Les Paul build -Hugh

[Hugh]

Hi all
I just bought a Les Paul kit and am looking forward to getting stuck into it. I'll admit I don't have too much idea what I'm doing so I'm sure to be picking people's brains for hints and tips..

Cheers Hugh

[gavinturner]

Hey Hugh, I'm sure you're gonna love the experience. Post lots of pictures and the gang here will be ever ready with helpful suggestions . Looking forward to seeing your build develop.

cheers,
Gav.

[Hugh]

I appreciate it Gav

[Hugh]

Hey guys, just a couple of quick questions..
How and where do you apply shielding tape on an LP kit and is there any video tutorials on this subject? Is it necessary/what are the advantages/disadvantages of using shielding tape?
Also, if planning on leaving the neck the natural timber tone can you just treat it with the intensifying coat and finish coat from the body staining kit or is it Necessary to use a specific neck staining kit??
Cheers in advance
Hugh

[wokkaboy]

Hi Hugh,
copper shielding will reduce interference and your guitar will have less hum and background noises. It is well worth doing. If you got 1 kit then start applying it to the control cavity and control cover first. Then switch cavity, then if you have enough left both the pickup cavities. You won't need a video, just peel off the backing paper carefully and push down into the cavities and try and get the wrinkles out. Cut some pieces to size like sides of cavities. Try cover the entire surface of the cavities. You will get the knack pretty quickly.

What is the stain colour DT have you got ?

DB recommends a neck coat kits for necks as it dries a bit harder for the work a neck will have.

Would be worth ordering a clear neck DT kit if you want the natural timber colour.

Hope this helps

EDIT I did a quick Youtube search and here's a tutorial may give you some tips, I haven't watched it yet, was the first search video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1da3f_q-S4

[Hugh]

Thanks Wokkaboy
Yes that does help.. I haven't chosen a stain yet, I really wanted to get some of these questions sorted before I ordered anything so I could get it all (stains, shielding tape) in the one order.
Thanks for your help, I will take a quiz at the video link..
Cheers Hugh

[tonyw]

From my notes i have taken over the years haha

Lets look at what causes the interference

#1. The basic sixty cycle hum caused by single coil pickups.
#2. Hum A caused by unshielded circuits
#3. Hum B caused by inferior light dimmers.

for #1. Use a dual coil system to neutralize external magnetic fields. Shielding does not reduce the hum.
for #2. Hum A can be eliminated by shielding with either copper tape or conductive paint.
for #3 Hum B can be only eliminated by shielding the circuit including the cavities below the pickup with aluminum tape.

There are many ways to shield a guitar, and many are incorrect, do some research and you will be on the right path.

[Hugh]

Sorry guys, Ive been trying to upload pics of my progress but nothing seems to be working!!

[DrNomis_44]

Sorry guys, Ive been trying to upload pics of my progress but nothing seems to be working!!

That might just be because the image file size is a bit too big, the image itself can only be about 1500 pixels by 1250 pixels for it to be posted, when I first joined the forum I was experiencing the same issue whenever I tried to post a pic until I figured out what the fix was, what type of computer are you using to upload the pic?, also, what operating system is it running?, if it's a PC and you're running Windows, you can use a free bit of software called Irfanview to re-size the image so it'll post correctly, I use it all the time with great results.

[Hugh]

This is my LP kit stained with Bush fire Sunrise dingo tone, still to apply the intensifying coat..