Jazz Shielding Pictorial (Big Images Warning)

[Vic]

Originally Posted by Basstardo

Has anyone actually wraped the coils on the pu with the copper tape and if so would there be any advantages / disadvantages doing this?

I haven't had to do this, but I'm also using humbuckers. However, I'd be really worried this would affect tone, myself.

[Bocete]

My jazz's plate is on the back side. The plate that you open to see the electronics.

So, all in all, shielding is about making a one big ..undershirt of copper, that stands in between the electric stuff and the outside world. All the parts of the shield are tied together, the plate connected the way Lyle showed, with a copper strip. Then, as for grounds, I need to connect both pickup and potentiometer grounds to the output jack negative, I can do that and have no problem opening the plate in the future since nothing is soldered to it.

Do I need to connect the shielding to the ground connecting point as well, or it needs to be isolated?

[Vic]

Originally Posted by Bocete

Do I need to connect the shielding to the ground connecting point as well, or it needs to be isolated?

Yes, the shield should be grounded.

[Bocete]

These are some star-grounding schemes I just made - would they work if I just soldered wires the same way shown? Schemes for Jazz parallel, series, and with a push/pull switch.. Are they all right? Should I change anything, like the place where I solder all the grounds together, and also, can the output jack take all the grounds at once - 'couse that would be a huge solder..

Thanks in forward, can't wait to get my hands on making this work!

[Vic]

Originally Posted by Bocete

These are some star-grounding schemes I just made - would they work if I just soldered wires the same way shown? Schemes for Jazz parallel, series, and with a push/pull switch.. Are they all right? Should I change anything, like the place where I solder all the grounds together, and also, can the output jack take all the grounds at once - 'couse that would be a huge solder..

Thanks in forward, can't wait to get my hands on making this work!

As long as all the ground wires go to the same point, you have a star ground and it'll work.

[Lewis7789]

I'm researching wiring up my first Warmoth and was wondering;

-I have a rear control cavity shielded with shielding paint and the cavity cover is shielded with copper tape. Should I make a copper ground tab from the cavity to the cover like the first pic?

-I'm using an active preamp (Aguilar OBP-1 with an active/passive switch) I got from BestBassGear.com. Brian replaced the capacitor the Aguilar schematic called for (.022uF 200v) with a 715P 200v, that looks just the the big orange one in the 5th pic. Is this the right cap for me?

Thanks in advance. Figuring out the wiring for this bass is killin me...

[Vic]

Originally Posted by Lewis7789

I'm researching wiring up my first Warmoth and was wondering;

-I have a rear control cavity shielded with shielding paint and the cavity cover is shielded with copper tape. Should I make a copper ground tab from the cavity to the cover like the first pic?

I'd suggest lining the cavity with copper tape... I don't believe shielding paint does much. Tape is a LOT better.

I'm not familiar enough with that preamp to answer the cap question. Sorry. Maybe someone else can. Try posting a new thread in this forum on that.

[Lewis7789]

Originally Posted by Vic

I'd suggest lining the cavity with copper tape... I don't believe shielding paint does much. Tape is a LOT better.

I'm not familiar enough with that preamp to answer the cap question. Sorry. Maybe someone else can. Try posting a new thread in this forum on that.

Thanks for the quick reply.

I researched the "Tape vs. Paint" debate and it seemed like everyone was pretty much even, but the negative about paint is that it takes 24 hours to dry. But it's been 5 days and 5 coats later.

I posted a thread about the wiring here: I'll just keep searching.

[Bocete]

I'm making my shielding of aluminum. Is that OK?

Also, when I "screw" the potentiometers into the guitar, is the potentiometer shell connected to the shield, or should I isolate them from eachother?

Humph.. I don't know how to put this so I'll draw.

[Lyle Caldwell]

So long as the copper contacts the shielding paint, you're fine. It doesn't have to be copper to copper.

Voltage/brand/type doesn't much matter. So long as the value is correct (.022uf per Aguilar) it will sound fine.

