60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after Vid

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Endlessnachos4one
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60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after Vid

Post by Endlessnachos4one » Fri Apr 15, 2016 9:55 pm

Here's a video I made showing the difference in 60 hz hum/RF between a shielded plastic pick guard and an aluminum pick guard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-e5rzm ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(I guess this would also show tonal differences but that was not really the intention of the video)
Sm57->Scarlet 2i4->photobooth(lol)

Squire JMJM with Antiquity IIs

Bought the Aluminum guard here http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/pickguards_jazz.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hope this helps

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by saxjag » Sat Apr 16, 2016 7:53 pm

That's pretty convincing! Thanks for posting the video. I've had similar hum-reducing results with an anodized aluminum pickguard on my Thin Skin Jag.

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by low_fidelity2100 » Sat Apr 30, 2016 6:27 am

Wow, that's pretty incredible actually. What brand is the aluminum guard?

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Apr 30, 2016 7:35 am

Thanks for putting that up! I was absolutely sold on the aluminum pickguard that I put on my Firebird. Between that and the copper shielding tape, I was pretty stunned at the amount of noise I was able to shrug off.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by Endlessnachos4one » Mon May 02, 2016 3:35 am

Thanks, no problem.

I'm very happy with the results, if I end up owning more single coil guitars they will definitely get aluminum guards.

I don't know the brand but I got it from this page. I think it's old fender stock.
http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/pickguards_jazz.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by sears » Mon May 02, 2016 10:27 am

You shielded the body cavities, right?

I have instruments that never caused me problems, that I now have to shield. Thanks for the demo.
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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by Endlessnachos4one » Thu May 05, 2016 5:26 pm

sears wrote:You shielded the body cavities, right?

I have instruments that never caused me problems, that I now have to shield. Thanks for the demo.
The Squire JMJM comes stock with shielding paint in the cavities so I assume the cavities are shielded properly. So I haven't done any extra shielding on the cavities; all I've done is put the (unanodized) aluminum guard on.

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by caldera » Thu May 05, 2016 6:52 pm

Endlessnachos4one wrote:
sears wrote:You shielded the body cavities, right?

I have instruments that never caused me problems, that I now have to shield. Thanks for the demo.
The Squire JMJM comes stock with shielding paint in the cavities so I assume the cavities are shielded properly. So I haven't done any extra shielding on the cavities; all I've done is put the (unanodized) aluminum guard on.
My MIM also came with the cavity painted, but I bought a roll of copper shielding tape from stewmac and shielded the whole cavity and the pick guard and it made a huge difference.

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by Soggy Donkey » Sat May 14, 2016 2:03 am

sears wrote:You shielded the body cavities, right?

I have instruments that never caused me problems, that I now have to shield. Thanks for the demo.
Me too -- it's nothing that's changed in the house (as far as I can tell), but lately there's a noticeably hum around 60-70 hz. It's not a grounding issue, and it's not the amp.

Thanks for the video -- but your video convinced me to spend the $17 on a shield.

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by øøøøøøø » Sat May 14, 2016 5:25 am

the plastic guard is supposed to have an aluminum shielding plate underneath it; it's part of the design.

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by sears » Sun May 15, 2016 8:31 am

A lot of that aluminum-looking stuff that's taped to the bottom of the pickguard underneath the pots, doesn't pass a continuity test the way copper tape does. I've seen it on cheap and expensive guitars.

Does that matter? I have had great results with copper tape but it is a painstaking job.
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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by Larry Mal » Sun May 15, 2016 9:13 am

If there's no continuity to ground then you've made the situation worse, probably. You've basically added an antenna.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by Endlessnachos4one » Tue May 17, 2016 5:49 am

Caldera: I just bought some copper tape I assume you think it's worth the work of putting it on as extra shielding?

Soggy: I have the "fender pickguard shield" underneath the mint green guard in the video, from what I can tell it does nothing in the way of noise reduction. So I'd stay away from that one.

øøøøøøø: The plastic mint guard does have the fender "shielding plate" underneath the guard in the video. (I don't now if you're post was directed at me but I figured I'd reply just in case).

Sears: Since the "Fender pickguard shield" was having no audible effect on the noise/hum/RF I tried to thicken it up with that tape, I gave up half way through as I realized I was kidding myself. The tape wasn't on the pickguard shield when it was under the mint green guard, the only reason I held the shield in front of the pups was to show it didn't have the same effect on the RF/hum/noise as the aluminum guard did when held in close proximity to the pups. (I'm not 100% if your post was directed at me/at the aluminum tape on the shield but I again I figured I'D answer just in case).

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by øøøøøøø » Tue May 17, 2016 11:01 am

wait, so you applied aluminum tape on the underside of the aluminum shield?

If the adhesive side was toward the shield, then it would've interrupted continuity between the two, negating the effect of the metal shield.

A shield isn't a shield unless it has a solid earth (ground) connection.

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Re: 60 hz hum/RF reduction aluminum pick guard before/after

Post by Larry Mal » Tue May 17, 2016 12:49 pm

øøøøøøø wrote:
A shield isn't a shield unless it has a solid earth (ground) connection.
It's an antenna.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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