Shielding a Pedal Steel Guitar Pickup
Moderator: Shoshanah Marohn
- Gary Cosden
- Posts: 855
- Joined: 23 Aug 2007 4:04 pm
- Location: Florida, USA
Shielding a Pedal Steel Guitar Pickup
I'm waiting on a new Steeltronics Pickup for my PSG and reading the installation info raised the issue of shielding, which I have never done or personally seen done on a PSG. 6 sting guys are quite familiar with copped shielding or paint but not, at least in my experience, pedal steel people.
Is anyone doing this? Did you actually shield the coil as well or just the "cavity"?
If so would you care to share your thoughts or experience?
Thanks in advance...
Is anyone doing this? Did you actually shield the coil as well or just the "cavity"?
If so would you care to share your thoughts or experience?
Thanks in advance...
Last edited by Gary Cosden on 18 Dec 2020 11:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Jack Hanson
- Posts: 5024
- Joined: 19 Jun 2012 3:42 pm
- Location: San Luis Valley, USA
- Marc Jenkins
- Posts: 1627
- Joined: 11 Mar 2007 7:23 pm
- Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Gary Cosden
- Posts: 855
- Joined: 23 Aug 2007 4:04 pm
- Location: Florida, USA
- Marc Jenkins
- Posts: 1627
- Joined: 11 Mar 2007 7:23 pm
- Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Marc Jenkins
- Posts: 1627
- Joined: 11 Mar 2007 7:23 pm
- Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
-
- Posts: 3691
- Joined: 23 Feb 2002 1:01 am
- Location: Limestone, TN, USA
Shielding a pedal steel pickup
I'm with Jack. In using single coil pickups for over 50 years. I can count on one hand the number of times that hum has been enough of a problem to worry about. I also carry a Hum De-bugger. It does not affect the tone and the amp is as quiet as a mouse peeing on a cotton ball. You can't even hear normal circuit noise. These things are magic.
- Marc Jenkins
- Posts: 1627
- Joined: 11 Mar 2007 7:23 pm
- Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Gary Cosden
- Posts: 855
- Joined: 23 Aug 2007 4:04 pm
- Location: Florida, USA
So I decided to go ahead and shield my new Steeltronics pickup and I am including a photo for anyone who thinks they might be interested in doing the same. I chose a copper tape that actually is more of an aluminum color so that if any tape was visible around the perimeter of the pickup after installation it would blend in. The tape is conductive on both sides so all you really need to do is overlap some on the aluminum neck, which is grounded, and you have what is purported to be an effective shield.
The new Steeltronics pickup is, IMHO, a real winner and I am loving it so far. It has not been out of the house yet but at home it is dead quiet with no hum at all even with the pedal down. I don't know how much of that is the pickup design and how much could be from shielding or whatever other variables there may be but so far life is good.
[/img]
The new Steeltronics pickup is, IMHO, a real winner and I am loving it so far. It has not been out of the house yet but at home it is dead quiet with no hum at all even with the pedal down. I don't know how much of that is the pickup design and how much could be from shielding or whatever other variables there may be but so far life is good.
[/img]
- Bart Vervaeck
- Posts: 28
- Joined: 1 Sep 2012 8:02 am
- Location: Belgium
- Contact:
- Marc Jenkins
- Posts: 1627
- Joined: 11 Mar 2007 7:23 pm
- Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
I bought this:Bart Vervaeck wrote:Hey Gary, can you tell me where you ordered that copper tape with aluminum colour? Maybe I'd try it on my Emmons with single coil wallace TT to reduce the hum... Thanks!
https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/shi ... -tape.html
- Gary Cosden
- Posts: 855
- Joined: 23 Aug 2007 4:04 pm
- Location: Florida, USA
Sorry I missed your post Bart. Mine cam4e from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CR ... UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CR ... UTF8&psc=1
- Bart Vervaeck
- Posts: 28
- Joined: 1 Sep 2012 8:02 am
- Location: Belgium
- Contact:
- Marc Jenkins
- Posts: 1627
- Joined: 11 Mar 2007 7:23 pm
- Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Scott Swartz
- Posts: 1038
- Joined: 23 Jan 2001 1:01 am
- Location: St. Louis, MO
- Contact:
The principle at work here is a Faraday cage or shield. One common application for these is the room that MRI machines are mounted in, they make the entire volume a shield. This prevent extraneous electrical or magnetic fields from affecting the images the MRI is creating.
Obviously you cannot build a full cage around a pickup, or it would not work since the magnetized string is in one sense an extraneous magnetic field LOL. However making the cage as complete as possible by shielding the bottom of the cavity can only help and does not have any downside.
Obviously you cannot build a full cage around a pickup, or it would not work since the magnetized string is in one sense an extraneous magnetic field LOL. However making the cage as complete as possible by shielding the bottom of the cavity can only help and does not have any downside.
- Gary Cosden
- Posts: 855
- Joined: 23 Aug 2007 4:04 pm
- Location: Florida, USA
Bart - all I can tell you is that in my case, when I replaced a True Tone with one of Scott's pickups and did the shielding as I described I have virtually no hum. I have by no means experienced a wide variety of venues. In fact I did one recording session out of the house since the install and that's it. I'm happy with the results for sure but your experience may vary as well.
I would recommend trying this in any case and I would very much like to hear about your experience.
I would recommend trying this in any case and I would very much like to hear about your experience.
- Gary Cosden
- Posts: 855
- Joined: 23 Aug 2007 4:04 pm
- Location: Florida, USA
- Scott Swartz
- Posts: 1038
- Joined: 23 Jan 2001 1:01 am
- Location: St. Louis, MO
- Contact: