Watch your fingers! The answer is lower cost and more convenience for you. However some tapes do not come with conductive adhesive - in this case, you would need to use solder across the seam of each strip to join them together. Some pickups, such as Gibson-type humbuckers, do not require you to do anything. Conductive copper tape is sold in rolls of various widths. The best guitar shielding method is to use either specially designed copper tape or specially designed shielding paint. Can you paint the back of the pickguard instead of using the metal foil? Buying from a reputable vendor is your only way to know you’re not wasting your time and money. Next, use 1/2″ strips of conductive tape to cover the electrician’s wire. The labor to install it is the same so spend a couple of bucks on copper and do it right. People may complain about StewMac prices, but they never complain about StewMac quality. The shielding will come in contact with the metal casing of the pots and the switch, creating a guitar ground loop. When shielding something like an input jack cavity remember to shield the wiring tunnels (holes). Bottom line is that if you use good products this is a worthwhile project for every guitar (or bass). The exact process for any particular guitar brand or model may vary from this guide. Note that it is relatively difficult to mask off the edges which means you will probably get paint on the edges – which is very unattractive on those 3-ply covers. Pay particular attention to the order and orientation of your pickups. Will the paint inhibit the conductive properties of the tape? I like the idea of using both conductive shielding paint and copper foil. As mentioned previously, take photos and notes on placement, orientation, and wiring of all items. Would it do any good? This is caused by radio frequencies and electrostatic fields. - 2-3m of 50mm wide copper shielding tape (with conductive adhesive). Any ideas on a good use for leftover copper tape? For anyone who is thinking of trying it, aluminum foil is not a substitute for the copper shielding material. I mean, does everything have to be covered or is it okay to just do most of the surfaces of the cavities? DO NOT attempt this work unless you have the full knowledge, understanding, skills, and tools to complete this project. We are not responsible for any problems which may occur when attempting to do this work and directly or indirectly using the information provided herein. Once this has cooled, cover the solder joint with copper tape. The good news is that most anything that is not blocked won’t be a problem where you typically play your instrument. This guide covers how to shield a Strat but the principle is the same regardless of what model you use. Once the whole pickguard is covered, use a box cutter or suitable blade to carefully trace through the pickup, controls and screw holes. This is your chance to make your work look super professional by neatly routing wiring, making tidy solder connections and keeping things clean. Refer to the below photos. Whoa! Thanks for the info! This will assure your shielding is grounded. This is a great project for a Saturday. Your article is both interesting and useful. You will need to check and adjust your pickup heights and level your bridge if you have a tremolo system. Company Registration: 08967981, for 20% off our Prewired Kits This Black Friday Weekend. Use an X-Acto knife or razor blade to CAREFULLY cut away any tape that is covering pickup holes. For my first time shielding a guitar, I think I did a pretty good job. Wipe all exposed surfaces and allow the surfaces to fully dry before applying the shielding paint. Success! There are two main methods to shield a guitar – shielding graphite paint (conductive paint) or more commonly, aluminium or copper tape. It may take a couple of hours to do but it’s a worthwhile upgrade. Great information. Grounding is, arguably, the most important part of the process. If you’re going to do a really complete job, how do you get shielding paint inside of wiring tunnels like going to a jack? My guitar guy says I should do it but online sources say no. Hi Sonja, Use your scissors to cut the tape to the desired length. Cheers! Source of interference that shielding paint and tape can block are stage lighting, fluorescent lights, neon signs, and even your own equipment such as amps. Use an awl or ice pick to make small holes where there are existing screw-holes. 2. To fully understand what shielding is and how it works you should learn about a Faraday Cage. By removing the switch, pots, and pickups it took me about 45 minutes to do it. Once this is done, test for continuity between the copper shielding and the casing of the volume pot (ground). Your article reminded me of how my eyes (ears, lol) were opened up after a had my Strat shielded. It’s a good mod to do. might sound like a weird question….can you paint OVER the copper tape. Have you tried Advanced Polymer Tape’s copper tape products? Conductive shielding is done in body cavities which house electronic components (pickups, pots, etc.). Do the difficult areas first and finish by doing the open areas. I really like reading your articles. Unfortunately, RF (radio frequencies) and EMI (electro-magnetic interference) are inevitable with electronic equipment. How to wire a Switchcraft 3-way toggle switch, © Six String Supplies Ltd 2020. Finally, we need to connect the cavity shielding to the main circuit. Have a small dish of warm water and a rag within reach to do a prompt cleanup of any paint that gets on your guitar’s finish. As with any repair or replacement what you remove must be correctly reinstalled. You may find this easier to do with pipe cleaners which will hold paint and allow you to reach within the small openings. Carefully put a primer coat on the back of any plastic pickguards or cover plates to promote good adhesion of the shielding paint. I like the copper foil better than the paint. The average person is not even close to being able to determine if their can of black shielding paint really is shielding paint. Completely mask off all of your guitar’s body except where you are going to apply the shielding paint. I’ve settled on using only copper tape. But get them near light dimmers, fluorescent or neon lights, and dubious club wiring, and all sorts of buzzing happens. Is it true that I should not have to do shielding on guitars with humbuckers? Many guitars will come from the factory with conductive paint covering the control and pickup cavities but this is not always the most effective way to shield a guitar. We’ll start by shielding the pickguard. Shielding is effective when all areas shielded are in contact with one another and they are grounded. IMPORTANT! Enjoyed reading the content above, really explains everything in detail. Personally, we believe that StewMac is where to buy copper conductive tape if you really want a quality job. If it’s dirty the foil won’t stick very well. Make sure each strip is in contact with the previous by overlapping each strip by 5mm or so. The commonly overlooked but critical aspect of shielding is correctly grounding the tape or paint. Let’s start with applying the shielding material and wrap up with how to ground your shielding system. Do not try to accelerate drying time with heat guns, etc. To do this, connect your main ground coming from the tremolo claw/bridge to the volume pot casing as normal. Again, StewMac is where to buy conductive paint if you really want an effective and high-quality conductive shielding job. Please allow me to add the recommendation to use the copper foil tape and never the silver aluminum foil product – it’s flimsy and doesn’t work very well. Is it okay to use the “scrap” pieces of copper tape? Generally speaking, because humbuckers usually have shielded wire you probably do not need shielding in the pickup cavities. Once you have soldered and taped the wire into place, use your multimeter to test for continuity between the jack socket cavity and the main cavity. Ideally, overlaps should be at least 1/8″ wide. Shielding products are usually sold in quantities that will do far more than one guitar. So far I’ve done two Strats and I can say I definitely do notice the interference noise is almost 100% gone.