Shielding and grounding a Telecaster

[Billenius]

I'm new to this forum, and I had a question about shielding a tele and grounding since I started to built my first telecaster. It's more complicated then I thought haha! I've searched around on this topic but the opinions seem to be divided. Some say shielding isn't even necessary or bad for the high end.

Now assuming that I'm going to shield this guitar, I don't want to introduce any ground loops.
For example, I shield the pickup cavities and the control cavity with copper tape, while making sure the tape goes over the top a little ensuring that it touches the bridge plate, control plate and the pickguard with some tape attached to it. Since the bridge plate is grounded because the back of the pickup is metal and connected with screws, the bridge pickup cavity is grounded since it touches the bridge plate. Correct?
And if I understand correctly to ground the neck pickup cavity I need to solder a wire from the copper tape to the back of the volume pot, grounding that cavity. The control cavity is grounded by the tape touching the metal control plate. This is, to my understanding, what I should do. What about a body ground wire?

Any help really appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Jim_in_PA]

There are multiple ways to make the shielding "continuous" depending on the design of your body and it doesn't matter how you do it as long as it's all connected together.

 

[Billenius]

There are multiple ways to make the shielding "continuous" depending on the design of your body and it doesn't matter how you do it as long as it's all connected together.

Thanks for your reply Jim! I get that there are multiple ways. Does the one I described do it well? So no wire from the bridge plate or pickup to the pots or anything?

 

[schmee]

As you said, put tape in the pickup cavities and wrap it a bit out onto the top of the guitar so it contacts the pickguard tape also. Ditto for the bridge plate. This ties the two pickup cavities together.
Have a ground wire under the bridge plate and ground that to the controls at a point that is in contact with the shield of the bridge pickup cavity. I just use a little screwed in solder tab that is screwed through the cavity tape into the body under the bridge pickup. I run a wire to the pots here also.

I have not found that 100% cavity shielding is necessary. Just a broad swath is fine.

"So no wire from the bridge plate or pickup to the pots or anything?"
All grounds should be in contact with each other. The bridge ground wire is under the bridge plate, so yes, it's grounded to the pots.

 

[telemnemonics]

AFAIK ground loops are only an issue in active circuits like amps, not in passive guitar circuits.

I really never shield my guitars inside and the few I've had with shielding were still hum producers due to SC pickups which hum regardless of shielding.

I did just buy a roll of shielded wire though, exposed ground Gibson style.
Have to sleeve sections that run near hot contacts.

As far as the bridge pickup being grounded by the screws, I never rely on that theoretical grounding connection, it's just a poor electrical contact that can be faulty due to corrosion or pickup potting wax. If there is not the usual hole drilled from near the bridge plate screws into the pickup cavity for a ground wire, I drill that hole and run a wire that the plate is clamped against for the ground connection.

 

[RickyRicardo]

On single coils I'm in the what for camp. I've tried shielding on my first few builds and it didn't make any difference as the hum and noise are still there. As long as the bridge. pots and input jack are grounded together I'm always good to go.

 

[schmee]

I ground my Strats with that lug all the time near the bridge pickup. (My Strats & Teles are very quiet 99% of the time actually.) So much so I rarely even think about it. )However, Tele's have a more substantial ground plane with the Tele Bridge and Tele Bridge pickup. So you can run all to ground at the pots or use the lug. I've done both on Teles. There seems to be something good about that star ground under/near the bridge pickup on Strats for sure.

 

[Billenius]

On single coils I'm in the what for camp. I've tried shielding on my first few builds and it didn't make any difference as the hum and noise are still there. As long as the bridge. pots and input jack are grounded together I'm always good to go.

Yeah, seems like a lot of work for not much. Do you run a ground wire from the bridge to the cavity? Or is the metal back of the pickup making sure its grounded?

 

[Billenius]

I ground my Strats with that lug all the time near the bridge pickup. My strats are very quiet 99% of the time actually. However, Tele's have a more substantial ground plane with the Tele Bridge and Tele Bridge pickup. So you can run all to ground at the pots or use the lug. I've done both on Teles. There seems to be something good about that star ground under/near the bridge pickup on Strats for sure.

Thanks, this is a great picture.

 

[Blue Bill]

Grounding the bridge is necessary, but I've never bothered to do fancy shielding, haven't detected any problems. Minor hum is invisible when you are playing. I've grounded a bridge several ways, they all seem to work. You just need an electrical connection from the bridge to the main ground, usually on the back of the volume pot. Unless you have plastic saddles, this also grounds the strings and tuners.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Thanks for your reply Jim! I get that there are multiple ways. Does the one I described do it well? So no wire from the bridge plate or pickup to the pots or anything?

Bridge absolutely needs to be grounded. I was more referring to how you get the shield connected together from space to space when they are not contiguous. Since my instruments are tending not to use pickguards and control plates, I'm using foil tape and connecting between the pockets with a thin piece of copper wire (unraveled from a piece of stranded wire left over from grounding my DC connection to the CNC) which I attach to the copper foil tape with...more foil tape. The pots are in contact with the foil in the control recess of my bodies (which is on the back side of the instrument) so the only extra ground wire goes to the bridge. That's what I'm doing. Some folks use screws (wth conductive paint) and wire; some solder to the foil. Whatever provides current carrying connection that unifies the shield is what you want.

You want the shield to "surround" the electrics of the guitar to reduce the hum and noise.

 

[Freeman Keller]

I don't know how much good shielding does, but it doesn't cost much to do it so I do, I am careful to have a connection to the bridge or tailpiece on any guitar I build, even if it has humbuckers - I think it is vital to have that "string ground"

On a tele its simple, line each of the cavities with copper foil. Leave little tabs the come up onto the top and ground the bridge and control cover. You can solder copper foil, I run a drop of solder between the foil on the sides of the cavity and on the bottom, then I solder a wire from each cavity to the common ground point (the back of one pot).

I also put a piece of plastic tape on the foil bottom of the control cavity - the switch lugs are awfully close and I don't want anything shorting out

 

[RickyRicardo]

Yeah, seems like a lot of work for not much. Do you run a ground wire from the bridge to the cavity? Or is the metal back of the pickup making sure its grounded?

I don't on Tele's. The copper plate and the ground wire from the pickup take care of that.