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Shielding a P Bass

devinp17

devinp17

Jun 26, 2014
722
355
Ontario, Canada
#1
Hi everyone. I know nothing about shielding but basically all I know is that it reduces single coil hum. Can anyone give me an idea of what it might cost to get it done? Or are there things it depends on? I'm just looking for something close to what it would cost to get a bass shielded. Thanks :)
 
#2
There are already many guide threads about doing it in TalkBass.
One of them is stickied in PickUp sub forum. It's title is "jazz Bass Shielding" but I think it can be a good comparison/guide.
DiabolusInMusic

There are also similar threads specifically for P-Bass I'm sure.

This is also a good guide thread about it by http://www.talkbass.com/threads/jazz-shielding-pictorial-big-images-warning.159191/:

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/so-your-bass-has-a-hum.1079579/

Perhaps there are also words about the cost etc, or you can ask the question there if there are not.

enjoy
 
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#6
Turnaround said:
Is it a split-coil P-Bass or the older single pickup version. If it's the former, you can't reduce single coil hum because the split coil is a hum canceller.
Click to expand...

devinp17 said:
My bad. It's a split coil... sorry about that. I don't understand what you mean when you say the split coil is a hum canceller...??? It's humming pretty loud when I take my fingers off the strings.
Click to expand...

I think we can.
 
#8
A split-p pickup has 2 coils wired out of phase- so there is no single coil hum!

It IS still susceptible to other noise, however. A proper shielding job can greatly reduce environmental noise. In particular it can reduce (almost eliminate) the grounding noise you might hear when you aren't touching the strings or bridge.
 
#11
devinp17 said:
Sorry about that everyone. Its a split coil, I just got tyem mixxed up. Sorry. But it does have quite a bit of noise.
Click to expand...

As scotch suggests, shielding will still work. I have done dozens of P's that were noisy, especially in places with fluorescent lights or suspect wiring, and made them quiet as the grave. Buy yourself some copper foil and have at it. It is easy, if a little tedious, and worth the effort. Make sure that you put some foil under the bridge as I have found that can really help grounding. Foil under the pickguard around the control cavities and wiring routes (if any) also helps.
 
#13
devinp17 said:
It's humming pretty loud when I take my fingers off the strings.
Click to expand...

joselorellano said:
Sounds like a grounding issue.
Click to expand...

No, according to DiabolusInMusic in this thread ("So Your Bass has a hum")
by the symptom, it's a shielding issue instead of grounding..

DiabolusInMusic said:
A simple diagnosis can tell you if your bass has a shielding hum or a grounding hum:

If your bass has a hum that goes away when you touch the strings/bridge/metal than you have a shielding issue. This guide will resolve the issue.

If your bass has a hum that gets louder when you touch strings/metal/bridge you have a grounding issue. Please refer elsewhere for help on the issue, but I would check your ground connection under the bridge just for good measure.
Click to expand...
 
#16
I don't think its a grounding issue because it gets alot quieter when i touch the strings, not louder. I read "So your bass has a hum", suggested by bluesdogblues and I think the shielding will help. But I don't know much at all about shielding or grounding and stuff so if you think I'm not really getting what you're saying then please give me some more info on what I might need to get done on the bass.
 
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#17
devinp17 said:
I don't think its a grounding issue because it gets alot quieter when i touch the strings, not louder. I read "So your bass has a hum", suggested by bluesdogblues and I think the shielding will help. But I don't know much at all about shielding or grounding and stuff so if you think I'm not really getting what you're saying then please give me some more info on what I might need to get done on the bass.
Click to expand...

When you touch the strings (and by way of contact the grounded bridge), you are grounding your body. Since your body is a great big saline antennea- you actually introduce noise into your pickup! A good shielding job greatly reduces this noise when not touching the strings.
 
#18
scotch said:
When you touch the strings (and by way of contact the grounded bridge), you are grounding your body. Since your body is a great big saline antennea- you actually introduce noise into your pickup! A good shielding job greatly reduces this noise when not touching the strings.
Click to expand...
Thats exactly what I thought. So since a few of the TBers suggested that I shield the bass myself, I think I should follow the instructions of "So your bass has a hum", yes? BTW thanks for all the great help :)
 
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