Cavity shielding

[G33Z3R]

Eventually, I have to put this guitar I just stripped back together!

 

Right now, it's down to bare wood, ready for staining.

 

As it's a single-coil Strat clone, I should shield the cavities--I know that much. But I don't know what way is best. There are spray paints that shield, there are shielding kits from Stew-Mac with copper (I think) sheeting.

 

What is the best way to shield the cavities on a Strat? I also need shielding on the back of the pickguard (it already has some, but it probably sucks). Do I need to shield the trem claw cavity?

 

I appreciate any good advice you have to offer. I'd like to order everything today, if I can.

[Mr.Grumpy]

I don't need shielding, my guitar body is solid copper!

 

 

Actually, I bought a shielding kit from GFS, aka Guitarfetish. I don't think you need to shield the trem cavity because there's no electronics in there to pick up electrical noise. If your guitar has the big "bathtub" route for the pickups, you might need 2 shielding kits.

 

It helped reduce the noise, but by no means did it eliminate it. A little bit disappointing, but what are you gonna do, rip it out? Bottom line - it's worth doing, but don't expect miracles. It's still a strat after all.

 

One thing I'm not sure of regarding shielding - should you have one, or multiple grounding points between the cavity and the pickguard shielding? I did mine to have multiple contact points between the cavity shield and the pickguard shielding, but maybe that's creating a ground loop.

[WRGKMC]

Another way to do it is to replace the two conductor pup wires with Shielded wire. This essentially makes them noiseless pickups and is a much cheaper way to go. Single coil guitars still have the single coils which pick up EMF. For strats, you can put copper shielding inside the covers and grouns them but for all that work there isnt a whole lot gained.

 

You wouldnt be able to do any reverse phase using shielded wire but thats not a super popular wiring scheme anyway. The other thing is you need to be careful soldering the new shielded wires on so you dont mess up the coil wires on the solder eyelets. You simply trim the old two conductor wires off flush, tin your wires and make a quick solder connection.

[cx04332]

 

Big box hardware stores usually carry this in the gardening section. Cheap and very easy to work with. Connect the pieces using a large soldering iron and small blobs of solder. Be sure to electrically connect the mass of copper to ground.

[WRGKMC]

Got this too. http://www.stormcopper.com/Copper-Landing1.html?gclid=CPaC2qD2gaMCFSRM5QodoHiZKg

 

self sticking

 

http://store.electrical-insulators-and-copper-ground-bars.com/copper-foil-tape.html

[mrbrown49]

WRGKMC, I think the stuff from stewmac actually works out cheaper even though the rolls are shorter. One roll of two inch from stewmac will do at least two or three guitars, depending of the cavity size.

 

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Supplies:_Shielding/Conductive_Copper_Tape.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=274

[WRGKMC]

You're probibly right. I was looking at the 1/2" X 648" rolls which were $26. Stuarts is $11 for 2"X180" If you figure the square inches, its twice the cost.

 

Prices are much lower for their foil if you buy big quantities, but I doubt any hobbiests are going to have a use for 10,800 square inches or so to make the purchase worth it.

[WRGKMC]

 

Grounding and shielding your guitar are important aspects of design. Your pickguard should have a complete shield, and you can't have enough. Why? The more grounding you have, getting into ground soak territory, the softer your tone. The softer your tone, the more characteristics you can pick from your pickups. If you ever stood in front of a loud Marshall stack, turning your body to shield your guitar, trying different angles, you'd see how all the different feedbacks can occur. That includes your amp "seeing" exposed, non-shielding interior electronics. I still like aluminum, what Leo Fender used, but copper should be the same. Printing press aluminum sheets or plumbers aluminum tape work best for me.

 

 

 

 

Geeze, where do you come up with these rediculous answers? You do have a warped imagination to even think any of that is relevant to what shielding is for.

 

Shielding blocks EMF radio waves and hum Generated by AC wiring in buildings, telephone poles etc. The entire earth is permiated by AC transmissions and any high impediance input that isnt shielded acts like a radio antenna that sucks them in and they get amplified by the amp.

 

It has absolutely nothing to do with changing the tone of the guitar or blocking sound vibrations, no sound striking unshielded components. Anything of that nature is called microphonics and is a completely different subject.

 

Shielding simply blocks and grounds ac waves from striking unshielded components inside the guitar that would pass into the guitar cord and get amplified causing background hum in an amp. Copper works best because it has the highest conductivity for the cost. Alluminum tape in comparison nearly worthless in comparison because of its poor conductivity. EMF passes right through it leaving maybe a 50% reduction at best.

[mrbrown49]

 

Grounding: I can turn my guitar volume off, have everything else full blast, and with my guitar held up to the grillcloth of a speaker, hear no sound at all.

 

 

John, I want you to think about that, hard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doesn't make much sense does it? Any guitar will do that even it's a noisy beast. The volume is OFF and therefore all the noise is being directed to ground anyway, even if it was in the guitar signal!

[WRGKMC]

 

I'm not here to dispute your knowledge, just your lack of experience.

 

 

You can question whatever you want. If you want the real truth, You can contact DeVery institute. I received a 3 year degree in electronics from them in 1979 and have been paid top dollar in the electronics ever since.

 

Besides repairing electronics equipment both digital and analog for 40+ years I've taught electronics to thousands techs, so i'm sorry to say John, you are in nowhere in my league and have zero qualifications to even think of judging my experteese or experience.

 

In fact you arent even close to being in the league of anyone who posts in this forum. And you want to know why? Its because you're a blind man stumbleing around in places where you dont belong. Your radar is damaged and you cant tell fact from fiction when dealing with people.

