Shielding paint

[pirate]

For those of you that have used shielding paint, can you recommend a brand/type? I see a wide variety out there, from $10 to $50, and I imagine you get what you pay for, like anything. Don't want to waste money on cheap that doesn't really work, or has other issues, but don't want to go crazy either. Stewmac's is $47.62 for a 1/2 pint on amazon for example. Seems an easier, and cleaner way to shield cavities than tape, and I've even see spray on paint as well.

 

[Cagey]

It's all lagely a waste of time/money/effort if you ask me. Using shielded cable and short wire runs where possible  are much more effective. If you're using single coil pickups, you may also want to read this.

 

[pirate]

It's all lagely a waste of time/money/effort if you ask me. Using shielded cable and short wire runs where possible  are much more effective. If you're using single coil pickups, you may also want to read this.

Thanks Cagey, good link, very informative. I'm curious if you know, as I don't see anything on their website mentioning it, but the loaded control plate I got from 920D, do you think their wires are shielded? Also, when talking about using shielded wire on longer runs, how long is a longer run? Seems if you have the time, and soldering skills, you would just use shielded wire throughout and not worry about shielding cavities? Or am I off base here?

 

[Cagey]

Anything shorter than an inch or so is difficult to use shielded cable on for practical reasons and doesn't seem to matter as much, while anything longer gets critical pretty fast. For example, the runs to the output jack and from the PU selector switch on those guitars where the selector switch is several inches or more away (like the toggles mounted on upper/lower forward bouts, as in semi-hollows) can pick up a lot, while little jumpers and whatnot on the blade switches like you see on Fender-style guitars aren't critical.

 

[rgand]

This is a good place to interject a question. I have seen harnesses offered with twisted pairs of wire on longer runs. Is there any noise reduction benefit with those twisted pairs?

 

[Cagey]

Yes, it's just less effective. Better on lower frequencies, and better than nothing at little or no cost.

Oddly enough, most of what we perceive as 60cy hum isn't - 60hz is down near the limits of human hearing and has a pretty long wavelength so it's more difficult to pick up. Single coil pickups are a long enough antenna (often approaching 1/2 mile) that they can pick up 60hz easily. But, what you're hearing is usually harmonics riding on or modulated by a 60hz carrier. Get rid of the carrier, and the noise that's left sounds more like hiss.

 

[stratamania]

60Hz is about a Bb, if you are in Europe 50Hz is G but a little sharp.

Human hearing is about 20 - 20,000 Hz. A low E on a bass is around 41Hz and a low B on a 5 string around 30Hz.

 

[pirate]

This is a good place to interject a question. I have seen harnesses offered with twisted pairs of wire on longer runs. Is there any noise reduction benefit with those twisted pairs?

Yes, that is I had on the run to the input jack on the one from 920D, so I guess it comes down to shielding that run, and from the PU's to the control. And yea, another dumb newbie question, but is their such a thing as a slip on shield for the wires? or must the wire be completely replaced? Because a slip on would be a no brainer to do, even for me!  :icon_biggrin:

 

[stratamania]

You could always add the outside braid of braided wire over existing wires and ground it.

 

[pirate]

They do sell the braided part seperately, 1/8", 1/4" etc and then wraps like these...

https://www.zippertubing.com/products/emi-shielding/shielding-tapes-and-wraps

In the end though, it does sound like many here do not bother with shielding even with single coils.

 

[stratamania]

I have shielded some guitars and some I have not.  There are different opinions on it but the important thing is the end result.

 

[Cagey]

I have shielded some guitars and some I have not.  There are different opinions on it but the important thing is the end result.

That's the thing. For some, it's not so important. Jimi Hendrix certainly never used anything. For others, it's like fingernails on chalkboard.

There's always the "noise gate" solution, which works well enough for many. Some of those are quite effective, such as EHX's "Hum Debugger", TC Electronic's "Sentry", Rocktron's "Hush", or ISP Tech's "Decimator II".

 

[rgand]

Yes, it's just less effective. Better on lower frequencies, and better than nothing at little or no cost.

That's kind of what I thought the case would be.

 

[Rick]

I'm with Hendrix, use nothing

 

[BigSteve22]

Just a fine point: EXH HumDedugger is not a noise gate. It has no "gating" action. It's only function is to remove the hum induced in single coil pups by 60Hz EMI. As opposed to a gate, it goes at the beginning of the signal path. It is extremely good at what it does, but it is not meant to remove noise generated by other pedals, so if this is a problem, a gate at the end of the chain is still advised.

I absolutely love my HumDegugger. I hate single coil hum, and using this pedal, I don't have to put up with it. Best $117.50 I've spent on a pedal!

P.S.: My only caveat, is that it runs on 7.5VAC, instead of 9VDC. It comes with a PSA, so it's not all that big a deal, but you must take that into account when wiring it into your board.