ā
LaMP builds on the long history of the organ-trio tradition, referencing ā60s ensembles helmed by Grant Green and George Benson, the Metersā soulful funk, more modern jammers like Medeski, Martin & Woodāand most notably their late-night groove collabs with guitarist John Scofieldāas well as thrill-seeking, forward-leaning groups like John Abercrombieās Gateway Trio and Tony Williamsā Lifetime, all while embracing the spirit of rock ānā roll abandon. As unabashed and freewheeling as that might suggest, Metzger and company shoot for a tasteful sonic experience more than a barn-burning blast-off, and at the fore of the bandās sound is a shared improvisational language built upon close listening just as much as any influence. āThe real thing that weāre focusing on,ā Metzger shares, āis having a good feel, a group sound, and some catchy melodies. Those things are enough to carry the thing without having to worry about ripping some blazing solos every song.ā
This year, LaMP released One of Us, the follow-up to their self-titled 2020 debut. Itās filled with live-off-the-floor energy, or as Metzger puts it, āfresh tension.ā The mostly first and second takes heard on the record, with barely any overdubs, successfully capture the bandās collaborative heart, making One of Us a ferociously spirited listen from beginning to end. āI like records that are made really quickly on low budgets with the clock ticking,ā Metzger conveys. āYou can feel that a little bit on the record. Itās not too polished. It's like you can feel that itās three guys in a room playing together.ā
LaMPās One of Uscaptures the bandās effervescence with a set of mostly live-off-the-floor first and second takes.
Throughout One of Us, Metzger showcases his deep fluency in the Telecaster vernacular. With his Creston T-style, a chambered all-black affair loaded with Lollar P-90s, he slings lyrical licks that offer nods to the masters of the form, all the way back to the first Tele virtuoso, Jimmy Bryant through aces Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton, Jim Campilongo, and Steve Cropperās deep pocket. (In JRAD, Metzger calls on a Ronin Songbird loaded with DeArmond gold-foils, but his vocab and approach remain much the same.)
Metzgerās take on the tradition is less virtuosic gunslinger than most of those maestros, instead favoring a more complementary approach with an ear toward supporting the group. To that end, he keeps his sound mostly on the cleaner end by reserving a load of potential sonic energy. āI crank the amp,ā he says, pointing out he prefers to set his comboāeither a Victoria 35210, a 2x10 Fender tweed Super copy, for LaMP, or a Headstrong Verbrovibe 1x15, a replica of a 1963 Fender Vibroverb, which he favors for JRADāto 7 or 8 so itās fully opened up. A self-described āminimalist pedal guy,ā he keeps four punch-packing pedalsāa Bearfoot Putting Green compressor, Benson Germanium Fuzz, Paul Cochrane Timmy, and an Interstellar Audio Machines Octonaut Hyperdriveāon at all times. As hairy as that may suggest, Metzger maintains clarity, he explains, by keeping his guitar volume set between just two and four. That means that when he wants, heās just a crank of the volume knob away from a wide-open, full-throated sound.
YouTube It
LaMP deliver the knotty mid-tempo groove of āJasperās Worldā from One of Us from a concert in fall 2024 at Bostonās Wilbur Theater.
His approach to pedals says much about Metzgerās playing style in general. Thereās always a load of possibility on reserve, and you can sense it. Heās not one to frequently lay sonic waste with a technical assault, but, rather, a massive map of potential musical avenues is perpetually close at hand, with his ear in the driverās seat.
Listen to Metzger in just about any situation, whether as a bandleader, bandmember, or just sitting in, and thereās an obvious musical set of ethics in placeāand itās probably been in effect since his early days at John & Peterās. The responsibilities are something like work hard, support others, be ready to deliver at all times, and, maybe above all, be yourself.
āI was told in no uncertain terms,ā he recalls, āthat the important thing about being a musician was to find your own thing. Youāve got to stand on your own feet. The ultimate goal that weāre all still working on is to sing our own song with our own voice.ā