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Post by bigjeelittlo on May 1, 2011 9:04:01 GMT -5
Woke up this morning thinking about the time I hope to have today to finally finish shielding my Greco Strat copy. I have copper foil tape with conductive adhesive ready to go. Started to think about the possibility that there might be an issue with increased capacitance related to the adhesive that will need to be addressed. Of course, I have already shielded the pickguard with the tape, thus providing the perfect context for this "hmmmm...." moment.
Any opinions on the need to solder the strips of copper foil tape together to ensure good flow? I bought the tape with the conductive adhesive to avoid having to solder, but I always think more clearly after having committed to something in a less than fully considered manner. Obviously, I can test it after install, but wondered about the science involved vs. the actual aural experience, which made me think of guitarnuts...
And in the continued thankful spirit of a Rookie Solder Flinger, I want to say thanks in advance for any response. C1...I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for some more good advice today...
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Post by newey on May 1, 2011 9:32:43 GMT -5
The shielding is there to conduct away noise. The shielding should not be in the "signal chain" of your guitar; the whole point is to keep it separate from the signal.
The capacitance of the shielding, whatever it is, will therefore not affect your tone in any way. As long as you have a good connection (i.e., a few Ohms at most across the shielding, tested with your multimeter at several points) with the conductive adhesive, you're good to go.
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Post by cynical1 on May 1, 2011 9:53:36 GMT -5
C1...I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for some more good advice today... Now there's a familiar scenario... I've used copper tape with a conductive adhesive for years and never soldered any on it. Never had a problem. Make sure you overlap all the strips slightly and you're fine. Happy Trails Cynical One |
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Post by bigjeelittlo on May 1, 2011 10:37:58 GMT -5
Thanks Newey and C1. My concern was that the ground needs good connectivity shield-wide, and the capacity of the adhesive may not cut it. Definitely will not have any shielding in the signal chain. Confidence is much higher now, thanks. The voltage meter will hopefully ice that cake.
Much appreciated, as always!
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katillac
Rookie Solder Flinger
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Post by katillac on Aug 7, 2011 19:27:09 GMT -5
The shielding is there to conduct away noise. The shielding should not be in the "signal chain" of your guitar; the whole point is to keep it separate from the signal. When you shield the pickguard and cavity, I'm told you're supposed to have a spot or two where the two will contact. If using a body-mounted star ground, does this mean there shouldn't be any shielding foil touching the ground? I want to make sure I have this right, as I'll be shielding mine as soon as the body dries a few more days (letting it gas before I continue). |
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Post by newey on Aug 7, 2011 20:21:50 GMT -5
Yes, you want the pickguard shielding to be in contact with your shielding in the cavity. The idea is to make a sort-of box around the pickups and other components.
It doesn't matter, really. The shield grounds, string/bridge ground, and the signal grounds all have to meet at some point. The star ground is that point. From there, all the grounds go to the "-" side of the guitar cable and to the amp.
Since the shield ground ends up there anyway, there's no harm if the foil touches the star ground.
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