Routing Holes For Non-ringed Pkps?

[Drak]

I love pkp rings, and always use them, but with my carved tops I won't be able to use them, so I need to route the pkp holes for a drop-in (HB) pkp, but the normal pkp router templates aren't designed for this application, so what do you guys who do drop-ins w/ no pkp ring do?

Make your own?

You can't use a pkgrd template either, as it doesn't have the ears, so I'm thinking buy the pkgrd template and cut in my own ears?

Thanks.

[Miro]

Hmmm, I didn't quite understood you, but, you want do route cavities for the pickups so they don't need the pup' guard? I do them with a hand drill, a chisel, and lots of sanding after... (make some holes with the drill and route with the chisel, then sand a lot to smooth out)

Make the routes smaller, and progress until the final shape of the pups (so you don't have any holes when finished...)

Hope it helps! C ya!

[westhemann]

same rout drak...just use double sided tape instead of screws to hold the template down

[Drak]

I always use the 2-sided tape anyways, so no big deal there...hmmmm, I guess you're right...I thought I remembered someone doing it, but the shape of the pkp hole was close to the shape of the 2 bobbins, but that's impossible since the tab HAS to go in there........thanks.

[westhemann]

you are probably thinking of alexvdl....he made it where he could slide it in kind of sideways and then hang it from the top wood.

[jay5]

I guess if you are trying to minimize the "open space" around the pickup I would get the humbucker template for the pickguard and add the ears to it as you said. That should give you minimum open space. More importantly, lets see some pics of those carved tops!

[thegarehanman]

I say do a pickguard route then use a 1 1/4" router bit with the top of the cutters dropped 1/8" below the top of the guitar. That way you don't see the ugly ears on the humbucker. Just slide the humbucker in on an angle to get it in.

[Drak]

I think that's what I was referring to, maybe I did see Alex's guitar, I dunno, but that sounds like what my mind was seeing.

Thanks.

[thegarehanman]

sorry, didn't seem like it. Don't let the ears show, it looks cheap.

So out of curiosity...why are the strings so low you can't use humbucker mounting rings? No neck angle? You know stewmac sells some mounting rings that are 1/8" thick. They have 'em in plastic and in metal. Or you could just buy some you like and chop off the bottom.

[Mickguard]

You could use/make spacers similar to one of these.

You can also recess the rings into the surface of the guitar--that would look really cool. Especially if you built your own rings --since you're the master of the scroll saw, that'll be child's play for you-- use the same wood but use a contrasting grain, for example.

Or go for soapbar P90s!

[brian d]

I say do a pickguard route then use a 1 1/4" router bit with the top of the cutters dropped 1/8" below the top of the guitar. That way you don't see the ugly ears on the humbucker. Just slide the humbucker in on an angle to get it in.

←

Does anyone have more detail on how to do this? The problem I can forsee is that once the pickup is in, how do you get the mounting springs inbetween the top and the tab?

Thanks in advance,

Brian.

[thegarehanman]

Use a magnet attached to a screwdriver to grab the pickup and hold it while you put the screws through the top and into the ears. As for the springs...well that could be tough. Fortunately, you can buy rubber tubing that's designed for humbucker height adjustment. The tubing doesn't need to be compressed so it wouldn't be difficult to get on. Worst case you cut it the wrong length then put the humbucker in...all you need to do then is cut a new piece of tubing. Stewmac sells specialized tubing or you could just go to a hardware store and buy a foot of 1/8" I.D. rubber hose.

Drak, I really don't foresee any serious problems with going this route. You're more than capable of this.

[Gemleggat]

Drak i am gonna need to make myself a template for an EMG, the one i got from stew mac is just to big at the ears, i plan just to use a slightly oversize bearing on 1/2" cutter to make the whole thing 4mm smaller which will make it nice and tight.

[westhemann]

Drak, I really don't foresee any serious problems with going this route. You're more than capable of this.

what you guys are forgetting is the simple geometry of this rout...to slide the pickup in the way you are suggesting,you have to have a large hole on one side below the surface to slip your pickup into and then slide it back...and the way alex did it was to route the cavity while the guitar was unglued...his guitar was a neck through,so he routed into the inside join of the body wing...

the only other way to do it would be a rear rout...which to me looks ugly,and would interfere with a trem system if one is to be used.

alex soldered the springs onto the pickup ears before fishing it in there as well.

all of the major makers just do a simple rout...it does NOT look "cheap"..

http://ibanez.com/guitars/guitar.asp?model=RGT220H&z=y

this rout just has slightly smaller ears...but most do not even do that

[rhoads56]

Drak, check the Vine pics for an idea.

[Maiden69]

I was going to say to look at Perrys Vine double carved guitar, and if that was not what you were looking at, you can make a nice template and rout like normal.

