Seymour Duncan pickups with Copper band around coils...

[Bowtomecha]

I’ve noticed that the Pegasus has a copper band around the coils. I’m guessing it’s shielding. Is it just this, the sentient and the Nazgul that have this or is this a modern direction SD is taking for all it’s recent pickups? I’m not seeing how well it’s working since I seem to have more noise issues than the original pickups in my guitar. Is there any harm in removing it? I plan on copper shielding the pickup and control cavities soon anyways.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Seymour Duncan pickups with Copper band around coils...

I always seemed to find the higher output pickups have it, but the lower output ones don't.
Of course the more wire you have in a pickup the more it will become an antenna, which maybe brings it into more audible interference areas. And more signal generation makes for a larger noise signal too.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Seymour Duncan pickups with Copper band around coils...

This should also induce eddy currents and dampen the highs.

 

[Bowtomecha]

Re: Seymour Duncan pickups with Copper band around coils...

I wonder if I should experiment with removing it. I’m trying to brighten it.

 

[Bowtomecha]

Re: Seymour Duncan pickups with Copper band around coils...

I found an old thread https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?215459-Exposed-copper-shielding-tape-on-pickup and not every pickup has this. A person reported having a sentient and Nazgul with the shielding and a 2nd Nazgul not having it. My sentient and Pegasus have it but I noticed that the black cloth tape isn’t very tight and parts of the copper tape are crushed. These were new pickups I got for 30 bucks cheaper as a set on amazon from Seymour Duncan itself and I’m wondering if they were tampered with/modified with a mag swap then returned and is why they sound a bit off.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Seymour Duncan pickups with Copper band around coils...

If you do remove tape, be very careful. The copper stuff should be separate from anything involved in the coil wire anchoring, but you can easily damage the join between the winding and the hookup wire if you are rough

 

[jeremy]

Re: Seymour Duncan pickups with Copper band around coils...

as far as i know all trembuckers have the copper tape as well. i havent removed it but id be very very careful so you dont break a winding

 

[SAguitar]

Re: Seymour Duncan pickups with Copper band around coils...

"Don't you kids be trying this at home. We are trained professionals."

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Seymour Duncan pickups with Copper band around coils...

If it’s a shield, wouldn’t it be grounded? I would t mess with it.

 

[Bowtomecha]

Re: Seymour Duncan pickups with Copper band around coils...

I’m considering simply unsoldering where it’s connected. I’m getting my guitar shielded with copper tape anyways so I’m thinking it’s just redundant and maybe the proximity is what’s deadening the tone.

 

[freefrog]

Re: Seymour Duncan pickups with Copper band around coils...

I’m considering simply unsoldering where it’s connected. I’m getting my guitar shielded with copper tape anyways so I’m thinking it’s just redundant and maybe the proximity is what’s deadening the tone.

Having not tested a Nazgul (or more exactly YOUR Nazgul) with or without copper tape, I don't know why it lacks of brightness to your ears: is it because of inductance? Stray capacitance? Q factor? Foucault currents aka eddy currents?
I just think that in each of these cases, JUST disconnecting the copper tape won't have much effect while removing it might damage the coil.

In such a case, if I wanted more brightness, I'd rather try a higher resistive load (with 1M pots or "no load" tone controls) and/or a lower capacitance wiring/guitar cable (ideas here: http://www.shootoutguitarcables.com/guitar-cables-explained/capacitance-chart.html).

Then I'd try external tricks like a cap in series with the pickup or an inductive load in parallel with it.

Then I would possibly try to lessen the inductance by decreasing the metallic mass of the magnetic circuit (by shortening the screw poles, for instance).

Tinkering with the copper shield would come in last position and I'd probably "dewax" externally the coils before any attempt to remove this copper strip.

Now, do what you want and be happy. Good luck in your experiments!

EDIT just to share possibly useful links. See here what is said about a "gap" in the copper shield: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/26279-mod-garage-how-to-shield-single-coil-pickups?page=2

And here is the technical idea behind: http://kenwillmott.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Pickup_Cover_Geometry.pdf