killahworm Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 I was wondering if it was essential to use copper tape to shield my guitar, or if I could use aluminiumfoil and CA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 i think aluminium foil will do, one bad thing of aluminiumfoil is that you cant solder things to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killahworm Posted August 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 that is a drawback yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Not really - you can always use a wood screw to attach a solder terminal to the foil. Superglue and foil is just a little harder to work with, at least for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 Has anybody tried the aluminum tape that is sold for refrigeration and AC ducts? This will be as easy to work as the copper tape, and if you go to a AC working place you might get some from free. Or at least cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 It depends on what you are shielding against. If all your wiring is shielded, ie. braided grounds surrounding hot wires, and you are installing humbuckers, then I wouldn't bother. Its important to make sure your bridge is grounded. Shielding helps cut down 60 cycle hum from single coils, otherwise, I haven't really seen (heard) a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 I shield everything, even with hums and shielded cable in place, but that may be overkill for most situations. Our rehearsal space is the electrical equivalent of a haunted indian burial ground with Area 51 overtones, and many of the clubs I've played in over the years have been quite bad, so I may be a bit sensitized. My attitude is that it's a small price to pay for avoiding an uncommon but extremely irritating problem. With a bit of luck, you may never have to play a place with a substandard electrical system, and it won't ever become an issue. And, yes, I have an outlet ground fault checker, and use it religiously, so maybe it's just a mild paranoia - I have nightmares about the airbase scene from This is Spinal Tap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalefish Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 I use the ol' aluminum foil with double-sided tape to shield my guitars.. It's a bit of a pain to work with but it's cheap and it works.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ansil Posted August 19, 2004 Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 aluminum foil is great try using a spray adhesive that acts like contact cement when its dried so you can cut and form dry, then coat the guitar and the foil let dry then apply it nicely. check for electrical continuity with the glue ie make sure the adhesive conducts incase you have to go back over it. for the insides of a strat under the picguard you can use smaller pieces to make it look better and use plain old staples to tie two pieces together. hey lovekraft, i use the wood screw too. but try those little mounting rings to hook your grounds too. in the car audio section of the local car parts store, or even ratshack too. you can solder grounds to it. shield the connections with heat sink to make it look pretty. [and keep it neat] also then you use the woodscrew and it will stay for nearly ever. i did this on alot of my repairs from 1989-1999. up until i started using pcb's for my guitar wiring. as that was so much easier to do. and molex connectors. also a little off topic but LK have you tried the molex connectors and wire up tube sockets with them. its freakin amazing. i have two connectors on my big amps per socket. one for the heaters. with some super fat wire. and one for the other 6 pins. (i use 12v for heaters so i just cut off the 9th pin.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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