Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

[dav70ita]

Hi,

This is a question about aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil.

I just bought a new strat pickguard for a new wiring project and pickup upgrade. My first intention was to add an aluminum full pickguard shield (.014" thick) under the pickguard for hum control, like the Callaham aluminum pickguard. This pickguard also prevents from solder a ground wire between all pots, which is an advantage. I must point out that I will also add copper foil to the pickups and control pots cavities.

But the pickguard I bought came with an aluminum foil stuck to the pickguard (see picture).

And now I have some questions:

1) Is this aluminum foil an adequate shield for hum control or is it better to add an aluminum full pickguard shield (.014" thick) even if there is already an aluminum foil?
2) If I decide to keep the aluminum foil instead of adding a new aluminum full pickguard shield, do I need to solder a ground wire between all pots, or is it sufficient to merely solder the ground wire to the volume pot?
3) Another possibility could be to keep the aluminum foil that comes with the pickguard and add an aluminum shield for the control pots (the same that usually comes with prewired kits) instead of a full aluminum shield.

What do you think the best solution is?

Thanks.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

The more shielding the better I would say! Get the full aluminum shield, copper tape the cavities, and run ground wires to all the pots and switch.

 

[dav70ita]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

But why to ground wires to all pots and volume when usin an aluminum full shield? The pots are in contact within the aluminum shield and I see no reason for an extra ground wiring between pots. I think that connecting the volume pot to ground is enough, don't you think?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

Using only the shielding works, but running ground wires to everything including the switch improves noise reduction. Very helpful with single coils.

 

[greekdude]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

^^^ yup. About shielding here are my thoughts : http://guitarnuts2.proboards.com/thread/7550/guitar-shielding-big-fat-hoax . in short the hum is picked up by the pups mostly, not the (supposedly) shielded wiring.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

Right the pickups will pick up some hum but having your electronics all grounded to the bridge and body is a separate issue. Just relying on the electronics being mounted on aluminum isn't as effective in getting noise to dissipate thru your ground wire running to the chassis ground (bridge and body).

 

[greekdude]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

Right the pickups will pick up some hum but having your electronics all grounded to the bridge and body is a separate issue. Just relying on the electronics being mounted on aluminum isn't as effective in getting noise to dissipate thru your ground wire running to the chassis ground (bridge and body).

pups sense most of the hum. Just consider the length of the wire/metal components in the wiring and then the length of the the pups coil windings wire (about 1Km).

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

But why to ground wires to all pots and volume when usin an aluminum full shield? The pots are in contact within the aluminum shield and I see no reason for an extra ground wiring between pots. I think that connecting the volume pot to ground is enough, don't you think?

You could rely on that, but that proximal physical contact is nearly as strong and reliable as a soldered wire connection IME.

 

[dav70ita]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

Yes, I think I will rely on the physical contact of pots with the aluminum shield, and if I see that the reduction of hum is not enough I will solder a ground wire between pots.

 

[greekdude]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

Yes, I think I will rely on the physical contact of pots with the aluminum shield, and if I see that the reduction of hum is not enough I will solder a ground wire between pots.

no need to. Some call this "ground loop" and this is considered a bad thing although personally I never found a difference. The only problem I have found in the pots/aluminum shield solution is that the contact become loose as time goes by.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

The more shielding the better I would say! Get the full aluminum shield, copper tape the cavities, and run ground wires to all the pots and switch.

Overkill doesn't improve a thing. Might as well add 2 or 3 ground wires between the pots. And while you're at it make sure the wire is 10 gauge solid copper wire.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

no need to. Some call this "ground loop" and this is considered a bad thing although personally I never found a difference. The only problem I have found in the pots/aluminum shield solution is that the contact become loose as time goes by.

This won't make a ground loop. But I agree that the alu foil can get worn through and loose it's connection over time. I always add ground wires to make sure I have a positive connection that I never have to worry about.

In any case, the foil is all you need. Don'e waste money or time on the metal plate.

 

[Hellmark]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

For most people, in most circumstances, the aluminum foil is enough to do the job. That said, it may not always be enough. It can easily wear through if you have anything rubbing on it. Also, if you're in a situation with higher than normal levels of interference, such as on a stage with lots of high powered electronics near by, you could run into some issues there. They do make thicker copper shielding that works well. That said, I have a guitar with a full aluminum pickguard, as well as one with a steel pickguard, and they do a much better job, but most people may not notice the difference.

TL;DR - You don't need to go to a metal pickguard as there are other options, but feel free if you are in an odd situation or if you just like the look.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

There's two kinds of interference; electrical field and magnetic field. The hum that single coil pickups sense is magnetic field interference. Shielding won't help that, which is why single coils still hum when shielded.

Electrical field noise is that high pitched buzz you hear sometimes when you aren't touching the strings. Shielding helps with that.

Shielding behind the pickguard doesn't help with much, but it can't hurt (except for creating some eddy currents near the pickups).

A few other things; you should solder ground wires between all the pots. Don't rely on a mechanical connection. It can become oxidized.

And you cannot have a ground loop in a guitar because there's only one ground point; at the output jack.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

^^ Is that the path the signal takes to get grounded out? Out the jack, thru the amp, and into the plug in the wall's ground?

 

[dav70ita]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

Thanks David, you convinced me to solder a ground wire between pots and to not rely only in mechanical contact with the aluminum shield.

 

[dotsdad]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

I installed StewMac's brass shielding tape inside my Strat last week. It made a world of difference.

http://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and_...n=2017-01-gp&gclid=CIPgxZyR5tECFcmIswodwHMBzg

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

However, the shielding behind the pickguard helps to reduce the static electricity "crackle" when you rub your fingers across it.

 

[dotsdad]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

However, the shielding behind the pickguard helps to reduce the static electricity "crackle" when you rub your fingers across it.

I did not know that, doc. I always thought it was just half@$$ed EMI shielding. I never thought about static electricty before. I learned something new today. Thanks! :^)

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Aluminum pickguard shield (.014" thick) vs aluminum foil for strat

You're welcome.