Early 70's Viking II and the strings, bridge & tailpiece are no longer grounded. I assume that a ground wire has broken/corroded. My question is:
Where does the ground wire connect to the bridge or tailpiece??

The bridge on the Viking II is wood. It has 2 bolts and knurled flat knobs raise a lower a metal bar that carries 6 saddles. The wooden bridge seems fixed to the guitar. The method used for 335's seems unlikely in this case. (for a 335 the bushing for bridge post closest to controls is pressed in hole in guitar, ground wire enters hole for bushing from inside, pressure from bushing maintains contact with wire.)

I would like to ground it the same way as the factory, if possible ... any ideas?

Email  

The ground wire is under the tailpiece.

Simply remove:
- strings (be prepared to catch the bar that holds the saddles and remember its orientation)
- strap button & 3 screws holding the tailpiece (put a cloth between the guitar top & tailpiece to avoid scratches)

Under the tailpiece is a neat little hole with a short loop just below the binding. Simple pressure maintains contact.

I am not sure, but this ground wire is just long enough to reach the output jack. So that's where I attached it.

Also, the underside of the tailpiece had dirt/corrosion/crud on it. So I polished it to ensure good contact.

My symptom: slight hum/buzz unless I was touching both the strings or bridge and a pickup cover. A multi-meter showed no connection between string/bridge/tailpiece and any ground.

All fixed now :)

Email