Paint shielding in a semi hollow guitar.

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gibs
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Paint shielding in a semi hollow guitar.

Post by gibs » Sat Jul 24, 2021 6:21 am

So I know on something like a 335 paint shielding is not really a possibility. But I was wondering if there’s much point on something like a hollowbody jazzmaster, specifically if it’s routed out to where the hollow cavities are part of the cavities for the electronics. I suppose I could do something to isolate the control cavities from the hollow chambers in that case, but if not does anyone see the shielding to be completely pointless?

While I’m at it, would I need to use a pick guard shield an anodized aluminum pick guard? I would think all I really need is to ground the guard to the cavity shielding (like paint a small strip of the shielding on the surface of the body, like by the bridge side, then placing the guard puts it in contact with the shielding).

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timtam
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Re: Paint shielding in a semi hollow guitar.

Post by timtam » Sat Jul 24, 2021 7:59 pm

If it's Japanese, check if the wiring already has shielded conductors (like in pic below). Some MIJ do, and even some Squiers. That makes their wiring better shielded than MIAs/MIMs, which use unshielded conductors.
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If not, you could add a shielded conductor harness. Off the top of my head I can't recall a commercial one. But the circuit is the same as a regular JM, just with all conductors in shielded wires. Similar to the the VM JM at the bottom below (albeit that doesn't have the rhythm circuit, but you get the idea). You could twist the pickup wires to make them twisted pairs, which are probably almost as good as shielded conductors - replacing those wires is probably not warranted. You could shield the pickguard with copper foil (with conductive adhesive, grounded) and add a vintage-style grounded control cavity brass shield if it fits your hollow JM's internals. There is a brass shield for the rhythm circuit cavity but it's just a flat plate that sits in the floor of that cavity on a solid JM.
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https://www.guitarpartsfactory.us/005-4 ... 0054441004

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