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Wiring Channels For a Firebird


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I am looking to build a Firebird Studio design and I'm a little stumped as to how to do the wiring channels.  I would assume the toggle switch cavity falls under the pickguard which makes sense but how would you run a channel for the ground wire or to get the pup wires and toggle switch wires into the control cavity?  This query applies to a range of guitar designs with no top - I would really appreciate any insights or ideas.

Edited by Ethereal Guitars
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have never built a firebird myself... but I know some places where you can get all the info you need.  google electric herald firebird and there is a studio there.  another is Gitarrebassbau and firebird... that one is in german so if you want to read the thread use google translate and pop the url in there.  if you are trying to do one w/o a pickguard that's a dif story.  you could route on the back and put a pickguard there or if you are doing a neck thru I saw a guy here who did a channel in one of the wings... he drilled in from the pickups to meet it with a long bit.  you can get long bits at harbor freight among other places.  hope that helps!

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Really appreciate the reply, thank you!  Yes I am using the Electric Herald plan but it doesn't show how the wiring channels are to be established.  I have used the "long" drill bit method before on an SG but it drifted and nearly came through the top!  I was hoping there was some other trick to how this is done but again, thank you!

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Neither have I built a Firebird but I've built a couple of neck-thrus so hopefully that applies to your build as well.

Routing a channel in the wing is a viable option. It's easy to drill from the channel to the control cavity before gluing. The only thing to take care of is to avoid glue from filling the channel. A strip of masking tape similarly to covering the truss rod would work but the sticky side of the tape might cause issues when pushing the wires through. A thin pilot wire for pulling the rest through might help. A piece of silicon hose in the cavity should come off easily, just remember to leave a tail outside for pulling! Use your imagination!

Drilling with long bits in shallow angles is often the only way to make a channel for wires. Again, if you can do the drilling before attaching the wings, it might help. Trying to find the exact spot for the grounding wire can be challenging if the bridge posts are on the wings. If the neck is wide enough for the posts, drilling to the post hole is easy but connecting the hole to the control cavity in the wing is not.

The best drill bit for shallow angles is very long (~20 cm) featuring a screw tip with cutting blades beside it, a traditional hand drill bit that is. Run it at the speed you'd normally drive screws in without a pilot hole, allowing the screw to find the way. For the shallowest angle protect the edge of the pickup cavity or bridge post hole with a piece of steel attached firmly with masking or double sided tape - a ruler or scraper will do. You can also slide a piece of tube over the extra length of the drill bit.

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well I'll be dipped in tomato paste... the studio doesn't show anything... that's cruddy.  heads up the 3 pickup version at Gitarrebassbau  shows a channel there and a few spots where they use the long bit. 

afa drift... all I can tell you is to drill a small pilot to get started.  I like to stand back and look at the angle i need before I drill.  try to visualize it ("be the ball!").  drill the pilot at that angle for say 3/4" and it should keep you going in the right direction.  Other than that, you just have to will it into place! 

also, there are some threads on here, fairly recent, where a cnc whiz built a firebird... you might want to search the site and take a look. 

cheers and looking fwd to some 'glamor shots'!

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Great advice Bizman and Mister and great tips about the pilot hole method as the starting point for the long drill journey.  I've come up with a strategy of routing a channel in each edge of the body (join edges) before joining (set neck, 2 piece body build).  I will then drill the required holes from the channel BEFORE glueing the body up.  Control Cavity covers for the main CC and toggle switch.  This will take some accurate measurements and will still require some long drilling but I think I'll have a better chance of getting it spot on with this approach.  It's also an insurance policy - if I screw up the long drill I won't have too much invested!  I'll certainly read up on a few PG threads for some more tips.

Again, thanks!!!

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This is one of those examples where sometimes it pays to go for the seemingly more complicated which actually turns out to be easier :)

If you went for a Firebird, with the raised (or sometimes flush but contrasting) centre section, rather than a Firebird Studio with a centre join, then actually, routing a narrow slot in the middle of the wing edge becomes more straightforward:

13442085_Firebird2.jpg.92929791681870f024b6721278c042d4.jpg

The channel is then right next to the pickup routs, it also breaks into the control chamber and it's a simple drill job to break into into the switch chamber.

I've done a refurb job on a real one but I can't remember quite how they do it on the originals - I suspect something like this, though.

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Found the photos.  This was not a genuine Gibson but it was an original '60's Gibson law-suit era copy.

As such, I can't be sure this is how Gibson did it, but actually, the makers went for an even more straightforward solution that you could use on the Studio 2-piece as well:

IMG_6195.thumb.JPG.eba379282728ed59231348dc91e76f43.JPG

IMG_6230.thumb.JPG.4a74c4c99b676b32a99209e019f17306.JPG

It was an interesting project...except for the bit where I had to tell the owner it wasn't a real '60's Gibson.  Real '60's yes (the original pickups fitted I think were dated 63), but not real Gibson!

 

 

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