Having grounding issues

I tried this posting on the main forum but didn't get any replies. I hope double posting is ok:

I decided to make my first soldering job an Esquire wiring. I believe I'm having grounding issues.

My final connection is my ground wire from the bridge. When I touch it to a pot, it cancels the signal entirely (no sound at all). When unconnected and freestanding, the hum is bad but also gets much worse when my finger touches the bridge.

I haven't unscrewed the bridge plate to see if there is something wrong with the grounded wire though.

Yellow = hot wire from PU
Black grounded to tone pot = ground wire from PU
Wire with tape = wire coming from bridge

disclaimer - my soldering and wiring job sucks, I know

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy178/JustBrianAY/photo1.jpg

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy178/JustBrianAY/photo2.jpg

Just an idea, it sounds like your bridge plate is shorted to the hot lead on the pickup. When the bridge ground wire is free the plate which should be grounded is on the hot side and the hum gets louder when you touch the bridge. When your bridge ground wire is connected to the pot both the hot and neg leads of the pup are electrically equivalent = no sound.

Could it be that your pickup came with the wires backwards, or the plate attached to the wrong lead? Or something is shorted somewhere.

Quite possible - I'll try to switch my pickup wires when I get home.

Would it be best to buy a multimeter from RadioShack or something to make sure which one is the hot wire? Thanks.

Reverse the yellow/black wires on the pup.

Does your pickup have a metal base plate? Was it used when you bought it?

There is definately something crossed from hot to ground and it isn't your jack leads.

If your pickup was used and has a metal base plate, it is very possible that the previous owner used it with another maker's pickup (fender perhaps) and had to reverse the leads to get it in phase with the neck pickup. In doing so the small jumper wire from the base plate may have been moved from the black lead to the yellow lead. If so, simply swapping the leads in your control area as suggested above should fix the problem since its an esquire. Try moving the yellow pickup wire to ground and the black pickup wire to the switch.

Reverse the yellow/black wires on the pup.

That might do it. Also, some of those leads and the cap might short out when you put the panel back in. I'd wrap them with a piece of electrical tape.

...and yes, you should have a multimeter! It should be required equipment with every guitar sale...seriously, if you're going to do any electrical work at all a multimeter is absolutely essential - a book about basic electronics wouldn't hurt either.

Most of us ol' pharts took "shop class" in high school - one quarter of wood shop, one of metal shop, one of "mechanical drawing" (drafting) and one of electronics. It was required, at least in California. And it's amazing how just that little bit of knowledge can help with things like this. It's a shame those classes died a couple (or more!) decades ago.