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Post subject: shielding
Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 4:30 pm
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Joined: Thu May 02, 2013 11:57 am
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How much shielding is done during production on Fender basses???I've been reading some interesting articles and such ( Brother Dave had a great link ) Got me wondering if it makes such a difference, why aren't manufactures doing it in the first place? Why is left for the modifiers?

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1995 QMT Cherry Bing Fender American Deluxe Jazz
2010 Black American Standard V Fender Precision
2012 Tony Franklin Fret less Precision
2009 Tony Franklin Fretted P bass
2012 American Standard Stratocaster


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Post subject: Re: shielding
Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 4:47 am
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On some instruments manufacturers use shielding paint in pickup and control cavities on some models. This is better than nothing, but not as good as copper shielding to ground. The shielding paint is conductive. Fender also sometimes uses aluminum foil on the back of the pickguard. That too is better than nothing. Back in the late 50's and 60's during the Leo Era, Fender used brass base plates under P-Bass and J-Bass pickups which was a real improvement. Often these were integrated into the signal path though which I try to avoid personally.

Usually single coil instruments benefit the most. There often is little if any benefit in shielding an instrument with humbuckers or with the split coil 2nd generation P-Bass.

The reasons manufacturers don't do Copper foil shielding is because it is labor intensive. Leo Fender found the brass pickup base plates in conjunction with aluminum foil on the back of the pickguard around pickups and the control cavity helped a lot Eventually CBS dropped them though.

Copper foil shielding is sort of an extension of Leo Fender's pickup base plate idea, but doesn't get in the signal path. On a single coil instrument Fender or otherwise I copper foil shield to ground with a separate wire from the pickup cavity to control cavity ground. This would be a first generation P-Bass or J-Bass, Strat or Tele for example. 2nd generation split coil P-Basses generally are not as prone to RFI and some won't benefit at all from copper foil shielding. Few humbucking guitars will benefit either.

Danelectro was the first guitar maker I know of to use the cage method of shielding to ground, which is pretty much what I do with Fender single coil instruments. Danelectro actually lined the guts with copper which was grounded. Other than the front of the pickups there is no place for RFI to get in.

Copper shielding the back of the pickguard to ground and using grounded chrome covers over the pickups finishes off a good shielding job.

Fender innovated the "noiseless" type single coil pickups to address Fender buzz. They work, but don't sound much like single coils anymore. I love single coil tone and by copper shielding I can get rid of most of the buzz.


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