cavity shielding
- Thread starter bluesboy
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ElUnoAstuto
New member
Re: cavity shielding
Yes, it would. Check out GuitarNuts.com , and look at the "Quieting the Beast" mod, I do it to all my guitars with a pickguard, and it makes a HUGE difference! The isolation capacitor is real important, it helps filter out a lot of the hum. Next time I open up my Strat, I'll take some pics of it. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, I've shielded many guitars, and you could do it with $5 worth of material.
-Jordan
Yes, it would. Check out GuitarNuts.com , and look at the "Quieting the Beast" mod, I do it to all my guitars with a pickguard, and it makes a HUGE difference! The isolation capacitor is real important, it helps filter out a lot of the hum. Next time I open up my Strat, I'll take some pics of it. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, I've shielded many guitars, and you could do it with $5 worth of material.
-Jordan
larry_emder
New member
Re: cavity shielding
Can you explain how the isolation capacitor works?
Can you explain how the isolation capacitor works?
ElUnoAstuto
New member
Re: cavity shielding
I can try, although I'm sure there's an EE out there(Zerb? Artietoo?) that will chime in. The basic concept is to "Star Ground" everything.
Instead of having a ground wire run from the case of one pot to the next, and all over the place, you ground EVERYTHING to one point, or the "Star Ground". Since the entire pickguard is covered in aluminum foil(or copper in some cases), you get a fairly large capacitor(for shock prevention perposes, GuitarNuts explains it better), and on one lead you solder a ring terminal, and ground all your grounds to that terminal. Then you put a ring terminal on the other lead, and attach that ring terminal to the base of one of the pots, like you would do with a washer. The capacitor in turn isolates the controls/grounds from the sheilding/pickguard, which essentially eliminates all hum/hiss/buzz.
I love it, it really "opens up" a guitar, especially a Strat, it'll seem like it sounds "bigger", you can play with more gain and clarity, I can't understand why Fender would sell such nice guitars with such subpar electronics, especially since it's so cheap and easy!
I can try, although I'm sure there's an EE out there(Zerb? Artietoo?) that will chime in. The basic concept is to "Star Ground" everything.
Instead of having a ground wire run from the case of one pot to the next, and all over the place, you ground EVERYTHING to one point, or the "Star Ground". Since the entire pickguard is covered in aluminum foil(or copper in some cases), you get a fairly large capacitor(for shock prevention perposes, GuitarNuts explains it better), and on one lead you solder a ring terminal, and ground all your grounds to that terminal. Then you put a ring terminal on the other lead, and attach that ring terminal to the base of one of the pots, like you would do with a washer. The capacitor in turn isolates the controls/grounds from the sheilding/pickguard, which essentially eliminates all hum/hiss/buzz.
I love it, it really "opens up" a guitar, especially a Strat, it'll seem like it sounds "bigger", you can play with more gain and clarity, I can't understand why Fender would sell such nice guitars with such subpar electronics, especially since it's so cheap and easy!
larry_emder
New member
Re: cavity shielding
Ok, so can anyone who knows what they are talking about explain why the isolation capacitor helps get rid of hum?
Ok, so can anyone who knows what they are talking about explain why the isolation capacitor helps get rid of hum?
leadlix
New member
Re: cavity shielding
i shield all of mine with the copper tape and then solder all of the seem's
together. It 's important to let the shielding come out of the cavity a lay on the front of the body around the pickguard screwholes, that way when the pick guard is screwed on, the shielding on the back of pickguard come's in contact with the shielding in the cavity.
i shield all of mine with the copper tape and then solder all of the seem's
together. It 's important to let the shielding come out of the cavity a lay on the front of the body around the pickguard screwholes, that way when the pick guard is screwed on, the shielding on the back of pickguard come's in contact with the shielding in the cavity.
ElUnoAstuto
New member
Re: cavity shielding
It isolates the aluminum shielding from your controls. All the controls are connected via the aluminum, and when you place the terminal at the base of one of the pots, it seperates all your grounds from the aluminum foil, minimizing "ground loops". It makes a big difference. Try this experiment:
Once you get all the shielding in place, wire everything like you normally would, and star ground all your grounds. Now solder the ground lug of the volume pot to the case(like it's always done), and listen to it. There's still a great deal of hum, because the volume pot is connected to everything because of the aluminum foil, and that ground lug is now a ground loop.
