Too simple a wiring question for this forum...

[c. winn]

...so before I start, I'll send a big thanks to everyone  the forum - I'm a big fan of the Frets website (thanks Frank!) so I thought I'd ask for your help here.

This is a simple wiring project on a lap steel guitar.  SIngle pickup, volume control & output.

The body I am working with is from a Morrell "Little" Roy Wiggins lap steel:

This is a pic I found online of the finished bridge.  You can see the p/up route from the minimal pickguard.

What I am wondering is how I should ground this guitar?  Everything I read says that I should ground the electronics to the bridge, but everything on this guitar is top routed - I can't run wires to the bridge without extra routing & an oversized pickguard.

So this is what I'm working with:

And this is what I'd like to have in place:

WIthout routing a channel to the bridge assembly, where would I put a ground?

My high-school science teacher father-in-law (who is brilliant, in my opinion) and my itinerant tinkerer brother-in-law (likewise, brilliant) suggested a screw placed at the base of the cavity, and ground to that.  Sounds good, but I'm worried about the copper tape (from StewMac:  http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Supplies:_Shieldin... ).

Any advice you all would have is greatly appreciated.  I'm a 100% acoustic guy.......but all of a sudden, I'm strapping up an 8 string lap steel.  I'm really looking forward to getting this going......

Thanks again - 

Chad

[Rob Mercure]

Mac, Any musician who doesn't have an outlet ground tester in his gig bag is asking for it as far as I'm concerned. I've bought them on sale from Harbor Freight for a couple of dollars and given them as gifts to other musicians in the past.

Rob

[c. winn]

Thanks to everyone that responded - through this thread I appreciate how much I have to learn about wiring electronics.

I was hesitant to drill from the bridge, but now I understand that this is just the method - I didn't realize that, basically, it was so simple.

Russell Vance: "If your looking for an alternative to a bridge ground you're plum out of luck, with the pickup you have you need a ground - just do it as it's done and get on with it."

The more I read the replies, I thought "Sheesh...why the hell won't this guy just ground to the bridge?" Then I cringed a bit....

Mac Walker: "Anyway I can't understand your aversion to grounding the bridge...?"

Now, neither do I .

Thanks again -