What is shielding used for in a guitar?
Shielding is usually to reduce the unwanted electrical interference that is present is today’s environment. Shielding will help reduce the pop and buzz when lifting your hand from the grounded instrument. Often the electrical components, wires, switches and pickups are exposed and unwanted electrical signals can penetrate the instrument causing noise that can be heard in the amplifier. Properly grounded shielding helps reduce RF interference and there are many tricks of the trade in reducing the electrical interference. At times reducing the interference can alter the tone of an instrument by adding other materials in the circuit. Seth E. Lover who designed the humbucking pickup for Gibson and Ray Butts design of the Filtertron pickup for Gretsch both used deep drawn metal covers to reduce unwanted electrical interference from entering the pickups. Older Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguars used cavity shaped metal trays to help reduce the electrical interference from entering the instrument.
