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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
 Posted - 01/09/2008 : 07:47:06 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by hapakid
110v power chord
Now that is a serious power chord! |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2008 : 07:56:32 AM
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| Hows it! you wen catch the hum or what? Let us know how it turns out or you can hum a few bars and we'll fake it. |
No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2008 : 09:35:41 AM
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My recording computer is my work laptop, so I don't generally have it at home during the week. But when I get it home again this weekend and hook it to my mixer, I'll definitely track it down.
Track down a plate lunch in Hawai'i for me, Noeau.
Jesse |
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rendesvous1840
Ha`aha`a
USA
1055 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2008 : 2:59:27 PM
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This email came today, and seemed to be apropo to the subject at hand. It mostly applies to singlr coil magnetic pickups, not to humbucking,piezo, or vibration sensing pickups. The pictures didn't transfer with the files, for some reason. You can probably view the whole thing on the Stewart-Macdonald web site.
Paul
From: Stewart-MacDonald <enews @ info.stewmac.com>
Subject: Single-coil buzzkill: the why and how of electric guitar shielding.
Single-coil pickups are noisy by nature. They’re sensitive to electromagnetic interference radiated by lights, TVs and appliances. The magnetic coil is an antenna, and it picks up 60 cycle hum. It gets worse on stage, with your guitar picking up neon bar signs, fluorescent lights and the beer cooler kicking on and off throughout your set. At high volumes it gets worse, compounded by the high gain settings on your amp.
The answer is shielding. Here’s how to block those signals out with copper foil and shielding paint.
We offer shielding paint, a shielding kit, and rolls of copper tape in three widths. The kit contains a variety of copper tape plus shielded and insulated wire. I use the kit, supplemented by the 2” roll of tape which can be cut down to any size needed. You don’t need many tools: I use a good pair of scissors, an X-Acto knife, and a multimeter to test for continuity.
Start by cleaning the control cavity. Get rid of any sawdust, buffing compound or other debris. Use the 5” x 7” copper sheet from the shielding kit, trimming it to fit the bottom of the cavity. Cut the foil slightly oversize so it laps up onto the side walls.
Conductive Shielding Paint
Trim your tape so it overlaps the pieces already installed in the bottom of the cavities to ensure continuity. Make sure you also let the foil overlap the top slightly so it makes good contact with the pickguard (as well as the bridge and control cover in the case of this custom Tele) once it’s shielded.Then use your X-Acto handle to smooth out the foil.
After shielding all of the cavities, you’ll have something that looks like this. Notice that all the shielding extends out of the cavity a little, creating a lip on the top. This lip makes contact with the shielded pickguard and control cavity cover when they’re screwed in place.
Self-adhesive Shielding Kit
Now for the pickguard
Make sure the back of the guard is clear of anything that could keep the adhesive copper from sticking. Use the 2” roll to shield the pickguard, making sure the pieces overlap for electrical contact. With your X-Acto knife, work slowly and carefully to trim away any excess and cut out the pickup holes.
Shielding the entire pickguard this way reduces the annoying static some players get when they touch their pickguards.
TIP! Use an old credit card as a squeegee to smooth out the foil.
Tele Pickguards
Vintage vibe for less than $40!
Golden Age Single-coils sound great! They’re made like the most sought-after classic pickups: individually wound with original-style AWG42 coil wire around Alnico 5 magnets, and wax-potted.
This Tele has channels drilled between the pickup and control cavities that I can’t reach, so instead I’m wrapping the pickup leads that run through them. After wrapping the wires, I’ll add a few short pieces of heat-shrink tubing just to help hold it all together.
The wrapped leads make contact with the shielding in the neck pickup and control cavities to complete the shield. I’ll also do this to the bridge pickup. Throughout the job, I’ll frequently use my multimeter to check for continuity along the way.
Most output jack cavities are tight, so I don’t shield them; it’s too easy for the jack to short out against the shielding. Instead, I use the shielded 2-conductor wire included with the shielding kit.
