Wondering if anybody else has done this and if they have any advice, I've been looking into it but I can't find much info. Anybody ever run into problems, what gauge is the norm and still decent to work with, maybe things to stay away from?
Thanks!
I believe that the copper pickguard shield came out first on the original 1962 Strat, as per the appropriate history books.
It was fairly thick, and separate from the guard if I recall, placed in the assembly like bologna in a sandwich, but it can be glued in, of course, and that is better.
My son and I have had our very old and beaten '62 VRI already bought and sold, had many road miles and good times on it; played by, and impressed an ultimate guitar-equipped, super bluesman, Anthony Gomes, okayed and signed by Nuno Bettencourt. I even gigged with it in a band though I am not a gigger, I keep saying. It was absolutely noiseless, it stunned people with it's quietness, and due to overwound pickups and a stack, drove amps into a tube-fired frenzy.
Anyhow, when I started building guitars for my own personal consumption, and for a few friends, I bought a separate, hand made copper shield from an acquaintance named Monte Allums, whom I believe is responsible for bringing back the trend. I meant to use it and give an endorsement on his site, but never got to it. I made my own shielding instead and was not in need of the copper myself. But he is a fantastic dude! 8) He says he has the most thick, at .006". The foil that he has is also the thickest most likely, at 40 gauge. I like that! Monte is very good. http://www.monteallums.com/
I did use one for building a friend's Strat, from the ground up, he insisted on it. I wasn't going to buy a can of 3M spray adhesive just for him when I work for free, so I put it on with carpenter's glue and it worked as it should. It was crafted by Monte Allums, and stayed on with wood glue, after I sanded the inside of the plastic guard, and that's my endorsement. The homebuilt Strat was another one-of-a-kind, and was dead quiet.
Right now, I think that this is the most advanced, perfect and refined copper shield that money can buy - it seems to be an actual plate, moreso than a foil. It would be killah! http://guitarshields.com/Stratocaster_Shields.html
This laser cut version seems to have roughly copied Monte's idea, and looks as if is the product of pretty fair workmanship. As a foil, they never look totally clean-cut or precise. That's normal. And they work.
There's a video and many more facts about it, and installation here: http://www.guitar-mod.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=S_SHIELD&Category_Code=SHIELD
And finally, you can cut and paste your own, as I do with aluminum usually, with copper from Stew Mac. Here is the product: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Supplies:_Shielding.html?gclid=CIX6-pCm150CFSUMDQoddRmpqw and a review of its use, which of course is favorable. Always good, can't lose! http://www.electric-guitar-review.com/2007/07/17/shielding-your-strat-for-buzz-free-playing-quieting-the-beast/
There is also a copper shielding tape from DiMarzio at MF, you can't go wrong with that either, it seems to be wider than Stew Mac's, as wide as my aluminum tape, and that's less work, or less cutting. :wink:
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Very cool, thanks again for the advice!
GuitarNuts is a good site for information on guitar shielding and grounding. http://www.guitarnuts.com/index.php
Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson
Very cool, thanks again for the advice!
You're welcome.
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
