# Grounding an acoustic pick-up guitar

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grounding-an-acoustic-pick-up-guitar/490655>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 24, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grounding-an-acoustic-pick-up-guitar/490655 "2009-03-24T22:14:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jakesteele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed8c4c/32.png) [@jakesteele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jakesteele)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grounding-an-acoustic-pick-up-guitar/490655/1 "2009-03-24T22:14:55Z")

</div>

I am trying to put a pick-up in my acoustic guitar and I can’t figure out how to ground it. Bad cycle hum when I’m not touching the cable. Help!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grounding-an-acoustic-pick-up-guitar/490655/2 "2009-03-24T23:07:29Z")

</div>

What kind of pick up is it? Are you sure it’s not your cable? I have seen this happen hundreds of times or it could be a ground problem in your amp.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grounding-an-acoustic-pick-up-guitar/490655/3 "2009-03-24T23:12:22Z")

</div>

Is this a permanent modification or a clip on pickup?

For a permanent installation there’s usually a ground wire hidden underneath the bridge that connects from the electrical ground to the bridge itself. This electrically connects the guitar’s “ground” to your strings, and requires that your bridge be made out of metal.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jakesteele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed8c4c/32.png) [@jakesteele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jakesteele)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grounding-an-acoustic-pick-up-guitar/490655/4 "2009-03-24T23:28:19Z")

</div>

the pick up came out of a cheap crappy student bass. it’s a single coil pick up connecting to one volume knob and an input jack. i am testing it through a crappy little 30 wt squire amp, so that may have something to do w/it. i’m thinking that it may have grounding issues though. what are your thoughts on this and what can i do to alleviate the problem?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grounding-an-acoustic-pick-up-guitar/490655/5 "2009-03-24T23:37:39Z")

</div>

> [@jakesteele](#):
>
> the pick up came out of a cheap crappy student bass. it’s a single coil pick up connecting to one volume knob and an input jack. i am testing it through a crappy little 30 wt squire amp, so that may have something to do w/it. i’m thinking that it may have grounding issues though. what are your thoughts on this and what can i do to alleviate the problem?

The fact that it’s a single coil pickup is practically guaranteeing hum. Humbucking pickups use 2 coils, and the second one has the magnets reversed polarity-wise and wrapped in the opposite direction from the first. That’s what kills the hum.