GUITAR PRS CE 24 SHIELDING

I installed copper tape to my PRS CE 24 to reduce the noise caused by electromagnetic waves. After I received the guitar I came with an annoying noise so I tested several things to determine the cause. I could not believe a 1300 USD guitar came with that awful noise.

An outstanding result after finishing the shielding It reduced significantly the noise.

Step 1: Troubleshooting

Before you start doing something like this you have to check the problem is in the guitar. This is the list of the things I did:

1. I connected the guitar to my audio interface and record some audio. I have a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. (The noise was present during the recording).

2. I connected another guitar to my amplifier. I have an epiphone Les Paul. With my Epiphone there's no noise present.

3. I check if the amp was connected to a proper grounding system. (In my house I have it so it was no problem and with the Epiphone there's no noise).

4. I opened the PRS to check if all of the metal pieces were connected, I used my multimeter to test that.

5. I moved the amp and the guitar far from my computer and some appliances. The noise was present.

6. I tested the amp and guitar in another apartment to check if the problem was here but still the nose was present.

Because after checking that I continued listening the noise I decided to shield the guitar.

Step 2: Shielding the Guitar

To shield the guitar in Internet I found there are a couple of options, you can use special paint, aluminum foil or copper tape.

1 I used copper tape because it has some advantages, I has conductive adhesive that makes easier to install the tape.

2.You can loose the strings or remove them completely, in my case it was possible to do it loosing them.

3. Start cutting small pieces and trying to cover all the cavities. Not only where the potenciometers are but also behind the pickups.

4. Test if all the cavities are connected to ground (all metal pieces) if not you have to install a cable to connect the cavities.

5. Enjoy.