Shielding - copper tape on scratchplate?

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1399072859' post='2440872']
Fender went to the trouble of splattering some shielding paint in the cavities of my MIM Jazz bass. They missed a few sections. No good.
[/quote]

You can buy small bottles of the stuff at Maplins to finish the job with. My active custom crackled like hell when I got it due to the all over rear scratchplate. Conductive piant earthed to the bridge stopped it.

[solo4652]

I'm just about to shield my newly-acquired Jazz with aluminium tape. Given that it's a Jazz rather than a Precision, will I need to tape the underside of the pickguard, or is it more important to tape the underside of the control plate? Or both?

[BigRedX]

On the Jazz you shouldn't need to shield either. The control plate is metal so that's already conductive - just make sure it is electrically connected to the shielding of the control cavity. The only reason the apply shielding to the back of the scratch plate is if the routes for the pickup is significantly larger than the pickup itself.

[solo4652]

Ahh - thanks for your advice. The control cavity is not shielded at all. I'll tape the cavity and overlap the tape at the top so the control plate sits on the overlap. Not sure I quite understand what you're saying about the pickup cavity. The pickups are a fairly snug fit inside the pickup cavity. Any harm in taping the underside of the scratchplate - belt and braces approach?