Copper foil vs conductive paint for shielding

Jeremiah

I've always used copper foil for shielding guitar cavities, but it can be a bit fiddly cutting it into shape and getting it to stick in the right places.

I was wondering if using conductive paint would be an easier option, though I understand it might require multiple coats.

 I would also think it may be harder to make a solid connection to the paint as I'm not sure whether it's possible to solder to it, and I've heard that small pieces of paint can flake off and possible cause issues if it gets into the electrics and causes short circuits.

Thoughts?

ICBM

I've done quite a few shielding jobs with copper tape over existing paint where the noise has been higher than the owner found acceptable, and it's always fixed the problem completely. So I would have to say that my experience is that tape is a lot more effective. It's true that I do spot-solder every seam rather than relying on the 'conductive' adhesive, and usually make a direct soldered connection to it as well, so it's a bit belt-and-braces, but on the other hand... it works.

I think it was Jonathan @FelineGuitars who recommended a more expensive type of paint than the big guitar manufacturers use - nickel rather than carbon, I think - which may be a lot better. It's easy enough to make a solid connection to it whichever type it is - a woodscrew into the body inside the cavity with a solder tag (preferably serrated/shakeproof) and a wire connected will do it.