Making a McCarty Fingerrest Pickup

[floatingpickup]

How do you ground the strings on an ebony type tailpiece?
See pic below.

I have an original Benedetto Fratello (built by Bob) with the standard Benedetto ebony tailpiece fastened to the endpin like a cello. It isn’t grounded to the strings, but it doesn’t seem to be an issue.
Keith

[GuyBoden]

That's hard. You can install copper tape under the tailpiece to connect the strings, then another piece of tape or a wire to wherever the connector from the controls goes. I see a white connector, but I don't know where that goes on that guitar. It's not hard to get the strings grounded to themselves, but getting them grounded to the thumbwheel controls may be more difficult, depending on how the wiring is done overall. Where is the output jack installed?

Endpin jack.

I've used Graphene conductive paint.

[bluenote61]

The ebony tailpiece of my archtop has the following:
The endballs of the strings are fixed in a metal stripe under the string holes of the tailpiece. This metal stripe is connected to the cord which ties the tailpiece to the endpin socket. The cord is coated by black plastic except a small area where it has contact to the endpin. Works.

[sgosnell]

One can use conductive paint, conductive tape, thin metal plate, or a combination, as desired, to make the connection. Having an endpin jack makes the connection much easier. The method posted by bluenote61 works.

[murrayatuptown]

I ended taking a 1929Pickguards single McCarty replica and a Loar LH-350VS to a luthier so I wouldn't butcher it.

The magnet-string distances ended up huge (IIRC 0.223" for e and 0.273" for E). I can't find the piece of paper I wrote that on at the moment. That is pre-string subtraction (0.012" and 0.054") and the friend who now has the guitar says the output is too low for his AER but OK with some Fender Reverb variant, but it sounds 'thin' to him, and I think the two highest strings are prominent, not very 'punchy' and maybe a bit 'ringing' or less articulate (but not from feedback) compared to the rhythm guy's DeArmond. Other than that it sounds quite pretty. But he might not always want pretty.

We discussed adding some shims under the guard/rest screws to elevate it closer to the strings. He already thinks the guard/rest is pretty high relative to the strings.

I am wondering what is a typical magnet-string action/spacing, and whether Gibson's 'finger-rest' terminology implies a specific playing style (plectrum?).

I also have a hare-brained theory that excessive magnet spacing not only weakens the signal strength, but also allows a wider magnetic field 'fanout' than close spacing, and that could be the cause of less-articulate notes on the high strings.

I think the solution is elevating it at the mounting screw spacers but can't tell him he has to live with higher guard/rest blocking his pick motion. He's already predominantly a rest-stroke picker, but you have to pick some distance past the (high) e with any picking style.

Thanks for reading and any comments.

Murray

[THS]

Great work on this fingerest, may I ask where you sourced the potentiometers? I have been searching with no luck..Thanks!

[jazzshrink]

Great work on this fingerest, may I ask where you sourced the potentiometers? I have been searching with no luck..Thanks!

[icr]

Allparts EP-5966-000 500K Under-Pickguard Linear Mini Pot
Brand New
Price$4.99

[sgosnell]

Interesting. Today it's $6.44. That's fast inflation. But it's still less than EP-5966-000 Mini 500K Linear Under Pickguard Pot Jazz Guitar at $10. I use Guitar Parts Factory for lots of things.

[THS]

Thanks for the links but the pots I'm looking for are the ones with screws for attaching above the pick guard as seen in icr's pictures,I have found the other ones .

[icr]

The potentiometer is not available. The Allparts one would need to be modified by affixing threads to it. I tried two different ways, the one on the right worked better.

[THS]

That is great help,I finally realised you must have customised the ones you used. Thanks again!