With all the electronics encased, we’re ready for a final test before firing it up... Yep, we have continuity throughout the entire circuit. This guitar is totally shielded.
Digital Multimeter
Rather than shield the entire guitar some folks prefer to shield the coil itself using copper tape. The shield is then connected to ground. This isn’t as effective as shielding the whole thing, but it definitely does help. (This mod is not recommended for rare or vintage pickups!)
Golden Age Single-coils
In tight or odd shaped cavities, conductive paint may be easier to apply. You may want multiple coats — test various points for electrical continuity using your multimeter. A standard glue brush works well for application.
Conductive Shielding Paint
Carlos Santana’s Strat
Here’s an impressive shielding job. A few months back, Dan Erlewine received a cool mid-60s Strat from Carlos Santana. It needed to be refretted and set up. Inspecting the guitar showed that someone had totally shielded the instrument — the pickup cavities, the pickguard, and even the trem spring cavity and cover on the back. For extra strength and electrical continuity, they soldered the overlapping pieces of foil together — a very thorough job indeed! And the buzz is long gone.
Speaking of totally shielded, the old Danelectro/Silvertone guitars were super-shielded. The covers of their classic lipstick tube pickups acted as shields, and the components inside were encased in copper.
When Nat Daniel, the inventor/founder of Danelectro, introduced these “Totally Shielded” guitars at the NAMM (Nat’l Assoc. of Music Merchants) show, he set up a large neon sign in the exhibition hall. The Dan-os sounded just fine right next to that big neon, while it had other single coils buzzing out of control!
Problem-solving products mentioned above:
Self-adhesive Shielding Kit
The kit for killing buzz/hum/noise in your guitar.
Conductive Copper Tape
Get rid of buzz, hum, noise and radio interference in your guitar.
Conductive Shielding Paint
The fastest and easiest way to shield a guitar against buzz and hum.
$13.75
2" wide $10.29
1/2 pint $28.56
Portable Digital Multimeter
Test continuity, AC/DC voltages, amperage, and ohm resistance of pots and pickups.
Heat Shrink Tubings
Better than black tape. Apply a flame and it contracts to become an instant insulator.
Shielded Guitar Circuit Wires
Shielded wire for keeping your guitar circuits quiet and hum-free.
$59.98
$17.49
25 feet $14.95
To reply to this email, please use this web page: stewmac.com/email
Our customer service representatives are available to serve you
9am-6pm weekdays EST. Call 800-848-2273 today.
Stewart-MacDonald - Everything for building and repairing stringed instruments!
© 2007 Stewart-MacDonald, 21 N. Shafer Street, Box 900, Athens, Ohio 45701
Toll-free: 800-848-2273Website: www.stewmac.comE-mail: www.stewmac.com/email
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"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello |
Edited by - rendesvous1840 on 01/10/2008 3:01:09 PM |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2008 : 1:09:13 PM
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| Well, Jesse. The weekend is over and we are dying to see what you found out. Please lket us know the results of your investigation. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Kika Kahu
Aloha
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2008 : 04:51:30 AM
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| Oh da hum! Those things can drive you nuts! All plugged in, relaxed, steady nerves, practiced, ready to lay it down. Record your chops flawlessly and play back with added 'buzz'. Sheesh! Does your circuit support any dimming for overhead lighting? This will produce buzz continually as the dimmers are always working on the circuit. They continually interupt the voltage in smaller or larger segments. Your unit can be plugged in down the 'line' from the dimmer swich but it will still interupt the power to your equipment. Just turn off the overheads if they are on a dimmer and that should stop. Maybe this helps. Good luck! |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2008 : 08:39:35 AM
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I think I have tracked it down to the cheap guitar cords or my Samick 335-style electric guitar. I went through the house looking for flourescent bulbs and turning off all the lights and that didn't make a difference, but when I unplugged the guitar, the hum went away. I may find another way to record the guitar, such as going through my favorite amp into a mike, or just stick to acoustic instruments.
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I just like to dink around with recording, so if there's a little hum, it's no big deal. I've committed worse crimes against music.
Jesse Tinsley |
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