Foiled!

Alrighty then! Back to the project after a slight pause to make a living. I received the copper foil sheets with which I am shielding the project guitar's electronics. Received was two 12x12 sheets of conductive, adhesive backed copper foil. This photo, after the application of the copper foil in the body cavities, should illustrate that this is going to be one well-shielded and hum-free guitar.

The next step is to apply the copper foil to the back of the new pickguard (after I get it, that is). Since I ordered too much copper foil, I am thinking of covering the entire back of the pickguard, not just the section over the body cavities.

The trick to this whole thing is to make sure the foil in the cavities comes in direct contact with the foil on the back of the pickguard (hence the slight overlap of the foil in the cavities onto the top of the guitar body). This is how grounding comes into play. Because the electronics are grounded, the copper foil is likewise grounded as it is in direct contact with common, grounded points--the volume and tone pots when you screw them onto the foiled back of the pickguard. In essence, all of the copper foil then becomes one continuous, grounded field that cancels out hum and noise. A quote from someone else:

"Performing these modifications will in no way change the tone of your guitar, other than it may sound a bit richer because some of the faint harmonics that were previously buried in hum and noise will now be audible."

This is the concept of shielding guitar electronics as I understand it. If I have it wrong, someone please let me know. By the way, the foil was very simple to apply. It is about the same consistency of Reynolds Wrap and molds very easily into the body cavities.

Crispy