Originally Posted by: LordathestringsThat means [u]not[/u] using the back of the control pots as a ground connection!

If it's done correctly, and they all tie to a common ground point (the guitar's output jack), I don't see what the problem is. It's been done that way for decades, and I've never had a grounding problem on any instument I've had wired like this.

If you use an iron with insufficient wattage, and the shield ends up being more tacked on with the solder's flux than actually making a good conducting connection -- or the potentiometer's case has some sort of coating that isn't conducive to soldering -- then I could see where problems could occur.

Anchoring the cable in this manner has the advantage of taking stress off the signal lead connections to the potentiometer lugs (which are usually stranded wire, that can eventually fail if stressed repeatedly from movement).

I agree that a potentiometer case really isn't acting as any sort of a "shield" for anything -- but inside of a wooden guitar control cavity you typically don't have much else to work with.

Unless things have changed over the past couple of decades. I admit I haven't been worked on guitar internals in a long time now.

C.K. (donning asbestos underwear) :)