 

The possibility that others actually have a lifetime of knowlege and experience to freely share with others just doesnt exist in your life, never has from what I can tell. If the world doesnt revolve around you, its always got to be someone elses fault, Right?

[WRGKMC]

Double post delete, once is plenty.

[cephus]

Based on my results, I would say that sheilding paint is about like the "close door" button on the elevator. Doesn't do anything. Makes me feel like I did.

 

That said, I spent hours shielding one of my old strats with copper tape and soldered the edges. Didn't make the hum disappear. So, now I just use shielding paint and feel like I did something.

 

One trick:

When I get to the club, after I set up, if the hum is bad, I turn the guitar like a radar mast. I usually find that in one direction, the hum goes away. I put a piece of duct tape on the floor pointing at that angle. So, during the night, if I am playing a gainy solo and the hum is annoying me, I turn the guitar that direction and the hum is reduced.

[mrbrown49]

 

I know for a fact DeVry doesn't teach semi-solid-body construction. So it's not your fault you didn't learn. I didn't invent it back then.

 

 

You may have come up with a new design but the underlying principles are the same. You did NOT invent them. Shielding has been around for ages and it's application is well understood and easily executed if you understand the principles. Nothing to really toot your own horn about.

[WRGKMC]

You can always do what clapton did and put dummy coils in under the pickguard to make the single coild act like humbuckers or just put in lace sensors or EMGs, or even mini buckers. Unless you shield the coil covers, just doing the cavity doesnt do the whole job.

 

Conductive paint will work well if its properly grounded. You need to paint over a copper strip electrode then ground the paint or it wont do anything for you. On my Oldest strat, I have an anodized alluminum pickguard. It does a bit better than foil on the pickguard.

 

Another way of doing it is to wrap foil around the wires themselves then ground that. Theres a whole lot less air space where the EMF can regenerate and alot less hassel installing it. Just take a foil strip, wrap it around a pencil, pull the pencil out and feed your pup wires through it. Ground the tubes, and flaten them. Simple easy and done.

 

Didn't get that one from a book or internet either John, its all to do with that first hand experience you say I lack.

[WRGKMC]

Theres no difference between semi solid or a semi hollow. You choose to swap those two words around in some kind of wierd attempt in convincing others that its something unique or different and to give yourself some credibility.

 

If you want to say I have no experience in "semi solid", I'll agree. That word isnt used in describing hollow electrics and I dont use improper terms when describing my works. To re-describe a common "semihollow" body guitar as a semisolid its a clear indication you think you can take others ideas, slap your name on it and propogate it as though its something new and unique.

 

Its not that easy Sir.

 

You cant go around and rename others inventions and say you invented them yourself and not be called what you are. A fake. In fact, what you originally posted was, you dug that thing out of the garbage half built and finished building it and had all kinds of problems even getting it to play right.

 

If the correct term is used, I've built 19 semihollows, 3 in the past two years, and repaired hunderds more including many vintage rics gibsons and rickenbackers, gretches, and others when I was a full time luthier.

 

Thats vastly more experience that your one single build, so calling me a liar however sneekely you say it not appreciated. And if you deny digging that guitar out of the trash, I'll dig up the post where you yourself said thats what you did. it was also confirmed by locals in your area who knew you.

 

As always you cant stay on topic and resort to personal attacks or changes in topic as a destraction when your technical ability fails you.

 

Please stop using other peoples posts to propogate your own adjenda.

[mrbrown49]

I've built 19 semihollows and repaired hunderds more when I was a full time luthier John. Thats vastly more experience that your one single build.

 

But they weren't semi-solid!?

[WRGKMC]

Yea, I guess my beers were always half full vs being half empty.

[WRGKMC]

 

Watch the video, WRGKMC, I paid to get it made just for members like you.

 

 

So you're posting here to actively promote you business? Is that what all this bull{censored} is about? Well, I dont promote any business here, never have and never will. I respect HC's rules. If you want to sell something here, You're supposed to take out an add and Pay HC for that advertisement and not harrass the posters who like to chat with their buddies.

[mcspade]

Here is a link to some good info.

 

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/shield3.php

[wartoxin]

Big box hardware stores usually carry this in the gardening section. Cheap and very easy to work with. Connect the pieces using a large soldering iron and small blobs of solder. Be sure to electrically connect the mass of copper to ground.

 

Finally!!

How do those slugs even get it there?

I don't need to reduce hum but I assure you there's added benefit

[WRGKMC]

Good Beginners site, MCSPADE

[WRGKMC]

 

Finally!! How do those slugs even get it there? I don't need to reduce hum but I assure you there's added benefit

 

 

Its likely theres some kind of electrical charge created by the snails slime which is either alkaline or acid that repels it when it contacts the copper.

Too bad it doesnt repel trolls.

[Belva]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Guitar-Conductive-Shielding-Paint-Copper-Electrodag-/330452919688?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item4cf0876588

Go over the edges and shield the pick guard with aluminum foil so the foil and paint are in good contact. Easiest and, IMO, best way to do it. Also make sure you don't have any ground loops. Follow the ground path. If you see a way for the current to go in circles you gots a loop. Eliminate it.

[fatusstratus]

 

I won't respond to any of you any more.

 

 

Care to bond that?

[fatusstratus]

 

Hey! I can do better than that, fatusstratus. You're included.

 

 

you made a "I wont respond" type promise to me before and it didn't stick for even a day

 

care to bond it this time?