Terrible hum when TV is on in room

[GilmourD]

That's not difficult???
I'll give it a go.

I mean... I'm an arthritic monkey and I can do it.

[alexpigment]

It is time-consuming (~30 minutes or more) and meticulous, but "difficult" isn't the word I would use. In fact, there's a certain zen aspect to the work, especially when you don't cut corners. GilmourD's technique above is pretty much perfect, as you see places where there is a piece of tape going to a screw or sitting on top where the pickguard can touch in several spots. The only gotcha to shielding is that you may find that something doesn't work anymore because a shouldn't-be-grounded part is touching the tape (and therefore being grounded). The most common areas are the pickup selector switch, input jack, the pot lugs, etc. I find that if you put in some masking tape on top of the shielding tape in those places (as necessary), you can fix any of those issues pretty easily.

P.S. I think the Am Pro II has the aluminum shield, right? I haven't been able to confirm with side-by-side tests, but I feel like copper tape does better than the aluminum (I own one of those aluminum shields, as well as some copper ones from Monty Allums). I wouldn't mess with it for now, but if you find that shielding the cavity it's not fully addressing the problem, it might be worth getting rid of the aluminum shield and putting the copper tape on the back of the guard.

[eyemack]

Yep, it has the aliminium shield. As you suggest, I’ll leave that for now and see the results first.
What about the trem mechanism cavity? Necessary?
I’m going to practice on a cheap Strat copy that I have lying around first before tackling the JM.

[alexpigment]

It isn't necessary (or meaningful) to shield the trem cavity, as there are no wires under there. Essentially, you're just trying to make a metal box around all the wires in the guitar because they are the things picking up the hum (outside of the pickups themselves). Clean and minimal wiring also helps in this regard, but I wouldn't touch the existing wiring under the pickguard.

[eyemack]

I mean... I'm an arthritic monkey and I can do it.

Nice job!

[GilmourD]

Nice job!

Thanks!

Like @alexpigment said, it's not difficult but it is time consuming. I just kinda sat there watching Linus Tech Tips videos while doing it. LOL

[Larry Mal]

Watch out, though, that foil is sharp as can be and you'll lacerate yourself.

[alexpigment]

Watch out, though, that foil is sharp as can be and you'll lacerate yourself.

I’ve heard this quite a few times, and I’ve come to believe that certain tapes are more rigid than others. I buy the Kraftex tape on Amazon, and I think it would be pretty hard to cut yourself with it. Have you noticed your tape being particularly thick/rigid?

[eyemack]

It isn't necessary (or meaningful) to shield the trem cavity, as there are no wires under there. Essentially, you're just trying to make a metal box around all the wires in the guitar because they are the things picking up the hum (outside of the pickups themselves). Clean and minimal wiring also helps in this regard, but I wouldn't touch the existing wiring under the pickguard.

The only reason I asked about this, is because the hum also goes away if I touch/hold the trem bar.

[alexpigment]

The trem bar is grounded by the strings, which are grounded by the wire that goes to the bridge thimbles. Fortunately for you, the hum goes away when you touch stuff, which means that it should go away when shielded .

[eyemack]

I'll give it a go in the next day or two and report back!

[Larry Mal]

Watch out, though, that foil is sharp as can be and you'll lacerate yourself.

I’ve heard this quite a few times, and I’ve come to believe that certain tapes are more rigid than others. I buy the Kraftex tape on Amazon, and I think it would be pretty hard to cut yourself with it. Have you noticed your tape being particularly thick/rigid?

You know I never thought about it, I buy whatever seems like a good deal on Amazon. I'd say it seems somewhat thick, which I think I would prefer.

[alexpigment]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mLBo4y9t8Y

I had never seen this video, and after watching a bit, I can say two things. 1) There are some really cool tricks in here to make the cleanest shielding job possible. 2) Most of this precision is unnecessary, and I think that has more to do with Mike's personality (or OCD) than any real-world benefit. I say this only to make sure eyemack doesn't freak out if he watches it

[GilmourD]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mLBo4y9t8Y

I had never seen this video, and after watching a bit, I can say two things. 1) There are some really cool tricks in here to make the cleanest shielding job possible. 2) Most of this precision is unnecessary, and I think that has more to do with Mike's personality (or OCD) than any real-world benefit. I say this only to make sure eyemack doesn't freak out if he watches it

I probably never noticed any over-the-top precision because I function that way, too. LOL I like to repeatedly do things until I get to a level of precision and efficiency that just makes life easier. It's why when I was an administrative assistant at one point I figured out how to get all my reports done by 10am on Monday while everybody else was slogging at them all week. But I'm also vaguely psychotic.

[eyemack]

Quick question guys, does this involve soldering?