Telecaster Magnetic Interference

[jeremiahzellers]

So, I just picked up a Fender American Professional ii Telecaster. My first single coil guitar of this type.

i noticed when i tilt it or even turn slightly in a circle, the hum is VERY loud. Almost as loud as the guitar.

from reading online, this is common and caused by interference from something in my house. Though my Strat doesn’t do this…

Folks say you can shield the cavities with copper foil to reduce this, but at a cost of some tone of the guitar. It’s reported that the tone will become more sterile.

my questions:

1. Has anyone done this shielding and what were the results? Still able to get a nice telecaster jazz tone?
2. Those who have experienced this level of noise and did not shield your guitar a) Did you try any other successful methods? b) If not, how is the playing with the noise in more intimate settings?

[Jimmy Mack]

From what I've read, shielding the cavity can result in a loss of highs. I have shielded cavities on two guitars , a Strat and a Tele, and did not notice a difference in tone. If you mean a "jazz tone" that's warm, mellow? then a loss of highs might not be much of a problem, but only you can decide.
Of course, to shield it effectively, one has to be very careful of eliminating possible shorts in the wiring, no contact with "live" parts or wires, and very positive connections to "ground".
If one single coil guitar does not hum, and then another does, I would look into possible wiring problems in the one that does hum.

[Cunamara]

There are a number of things that can be checked.

First, is the guitar wired and grounded correctly? Is it the bridge or neck pickup that is having the greatest trouble with hum? Does the hum stop or reduce when you touch the strings? If you are not handy with these things, it might be best to have a guitar tech with the instrument over. However, there are certainly plenty of videos on YouTube that can walk you through the deduction process.

I have shielded a number of single coil guitars and have not noticed a change in tone resulting from that.

[John A.]

So, I just picked up a Fender American Professional ii Telecaster. My first single could guitar of this type.

"single could guitar"? Do you mean it’s your first guitar with single COIL pickups?

i noticed when i tilt it or even turn slightly in a circle, the hum is VERY loud. Almost as loud as the guitar.
from reading online, this is common and caused by interference from something in my house. Though my Strat doesn’t do this…

It’s common with single coil pickups. The coil of wire in the pickup acts as an antenna that picks up electromagnetic interference (EMI, basically a kind of radio wave) that is emitted by various electrical devices, especially things like lights with dimmer switches, fluorescent lighting, computer monitors, and appliances that have electric motors.

Humbucking pickups are designed to cancel EMI. So if this is your first guitar with single coil pickups, i assume your Strat has humbuckers, which would explain why it’s quieter than your Tele. My Strat (with single coils) can be pretty noisy.

Folks say you can shield the cavities with copper foil to reduce this, but at a cost of some tone of the guitar. It’s reported that the tone will become more sterile.

.
You can shield with either foil or conductive paint. It reduces noise from EMI somewhat, but won’t usually completely eliminate it. My understanding is that if done correctly shielding doesn’t affect tone.

my questions:

1. Has anyone done this shielding and what were the results? Still able to get a nice telecaster jazz tone?
2. Those who have experienced this level of noise and did not shield your guitar a) Did you try any other successful methods? b) If not, how is the playing with the noise in more intimate settings?

1. I don’t have a tele but have had a few different guitars with single coils. One (my Strat) came from the factory shielded with conductive paint. I don’t think it helps much.
2. a) Electro Harmonix Hum DeBugger. Gets rid of EMI noise very well, but can affect the tone slightly.
b) I’m usually able to find a position/orientation at home where single coil hum is not bad. The worst problems I’ve had have been in clubs with bad wiring and light dimmers.