Originally Posted by Lewis7789

I'm researching wiring up my first Warmoth and was wondering;

-I have a rear control cavity shielded with shielding paint and the cavity cover is shielded with copper tape. Should I make a copper ground tab from the cavity to the cover like the first pic?

-I'm using an active preamp (Aguilar OBP-1 with an active/passive switch) I got from BestBassGear.com. Brian replaced the capacitor the Aguilar schematic called for (.022uF 200v) with a 715P 200v, that looks just the the big orange one in the 5th pic. Is this the right cap for me?

Thanks in advance. Figuring out the wiring for this bass is killin me...

[Lyle Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Bocete

I'm making my shielding of aluminum. Is that OK?

Also, when I "screw" the potentiometers into the guitar, is the potentiometer shell connected to the shield, or should I isolate them from eachother?

Humph.. I don't know how to put this so I'll draw.

Aluminum is fine, though it's fragile. The pot cases should contact the shield, and then do not connect the cases together with wire, as shown in many diagrams. They will be connected by the shielding foil.

[Bocete]

Thanks, I didn't realise you don't connect the pot casings because they're already grounded through the shield. Thanks again!

[idoru]

g'day Lyle - it's a shame you've not done this post for a J with standard wiring

So, I've foiled my cavity and pickguard & screwed in a ring terminal for a ground lug. I've removed the pickup & bridge ground leads, they get soldered to the ground lug. So far so simple.

Now I have 3 pots who have their ground lugs soldered to their shells, and as I read it, two options:

1) run a ground wire from each pot to the ground lug

2) run a ground wire from each pot to the jack

The first option is a true star ground, but the second will be a tidier wiring job.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm finishing this off tomorrow after I pick up some supplies

cheers

[Lyle Caldwell]

If you have the third lug of the pots soldered to the pot cases, then no other wire is necessary, as the ground will travel through the control plate. This is not optimal, but it will work fine in most environments.

So unless you want to redo the pot lug grounding, you're already done.

[idoru]

I'll give it a shot as-is then - if I can tolerate the noise while playing at home (where my amp shares a power circuit with the fridge!) then it should be much better on filtered power in the studio this weekend.

If not, it's back to work

thanks again!

[Lewis7789]

As noted, I used shielding paint (about 5 coats) and was wondering if the Star Ground would still be okay with an active preamp.

So basically;
-Ground leads from pups and ground from bridge to star ground.
-Preamp ground to output jack.

And since the pots are mounted touching the shielding paint, there's no need for the pot to pot ground wires? I'm almost done with all the wiring but the ground wires. I would like the cleanest, most simple wiring, but also the quietest. The wiring for this bass has become and enormous headache for my first project...

Thanks in advance!

[Lewis7789]

Lyle, please check your PM's. I have a question on wiring for you and could REALLY use some help. Thanks.

[fender_mod]

id like to know about the above mentioned topic, i have been having issues with my preamp, not sure how its supposed to wire into the whole star grounding thing. i have a metal control plate but i ground all the pot lugs because it does not contact the sheilding.

anways i am just interested to find out cuz i think this can help me too.

[Lyle Caldwell]

Grounding is important with both passive and active systems - maybe more important with active as the potential for noise is higher.

I'm not advocating total star grounding as a rigid method - so long as each component only has one path to ground, and so long as no signal ground travels through the shielding (unless for a very short distance), the goals are met.

So if your cavity is shielded, no wires shoudl connect the pot casings.

Originally Posted by Lewis7789

As noted, I used shielding paint (about 5 coats) and was wondering if the Star Ground would still be okay with an active preamp.

So basically;
-Ground leads from pups and ground from bridge to star ground.
-Preamp ground to output jack.

And since the pots are mounted touching the shielding paint, there's no need for the pot to pot ground wires? I'm almost done with all the wiring but the ground wires. I would like the cleanest, most simple wiring, but also the quietest. The wiring for this bass has become and enormous headache for my first project...

Thanks in advance!

[fender_mod]

with active electronics do you need to keep your preamp's pots from comming in contact with the shielding? i read somewhere that any lead that touches a ground will ground the preamp out and prevent it from working properly?