Screw heads and shielding tape?

[Bighouse]

Since I'll be working on fret-leveling/dressing and replacing my original tailpiece with a 4003V2 one, I'm wondering what the best technique might be for cleaning all my pickguard screw heads. Also, since I'll be removing the pickguard to resolder the grounding wire into the loop, is there any benefit to using some shielding tape on the inside of the routed areas on my bass, as well as maybe the underside of my pickguard?

My white pickguard is a replacement from the original, ordered I believe from Rickenbacker long ago. It's not as opaque as the original and is slightly transluscent, so I can make out the areas for the electronic routing spaces. I've noticed this in other basses as well. If I use shielding tape along the full underside of the pickgaurd, it'll make it look more opaque.

[lumgimfong]

Screws: you could just lightly sand the heads to get the crud off. To clean out the slots maybe use mothers metal cleaner, I think it is called.

For shielding:
Shield it all!!!
I did the bridge cavity and control cavity and back of guard and it is noiseless now!!!! I did not need to run a jumper wire to the back of a pot since the shielding touches the pot washers where they attach to pick guard (no ground loops either since there are no ground jumper wires between pots).
You however probably have ground jumpers between pots so I might try not letting the shielding touch the pot washers, and then wire a jumper from anywhere on the cavity shielding to the back of a pot or even to the ground lug of the output jack. But at least try letting the shielding touch the pot washers where they attach to the pick guard first, so you might not have to fool with putting in a jumper. But you might cause a ground loop that way since the pots have ground jumpers between them. If so and it is noisy no problem, just trim the shielding wider at the pot holes in the pick guard so the shielding won't touch any of the pot washers!! Then run the jumper from cavity shielding to back of a pot or to the ground lug on the output jack.

Note the copper tape jumper from bridge pup cavity to control cavity!! With your white pickguard you will only barely be able to see it.
I did not shield the neck pup cavity though because no need to with a modern toaster since the cable coming from the pup is a coax!!!
I probly didn;t even need to do the bridge pup cavity either but I did anyway.

[Bighouse]

Ok! Ordered some 2” wide copper shielding tape.

[lumgimfong]

Make sure it has conductive adhesive backing. The Stewmac stuff does!

[Bighouse]

Yup, conductive adhesive is a "must have" component. It does. Stewmac, I find, is WAY overpriced for the stuff they sell. I try to avoid them and find better quality tools and supplies for less where possible.

Still awaiting my fret-leveling/dressing tools from the UK. They're near me now, according to USPS tracking, but no way of knowing what day they will arrive. I'm hoping for today, but likely won't be until early next week.

I'm going to take all the screws I remove from the pickguard and screw them into a piece of scrap wood so that I can take a toothbrush and some metal polish to them all- hopefully I'll be able to clean out the philips head recesses as well as give them all a nice polish.

[Bighouse]

So, I did a test. Here are three photos. Before, after, and back in place to compare to another that hasn’t been cleaned.

Big enough difference?

[lumgimfong]

She looks 20 years younger!

[Bighouse]

It does make a bit of difference, huh? Even though I've mounted the new tailpiece, leveled/dressed my frets, and installed the new strings, I will be removing the pickguard and pickups to shield them all this next week.

In the meanwhile, I'm able to confirm that the tone on the strings is quite nice- I may miss the D'Addario XL roundwounds, but these Optima RB Flatwounds feel so good to play on my fingers and seem buttery smooth on the dressed frets. It took a LOT of leveling and removal of material on my fourth fret so, the next round will require some refretting on this bass, but for now all my fret buzzing is a thing of the past! It's lovely and feels like, what I would imagine, a new instrument must feel like to play.

So, next week I will be:

1. Pulling everything apart to scoot the tailpiece back towards the end of the bass.
2. Shielding with 2" wide, conductive adhesive copper tape the inside of the pickup areas, and pots/switch.
3. Shielding the backside of my pickguard with the tape as well- both for shielding and to remove the translucency that allows me to see a hint of the routing spaces beneath it. (I am concerned about what this might do aesthetically to the instrument, if the pickguard appears to float, or the pickguard takes on an orange tint.)
4. Dye the silk on my new strings. I really don't like the purple silk look. I'll probably go with black, maybe just use the Sharpie trick.
5. Remove the treble bridge and measure carefully to 3D model and print my own treble bezel in black filament.
6. Polish all screw heads from the pickup mounts and pickguard.
7. Clean, polish and wax the body/neck/head/fingerboard.

Lastly, I do have a couple of scratches I may try to mend. I'll have to go see if any automotive stores have any clear coat touch-up in a bottle that I can carefully brush on and block-sand off to level/polish.

[Bighouse]

Is there any benefit to copper tape shielding the controls cavity on a 4001? The my pickguard and both pickup cavities are now shielded, and I’ve seen a video by one guitar tech who recommends NOT shielding the controls area.

[lumgimfong]

You can try it. As long as your bass is silent with volume up while hands are on strings you are good.
But the idea is to create a metal box around the electronics and then grounding it to your grounding circuit.

[Bighouse]

Pickguard screws all ready to go back in.

[Bighouse]

It’s all back together now. All shielded, chrome everywhere has been polished, general cleanup on pickups and a new custom rebel installed.

[lumgimfong]

Nice!
I hope to get a mapleglo, but a 4003s someday!

[Bighouse]

I hope one day to own a 4003W.

[doctorwho]

FWIW, I use a cheap toothbrush with MAAS metal polish/cleaner to get into the screw slots (and threads) for deep cleaning.