HOW TO SHIELD YOUR GUITAR

Whether it’s practising in your bedroom or playing a live show (remember those?) noisy guitars can ruin an otherwise good time. Guitarists who prefer the sultry sounds of single-coil pickups often grin and bear it, accepting some noise in the trade-off for tone. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Shielding your guitar can greatly reduce the interference that plagues traditional Strats, Teles, Jaguars and Jazzmasters. In this month’s column, I’ll walk you through my process for shielding guitars and offer some tips on getting a clean look and optimal results.

AGENTS OF SHIELDING

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

■ Foil tape of your choosing – the most commonly used varieties are copper and aluminium. While copper is indeed the better conductor, it also carries