Okay who does it and who doesn't? Is it worth it? I notice that Fender doesn't bother on the Vinteras or American Performers but uses shielding paint on the Player series?? Looking at the stripped bodies for sale on The Stratosphere ii looks like most aren't.
Shielding yes or no?
- Thread starter Footsore
- Start date
hopdybob
Friend of Leo's
There a two things.
1 a lot of the players are conservative. if guitars are not like from the old days with the old guitar heroes it can't be good.
so that is one reason the big guitar companies don't evolve things.
take the neck problems with gibson that snap so often, and also shielding is something were opinions differ.
but strange enough, gibson did not stop at the log op les paul, fender develop t further in materials but at one moment it seems to have stopt to.
we use better cables than our guitar heroes used, better amps, pedals, strings, but guitars?
2 we live in a world with more electronic storm surrounding us but the electronics are still old school.
if done right it does not effect your sound but benefit from the electronic storm protection.
Bill Lawrence wrote some thoughts about this subject
http://billlawrence.com/Pages/All_About_Tone.htm/TeleLovers.htm
Bill Lawrence Website
billlawrence.com
i do all of my guitars and don't hear a change than more silent in noise.
but i use copper tape beneath and surrounding the pickups cav and alu in the control cave
why? that is mention t in the writings of Bill Lawrence ;-)
Uncle Daddy
Friend of Leo's
I've copper shielded a couple of guitars- made zero difference to single coil hum. I use the small cavity shield on my strat build, and twist the wires to the jack, and that seems good enough.
Peegoo
Doctor of Teleocity
I shield all my builds.
Even though shielding cannot guarantee quiet operation, it can often reduce noise in the signal.
A guitar's signal is fed through multiple gain stages, and an amplifier cannot differentiate between desired sound (signal) and undesired sound (noise). So it happily amplifies both of them equally.
Even though shielding cannot guarantee quiet operation, it can often reduce noise in the signal.
A guitar's signal is fed through multiple gain stages, and an amplifier cannot differentiate between desired sound (signal) and undesired sound (noise). So it happily amplifies both of them equally.
I have unshielded guitars and shielded guitars but without opening them up I couldn't tell you which was which.
There's very little to shield in my guitars anyway though, no switches and I use shielded cable to the volume pot. ... so it's only really the pickup wires and a couple of solder joints where the signal could be exposed to external noise.
There's very little to shield in my guitars anyway though, no switches and I use shielded cable to the volume pot. ... so it's only really the pickup wires and a couple of solder joints where the signal could be exposed to external noise.
Cyberi4n
Tele-Holic
Never deliberately shielded or attempted to shield any one of the 35+ guitars I've owned over the years. Played everything up to and including high gain metal/death metal live, and not once have I had a problem with excessive noise.
That's not to say others wont of course, that's just my experience.
That's not to say others wont of course, that's just my experience.
AJBaker
Friend of Leo's
That about sums it up for me too. I've done it in the past, and it's nice knowing that everything is in a nice shielded box, but I haven't noticed a huge difference.
Billy3
Tele-Afflicted
If you play clean it can help the single coil hum. It can't hurt the guitar if you are trying to sell it. If you know you are going to keep that guitar for the rest of your life absolutely do it. Electric inference is an issue we all complain about. Shielding helps.
If it’s a Fender, yes, I shield it. The full cavities/routes and the pick guard. I use copper foil.
Any other brand guitar I own came factory shielded. Lots of people will give you their opinion but it’s simply a cost saving measure.
Any other brand guitar I own came factory shielded. Lots of people will give you their opinion but it’s simply a cost saving measure.
Vegetable Man
Tele-Meister
Yes, it helps. Aluminum HVAC tape from Lowes will work just fine and cover multiple guitars for less $$.
I had my doubts until I shielded a very noisy Les Paul Special with P-90's. Now I shield all of my guitars that have single coils.
I had my doubts until I shielded a very noisy Les Paul Special with P-90's. Now I shield all of my guitars that have single coils.
Steebz Khuan
TDPRI Member
The hum from my (unshielded) tele would drive me nuts playing quiet, clean stuff at night, especially over headphones (kids sleeping upstairs). I replaced the original (slightly overwound) pickups with Kinman zero-hums to no avail. Kinman bridge sounded terrific but I couldn't get along with the super dark neck pickup, and after a while I swapped them out for Fender CS nocaster pups and did copper shielding -- hum gone!
I had huge trouble with both my Les Paul's. Never had any clue if it was my apartment buildings wiring or if I am a too good antenna myself, fact is I had lot's of static noises and pop's. One day I even picked up a radio signal that I could tune with my guitar knobs....crazy! Tried everything, only shielding all cavities with copper tape did the trick.
Funny thing, both my mexican Fenders don't have that problem. Cavities are painted black so I may assume it's shielding paint, no tape on the inside of the pickguard's though.
Funny thing, both my mexican Fenders don't have that problem. Cavities are painted black so I may assume it's shielding paint, no tape on the inside of the pickguard's though.
Shielding yes. No doubt about it. It fixes many noises. Pickups are little antennae. The hungry little guys suck up anything they can. Put them in a cage... a Faraday cage that is......
All my solid guitars are shielded.
All my solid guitars are shielded.
Boreas
Poster Extraordinaire
If you have no unwanted noise, there is no need to shield. Pretty simple.
If there IS unwanted noise, that is where I start.
If there IS unwanted noise, that is where I start.
Gnometowner
Tele-Meister
I have copper grounding paint inside my Blackout Deluxe Tele. It really helped
Years ago I got my MIM butterscotch Player Tele. There was a definite static sound when it was turned on, and somebody told me to rub the pickguard down with a dryer sheet ... which seemed to do the trick, but which I had to repeat every time I plugged it in. So when I swapped out the pickups for Seymour Duncan Hot Teles, I shielded it with copper tape. No more noise. Just my two cents' worth.
