3rd build STF-1

**FrankenWashie** · 07-01-2018, 12:01 PM

That thing is looking MEAN Brokin, absolute stealth weapon.

**brokin009** · 07-01-2018, 12:41 PM

thanks frankwashie. thats the plan bu hard to say when all the parts havent arrived. hopefully in the next few weeks ill get them.

**king casey** · 07-01-2018, 12:49 PM

Shielding the jack socket...did somebody nay-say that? Easy spot to accidentally earth some wire so strategic placement of insulation tape perhaps.

cheers, Mark.

**brokin009** · 07-01-2018, 01:10 PM

hi King Casey, i was told to do that. but i always insulate the hot wire in the jack pot. i ws told i need to shield everything, not sure how much i need but this is what i have done on all 3 of my guitars now.

**Simon Barden** · 07-01-2018, 05:49 PM

The amount of shielding so far is fine. You want to construct the best Faraday cage you can to block out RFI. Which means that the underside of the pickguard also needs to be covered in copper tape to create a 'lid'.

Also, all that copper tape needs to be grounded for it to work.

There's normally a section of aluminium foil stuck under the pickguard on a Strat where the control knobs go, that's supposed to act as a small shield. However this is often coated in plastic (check with a multimeter if you aren't sure) and often doesn't ground itself through contact with the pots, so I find it best to simply ignore it and cover the whole rear of the pickguard with copper tape (after first removing all the components).

The metal bodies of the pots should be grounded through the standard wiring harness, so by replacing the pots, switch etc, the copper tape on the pickguard should be grounded through contact with the pots. Check this with a multimeter. Also check the continuity from the back of a pot to all areas of the copper tape. If you've put the copper tape on in successive strips, there needs to be a reasonable overlap between each strip, and I sometimes find it necessary to lay a couple of extra strips perpendicular to the other strips to get a consistent low ohm reading to all areas of the tape.

Now you need to continue the grounding to the cavity shield tape. You can either do this by soldering a ground wire to the tape in the cavity and then back to a pot case, (which is a bit messy), or else you can simply extend the cavity tape over the face of the body (but within the pickguard outline) so that the pickguard tape and the cavity tape make contact and so provide a ground contact. I normally tape over the 'legs' between the pickup routs, and also extend the tape to the edge of a couple of pickguard screw holes so that you know there's an area where the two lots of tape are held together firmly.

For the jack socket cavity, the metal jack plate is already grounded, so its just a case of bringing a couple of legs of copper tape over the top (but within the jack plate outline) , one at each end, to the screw locations, so again, that there are the screws helping to give good contact with the tape.

If you don't ground the cavity shielding, it looks nice but unfortunately does nothing.

And don't forget to fit the ground wire for the bridge. It's easily done!

**brokin009** · 08-01-2018, 05:29 AM

thanks heaps Simon, i will definately do that. ive soldered a wire to tape before but didnt realise i could just make sure it all contacts each other with the pickgaurd what a great idea. the good news is im using a different pickguard so i will use the tape on the back of that and make sure it contacts.
thanks again mate 😊

**Andyxlh** · 08-01-2018, 05:48 AM

Looking good! I have the Floyd special on my frankenstrat and they work well. The base plates and locking bits are good. I believe the differences between these and the OEM ones are the zinc block rather than brass and the cast alloy saddles rather than steel.
The pickups will be very hot! Great rock guitar.....

**brokin009** · 16-01-2018, 01:06 PM

hey guys unfortunately my update is pretty much still waiting on the pickguard. unfortunately it didnt arrive and the place i ordered it from have sent a new one. hopefully i will receive it in the next few weeks. kind of bummed out as its just sitting there now. The only change i have done is ive put the tonerider octane and rocksong in the flying V which did sound awesome with the darkstars and now still sounds awesome with the toneriders. i now have the darkstars wired up so they can also split so the guitar can go from HSH to SSS, which i think will work well as the middle pick up is the neodynium single middle pickup. but will have to wait and see.