Members Stoneball Jack Posted June 30, 2010 Members Share Posted June 30, 2010 Is it really necessary to shield a strat as thoroughly as is described in "shielding the beast" on guitarnuts.com or that a little overkill? Most pictures of the inside of strats that i've seen just shows shielding around the pots and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted June 30, 2010 Members Share Posted June 30, 2010 Necessary? No, but if you're going to shield it, shield it. Plus, copper control cavities look really cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bro Blue Posted June 30, 2010 Members Share Posted June 30, 2010 Depends on how much noise you have, and how much you need to block out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rusholmeruffian Posted June 30, 2010 Members Share Posted June 30, 2010 Doing the whole pickguard probably is unnecessary, but star grounding is a Good Thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stoneball Jack Posted June 30, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 30, 2010 Ok....i was planning on shielding the control and pickup cavities and a little on the pickguard but i wasn't really sure if i wanted to make and exact cut out of the pickuard and shield every inch of it perfectly. That seems tedious and a little unnecessary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted June 30, 2010 Members Share Posted June 30, 2010 Shielding the p/g is a good thing. It's not that hard. Use some rubber cement or a glue stick and some foil. Cut carefully w/a razor blade. 10 minute job. As for star grounding per guitarnuts.com - overkill imo. Just put all the grounds on the back of a single pot, like the volume control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stoneball Jack Posted June 30, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 30, 2010 Shielding the p/g is a good thing. It's not that hard. Use some rubber cement or a glue stick and some foil. Cut carefully w/a razor blade. 10 minute job.As for star grounding per guitarnuts.com - overkill imo. Just put all the grounds on the back of a single pot, like the volume control. Ok i'll do that. Why would you recommend foil and glue over copper shielding with conductive adhesive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Orange Jackson Posted June 30, 2010 Members Share Posted June 30, 2010 Any hardware store will sell rolls of aluminum tape for duct work. A big roll of it for like $4. Cover all of the inside control cavity if it is a rear route, and/ or the back of the pickguard if it is a front route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maltomario Posted June 30, 2010 Members Share Posted June 30, 2010 Any hardware store will sell rolls of aluminum tape for duct work. A big roll of it for like $4. Cover all of the inside control cavity if it is a rear route, and/ or the back of the pickguard if it is a front route. foil tape like this works well but note that the adhesive is non-conducting. so you'll want to fold over little tabs so each piece electrically connects to the adjacent piece. its a PITA but its super inexpensive way of shielding it if you have time and patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted June 30, 2010 Members Share Posted June 30, 2010 I always shielded behind Strat PG...usually I don't have it, it was already there. There are a few options available that are ready-made.http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Callaham-Pickguard-Shield-Strat-Fits-Any-Screw-Pattern-P1232.aspxhttp://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-62-Stratocaster-Replacement-Pickguard-Shield-?sku=361400http://cgi.ebay.com/Aluminum-Strat-Pickguard-Shield-Universal-Screw-Holes-/250656500369?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item3a5c4aaa91 In 22 years, I have NEVER owned nor needed a guitar with a shielded cavity. I don't avoid them, but most of my instruments are old and pre-date manufacturers attempts to shield controls. It's not a bad idea, but it's a lot of work and since I needed to...I didn't. But if I were going to I would skip the hassle of tape and just use the paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stoneball Jack Posted July 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Thanks for the info guys. I might go with that fender shield that Wyatt recommended. That looks awesomely convenient. I'm thinking all that shielding with out adhesive tape is going to be a pain and i'm definitely going to be anxious to get to other parts of the build than screwing around with foil. I'll probably leave the cavity un shielded. The beauty of it though is that if after the build is finished i find it too noisy i can always go back and shield it too so i'll probably play this by ear. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xStonr Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 If you are experiencing louder than normal 60 cycle hum, then shielding is a great idea. Shielding the beast from guitarnuts.com is not overkill by any means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Really like this product I got from GFS. If you have a 21 fret strat they fit perfect. With 22 you may have to trim a little around the neck pickup as it can get pretty tight with the overhang.http://store.guitarfetish.com/alstpishunsc.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Thanks for the info guys. I might go with that fender shield that Wyatt recommended. That looks awesomely convenient. I'm thinking all that shielding with out adhesive tape is going to be a pain and i'm definitely going to be anxious to get to other parts of the build than screwing around with foil. I'll probably leave the cavity un shielded. The beauty of it though is that if after the build is finished i find it too noisy i can always go back and shield it too so i'll probably play this by ear. Thanks Absolutely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PlinytheWelder Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 I get my shielding supplies from here:http://www.monteallums.com/shielding_supplies.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Ok i'll do that. Why would you recommend foil and glue over copper shielding with conductive adhesive? It's cheap. I do the cavity of the guitar with double-side conductive copper tape. For the p/g it's cheaper just to go w/glue and aluminum foil and since it's one piece, it's pretty painless. FWIW, I've done entire cavities w/aluminum foil, but it's a lot more work then using the copper tape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Yeah man, something to consider; it may sound great at your house without shielding - but get that strat into a bar with the stage wired to the same circuit as the refrigeration, and tons of fluorescent flashy signs - you will reconsider shielding! (and honestly, some places are so bad, shielding helps, but only a little) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bro Blue Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Yeah man, something to consider; it may sound great at your house without shielding - but get that strat into a bar with the stage wired to the same circuit as the refrigeration, and tons of fluorescent flashy signs - you will reconsider shielding! (and honestly, some places are so bad, shielding helps, but only a little) Yes, this is very true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NHLfan2010 Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Any hardware store will sell rolls of aluminum tape for duct work. A big roll of it for like $4. Cover all of the inside control cavity if it is a rear route, and/ or the back of the pickguard if it is a front route. I would go this route and just throw a tiny solder where the pieces of tape overlap. Cheap and easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members *BLEEP* Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Copper is better than aluminum because copper is a better conductor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dabbler Posted July 1, 2010 Members Share Posted July 1, 2010 Figured I'd add my $0.02. I like things easy and cheap. If you're like me, read on. I get copper foil tape (with conductive adhesive) from stew-mac for shielding cavities. It's really pretty easy to work with and they have a kit with 3 different width tape rolls for $20 that will do maybe 4 strats. For the pickguard, rubber cement will certainly work, but I use spray contact adhesive (you can usually find it at auto parts stores, it's used to glue headliners in among other things). And I get a roll of Aluminum foil from the dollar store. I really like the thin dollar store foil because it is easy to work, if you get a crease in it while you are laying it on the guard just pres and the wrinkle will flatten out, and you can cut the excess off with any reasonably sharp knife (I use dollar store ones that you break the tip off to get a new edge). I've done maybe 3 of my guitars, but I do all of my fender style passive basses (8) because the noise from a SC bass is quite annoying when you have the pups at different volumes, which is my main way of adjusting tone. A strat has a master volume, so you are never in that condition... but it's still worth doing, IMO. Oh and no, I don't worry so much about star grounding, but I do avoid ground loops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.