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Post by metalmaniac on Jul 19, 2007 16:30:10 GMT -5
Hey. Read a lot about pickup shielding lately (well, cavity/pickguard, that is). Mostly in favor. However, stumbled upon one site that recommends AGAINST it--claiming shielding can damage pickups: Tone Brothers, a Lindy Fralin pup vendor. www.tonebros.com/Tone%20Brothers/About%20Guitars%20and%20Pickups.htmlSee "Shielding" towards bottom. Any suggestions? Heck, they are HUMbuckers, right? If it ain't broke don't fix it? Keep it simple stupid? Anywho, looking forward to reading what y'awl might think. Thanks. Cheers. Rock on! |
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Post by sumgai on Jul 19, 2007 21:02:52 GMT -5
metalmaniac, Welcome to the Forums! ;D I can honestly say, thank you for the laughs!  Those jokers are either tone-deaf, or they are covering up for the inadequacies of their products. Or both, I'm not inclined to care which.  Like you, I inferred from that blurb that all shielding is bad for the tone. About the only thing they got right was the caution about potentially shorting the pickup's output, if the shielding job was done poorly. mm, I assure as a long time member of this Forum (who is a relative newcomer compared to many others here), you will not receive any positive reinforcement of this BS from any of us. That's just plain silly. If I were a childish and vindictive kind of person, I'd say mean and spiteful things like that whole page sounds as if the writer was either stoned out of his gourd when he wrote it, or he was writing about things he botched up, probably because he was stoned when trying to do them. But I'm not that kind of guy, so I won't say anything like that, OK? Besides, I wonder how many members here have shielded their guitars, then reported back that they suffered a loss of tone......... ......... Oh wait, I have the answer right here...... <acts important as the database search engine spits out the results.......> Yeppers, here it is...... Survey Sez: A nice big fat goose-egg! Or to put it another way, according to tonebros, all the GuitarNutz must have swallowed the same Blue Pill, and given up some tone, just for the sake of shielding.  Somehow that just doesn't puff up my skirts, ya know what I mean, bunky?  < Weasel Lawyer words:> The foregoing is my opinion only, and in no way reflects the opinion of any other members here, nor of the originator of the first website to deal with shielding a guitar, John Atchley. Any and all such can speak for themselves, should they wish to do so.) </ Weasel Lawyer words:> I hope that helped clarify your thoughts on the matter. But keep asking questions, both here and abroad - it's the only way you're gonna learn anything, and be confident that you're heading in the correct direction.  Our mission statement: We exist to help everyone who asks for it, plain and simple. But be prepared...... I truly believe that some of the forthcoming replies are gonna make mine look rather limp-wristed! ;D sumgai |
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Post by metalmaniac on Jul 19, 2007 21:54:48 GMT -5
Hey.
Thanks. Now that you mention it, that is pretty funny. Almost as funny as yer hilarious reply.
1, 2...1, 2, 3, 4, what this F-in' wire for? Rock on!
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Post by UnklMickey on Jul 20, 2007 15:21:45 GMT -5
Sounds to me like metalmaniac might be a "tone-brother" Or maybe just a red-headed stepchild of a tone-brother. Nice smiley, chief. |
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fenson
Rookie Solder Flinger
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Post by fenson on Jul 21, 2007 3:12:40 GMT -5
well if one considers the hum and static noise from various outside electrical sources a tone  then ya you do lose that tone ;Dwhen ya shield a guitar. There are good tones and bad tones,ya do not want the bad. 8-)LOL |
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Post by sumgai on Jul 21, 2007 3:20:13 GMT -5
........
Nice smiley, chief. I had to hunt around a bit, but I finally found him taking a nap under the back-bar over at the Coffee Shop. Nothing else would do for what I needed to express, thanks for enriching us all. sumgai |
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Post by duosonicboy on Jul 23, 2007 1:50:54 GMT -5
Shielding can't really hurt the pickup - if you do it super sloppy and get a short, just undo the short - guitar electronic are usually pretty forgiving. I know alot of guys who shield the inside of their pickup covers and I've never heard any complaints.
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Post by UnklMickey on Jul 23, 2007 3:45:48 GMT -5
Shielding can't really hurt the pickup - if you do it super sloppy and get a short, just undo the short - guitar electronic are usually pretty forgiving. I know alot of guys who shield the inside of their pickup covers and I've never heard any complaints. To be perfectly honest, there are other dangers. True, if you nick the wires of the coil you could cause a short. If you were less lucky, you could break the wires causing an open. Repairing broken wires on a pickup coil is no fun at all. Another issue is tone. Doing an effective job of shielding the pickup itself (not the wiring) will have an effect on tone. There was a good thread on pickup shielding a while back by a member named Woody. I think it's worth reading: guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=wiring&thread=1163420412&page=1Cheers, Unk |
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Post by sumgai on Jul 23, 2007 12:31:43 GMT -5
unk, Thanks for that link, I'd forgotten who started it in the first place.  I've stickied it for future reference. But if you're inclined to call it a Reference work, I'd have no problem with it being moved to that Forum.  sumgai |
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mikesr1963
Meter Reader 1st Class
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Post by mikesr1963 on Sept 2, 2007 11:51:51 GMT -5
Never had a problem with shielding blowing my tone. I have shorted out pots and switches but that's because I went from the tiny ones to full size Fender parts. All I did to fix was line the copper with black electrical tape. I've also wrapped single coils with copper foil with no problems. There was this one guy, who had his single coils wrapped with copper foil too, I think his name was Stevie Ray Vaughan. Really sucked the tone out of his guitar didn't it.
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then ya you do lose that tone ;Dwhen ya shield a guitar. 
