Shielding a Noisey Bass

[rnolan]

Well upside is the PU shield isn't as big a mass other other bits, I'd flux and tin the spot before you wrap the PU (if you can).

[rabidgerry]

Well upside is the PU shield isn't as big a mass other other bits, I'd flux and tin the spot before you wrap the PU (if you can).

still gonna be tricky and delicate because rightly so I will need to be quick so as not to ruin the tape.  I will post photos of everything.

Bassist played a peavey bass on saturday night instead while I work on this bass.  Sounded 100 times better than this rickenbacker copy.  Its a good copy (popular in Australia I heard - Rockinbetter basses ) and well built but I think it sounds like poo once the strings are used even the slightest and I can't get a decent tone out of it unless the strings are brand new everytime.  The peavey on the other hand, much better.  Too muddy the rickenbacker copy and also the f**king noise of the single coil is mental if you're near anything electrical, so sheilding thoughout will hopefully cut a lot of that garbage out.

[rabidgerry]

so the sheet of copper I got that normally fits strat scratchplates is a little small for the rickenbacker copy scratchplate




No matter, I was able to use a piece of the excess to cover the remainder.  Again this is fine and connected electrically because the adhesive on this is also conductive.

[rnolan]

I haven't tried the copies, but I never liked playing Rickenbecker basses, I did a whole night and into the early ours studio session on one once (at the Music Farm in Mullumbimbi), talk about heavy.. and hard to play IMO. And I don't see Rodger Glover playing them anymore. You could put in some decent (active?) PUs but there are much better basses IMO, the Peavy should be fine, and the Indonesian Music Man Sub bases are "very good!" and a good price point. The PUs aren't "quite" as good as the expensive MMs but they still do very well. I set up a 5 string (which look better than the 4 string) for our bass player, came up sooo well, I ended up playing it for 4 hours, couldn't put it down. If the bass strings go off so fast, and it's got all the hum problem, maybe time to let it go ?

[rabidgerry]

it's not my bass to let go and it's only about a year old.

It doesn't hum but it gets a lot of EMF bussy shite noise.



showing connectivity from the sheild to the back of a pot.



Showing connectivity to different areas on the sheilding, because I had to patch the parts up that did not get covered by the single sheet of copper foil I had since it didn't quite fit.

I'll make the pickup sheild tonight.

[rnolan]

Hey RG, they don't look like your fingers (and fingernails) in the second pic, Nice hands BTW.

[Systematic Chaos]

If it turns out that the shielding of the bridge single coil doesn´t get rid of the hum in a tolerable way, a cheap but still very good sounding alternative to *pimp-a-cheapo* bass are Wilkinson or GFS pups....
If the bridge pup cavity is large enough, best bet would be to drop in one of the eather Wilkinson or GFS Music Man replica pups....Killer sound!

[rnolan]

If it turns out that the shielding of the bridge single coil doesn´t get rid of the hum in a tolerable way, a cheap but still very good sounding alternative to *pimp-a-cheapo* bass are Wilkinson or GFS pups....
If the bridge pup cavity is large enough, best bet would be to drop in one of the eather Wilkinson or GFS Music Man replica pups....Killer sound!

+1  :thumb-up:

[rabidgerry]

Yes I thought about the pickups needing replaced.  I'd still need shielding though.  Good pickups need shielding too.  I have used GFS before.  Decent enough.  I wouldn't say the bass was a cheapo, allegedly some think these are made by Tokai, but it's a rumour.  It's mid priced.  It really is well made and quality finish and construction to.  But it doesn't have amazing hardware or electronics.  I think it was made worse when the bassist removed the stupid hand rest metal thing that rickenbackers also have covering the bridge pickup.

I will be honest,  the pickup shield is an extreme measure.  But it is necessary because that single coil has no cover and it isn't going to be seated among the main shielding in the control cavity.  It is argued that high end can be lost from doing what I will do to it but I personally don't think on a bass it will matter so much.  It is important that the copper shield that is going to go around the  pickup does not make a full turn other wise this will create a coil and cancel out the sound.  I dunno why this is I just know and have been advised that creating a coil will f*ck it up.  When I rap it I will remove a strip of it to break the actual loop.  Then I will solder a wire from the shield and attach it to the main cavity shielding which is going to act as the centralised earth drain.

No they aint my hands they are my girl friends.  I said "hold that multimeter you!!!!" hahaha

[Systematic Chaos]

Roge-o!
Replacing the electronics (switches, pots, wiring,....PUPS) in low to mid priced instruments is almost always an instant bump-up in tone and sound....

[rabidgerry]

Ok and now I finished it  detailed pics below

pickup out and short wire prepared for attaching to the shield copper



to attach was easier than in my previous experiences, I dabbed some flux on copper tape shield, tinned the iron, put the wire in place after I tinned the bare end also, then quick fast and clean did the join!!  Worked out perfect.



I had the othger free end bare wire also, I kept it extra long until I was ready to snip it.  I tinned the whole bare end to keep the wire twisted together and also stiff so I could postion it.  This is it in position below.




I haven't made the join here yet



the pickup cavity despite not really containing the bridge pickup got shielded also



ready to solder this end now



finally here it is joined, nice and neet, not like me usually hahaha




look I removed all those earth wires from the back of the pots  oh my surely now!!  But it will make awful noises now wont it?   :???:  Oh no look the earth wire has been removed from the selector switch too!!  Surely it's certain death now!!!!



wrong!!  Look it still connects to the shield...............because it's screwed on tight!!  No need for extra wires anywhere!!



and hey presto all back together!!



and then I f*cked up!!!  How!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I soldered the earth and signal wires for the output jack the wrong way around!!!  I thought I screwed the bass!! :facepalm:  But then I realised having done the same thing before during shielding operations!!!  I switched the wires!!!  All f**king GOOD IN THE HOOD GUYS!! 

Now to see if it's quite on Saturday when we practice in the old mill with awful electrics and interference galore with flourescent tube lighting and EMF CENTRAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!  ???

I'm confident I have helped the situation!!! 

[Systematic Chaos]

Thumbs-up and kudos! That´s a solid clean piece of work!

[rabidgerry]

why thank you

I do enjoy modding.  I wish I had more time though!!

[rnolan]

Hey RG, don't we all (are more time....), nice work my friend  :thumb-up: Hope (and suspect will)  sound good  >:D Nice job BTW  :thumb-up:

[DesmoBob]

No they aint my hands they are my girl friends.  I said "hold that multimeter you!!!!" hahaha

LOL I was thinking, nice nail polish, gerry.

Thanks for the thread. I love it when people document a project from beginning to end. I'm too lazy and usually just do a middle & end pic.