Now instead of that, take a wire and run it from the ground lug to the isolation capacitor. No ground loops, seperate from the shielding, and most of all, silent. I don't get any buzz, wether I'm touching my strings or not.
It isolates the aluminum shielding from your controls. All the controls are connected via the aluminum, and when you place the terminal at the base of one of the pots, it seperates all your grounds from the aluminum foil, minimizing "ground loops". It makes a big difference. Try this experiment:
Once you get all the shielding in place, wire everything like you normally would, and star ground all your grounds. Now solder the ground lug of the volume pot to the case(like it's always done), and listen to it. There's still a great deal of hum, because the volume pot is connected to everything because of the aluminum foil, and that ground lug is now a ground loop.
Now instead of that, take a wire and run it from the ground lug to the isolation capacitor. No ground loops, seperate from the shielding, and most of all, silent. I don't get any buzz, wether I'm touching my strings or not.
T
TheArchitect
Guest
Re: cavity shielding
I am not an EE but could you please show me where they say that the capacitor does anything but protect against shock? I don't see it anywhere in the document
http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/shield3.php
I am not an EE but could you please show me where they say that the capacitor does anything but protect against shock? I don't see it anywhere in the document
http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/shield3.php
larry_emder
New member
Re: cavity shielding
So can ground loops in a guitar's wiring cause extra noise???
I've heard so many different opinions on this, but still havent found a conclusion.
HELP!
So can ground loops in a guitar's wiring cause extra noise???
I've heard so many different opinions on this, but still havent found a conclusion.
HELP!
ElUnoAstuto
New member
Re: cavity shielding
YES! Ground loops cause extra noise. Try it for yourself. Add an axtra ground wire from pot to pot and compare the noise.
YES! Ground loops cause extra noise. Try it for yourself. Add an axtra ground wire from pot to pot and compare the noise.
Re: cavity shielding
Prob won't hear a difference due to the short lengths of wire involved. Star grounding is more beneficial in larger equipment.
Cavity shielding has a more noticeable effect on noise reduction in guitars. That being said, I've star-grounded my three axes just for the experience. Makes it easier to swap out parts tho, if you solder a strip of metal to the pot and then ground the wires to that.
Go for it, can't hurt!
Prob won't hear a difference due to the short lengths of wire involved. Star grounding is more beneficial in larger equipment.
Cavity shielding has a more noticeable effect on noise reduction in guitars. That being said, I've star-grounded my three axes just for the experience. Makes it easier to swap out parts tho, if you solder a strip of metal to the pot and then ground the wires to that.
Go for it, can't hurt!
infrared72
New member
Re: cavity shielding
Thanks for sharing the photos of your shielded guitar. I always thought that part of having a guitar with passive pickups was the buzzing and humming. It is pretty nuts that a lot of guitar makers don't properly shield their guitars. Personally, I've always liked hearing the sound of notes, chords, and riffs on my instruments. So anything I can do to reduce the humming and buzzing is probably worth it.
So I've seen a few methods of guitar cavity shielding - one that calls for a few coats of this Carbon paint you can buy. Has anyone tried that? I've seen the stuff before, but I don't know if you can solder to it. I wonder if it's just a general shielding with the carbon paint.
-Peter
Thanks for sharing the photos of your shielded guitar. I always thought that part of having a guitar with passive pickups was the buzzing and humming. It is pretty nuts that a lot of guitar makers don't properly shield their guitars. Personally, I've always liked hearing the sound of notes, chords, and riffs on my instruments. So anything I can do to reduce the humming and buzzing is probably worth it.
So I've seen a few methods of guitar cavity shielding - one that calls for a few coats of this Carbon paint you can buy. Has anyone tried that? I've seen the stuff before, but I don't know if you can solder to it. I wonder if it's just a general shielding with the carbon paint.
-Peter
Re: cavity shielding
Carbon paint is pretty expensive and kind of messy. But great for nooks and crannies. 3-5 coats and alternate strokes with each coat.
You dont solder to it. Put a screw into it then run a wire from the pot to the screw.
Carbon paint is pretty expensive and kind of messy. But great for nooks and crannies. 3-5 coats and alternate strokes with each coat.
You dont solder to it. Put a screw into it then run a wire from the pot to the screw.