In my blue 7 string I made a template, but in order to make the pup as flush to the body as possible you have to drill the corners to the same diameter as the pup. In the case of the EMG's it's 1/4" radii, so I drilled with the drill press the corners first, them placed the template and finish routing with a 1/2" bit, then just redid the corners with the 3/8" It came out pretty good.

But if you are using 6 string hums' I would go with Perry's idea, the only problemo I see is that you already glued the top.

[erikbojerik]

What about getting some thicker pickup rings (available?) and sanding a contour into the base of the ring, like on a Les Paul? You could do the archtop bridge trick, stick some sandpaper down onto the carve at the location of the pickup, then rub the ring over the sandpaper to make the contour.

[CudBucket]

Hey Drak,

I made my own. I made a template to make a template. The plywood template allows me to use different radius bits to get different routes. I based the plywood template on a Dimarzio humbucker.

So, I made this...

To get this...

[!!METAL MATT!!]

I did My IMPALER like That one Wes Linked to, I just Made My Own Jig close to the Shape Of the Pickups, Like This http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/ZAD...ER/Jan10426.jpg

And Hear A Pic Of Me Makeing The Jig (It's A Bad Pic)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/ZAD...Dec12087jig.jpg

EDIT: DAM Cud You Beat Me To it!!

!!METAL MATT!!

[crafty]

You know, if you're using EMG pickups, you can order the soapbar style humbuckers and not deal with the ears at all. Or you can do it Parker-style and remove the ears all together and secure the pickups using the screw poles in the middle of the pickup.

[thegarehanman]

what you guys are forgetting is the simple geometry of this rout...to slide the pickup in the way you are suggesting,you have to have a large hole on one side below the surface to slip your pickup into and then slide it back...and the way alex did it was to route the cavity while the guitar was unglued...his guitar was a neck through,so he routed into the inside join of the body wing...

I'm certain all of the routing can be done after the top has been attached and without any need for rear cavity covers. I explained in my first post in this thread. First you would use a humbucker pickguard template to route your humbucker hole. Then put an 1 1/4"(1/4" shaft) in your router and drop the top of the cutters to 1/8" below the surface of the guitar top. Just use that to route the sides of the cavity to make room for the ears. If you make all of your routes about an inch(maybe a tad bit more if possible, considering you have a carved top there), you will be able to slide the humbuckers in on an angle. You could either have the springs soldered to the ears(like wes said) or use the rubber hose cut to length.

[Devon Headen]

What about getting some thicker pickup rings (available?) and sanding a contour into the base of the ring, like on a Les Paul?  You could do the archtop bridge trick, stick some sandpaper down onto the carve at the location of the pickup, then rub the ring over the sandpaper to make the contour.

←

Just what I was about to suggest. Works a treat. Unless you're opposed to the use of rings, or don't want a material that can easily be sanded.

[frank falbo]

If it's for the purpleheart guitar, did you say that you can still use a template on that? I seem to recall the high sections of that carve being "flat" or level with the top so you could still secure a flat jig to the top of the guitar, and it would be supported by the cutaway sections and the bridge area. If that's the case, just use a normal template like these guys are all saying. If you use a pickguard one with no ears, you can also use a forstner bit for the ears, either before or after you route your rectangle. If you use the forstner bit after the rectangle is cut, it will be clean but have the tendency to walk on you. So I'd clamp it to the table or use plenty of arm strength. If you use it before, then you could have tearout where the walls meet the forstner hole. I don't think direct mount "with ears" looks cheap at all.

I believe the cool "angle-in" method could be done with an oversized bit after the fact. Its just easier before you mount the top. If you did that, another mounting method would be to put foam under the pickups. Then instead of a small hole in the top that would suspend a pickup height screw, you could make a slightly larger hole that would pass a small wood screw. Then you could direct mount the pickups with a small screwdriver, while maintaining the "no ears" look. I have one pickup that's direct mounted but the guitar had a ring, so I left it on. But now I adjust the height the same way as I'm describing, by placing a little screwdriver through the mounting hole.

This angle-in method relies on the depth of the hole as much as the sub-level width. You could route one side (bass side for the neck pup) twice as deep so the pickup really angles down in there. For the bridge pickup, you could orchestrate the electronics cavity to join with the pickup route so you have total sliding ability. Like you are sliding the pickup into the electronics cavity. You could do that by using the oversized router bit in both the pickup cavity and the electronics cavity. So they meet in the middle.

And the Parker Fly pickups idea is also awesome. Just screw them pole pieces right in. I think both Dimarzio and Duncan sell Parker compatible pups. Maybe just Dimarzio.

[Drak]

Wow, a lot of good ideas here. Since I like the pkp rings, I'm thinking of going with the Benedetto way of sanding the bottom of a pkp ring to match the contour of the body shape, but we'll see, I might change my mind.

I guess I've learned that when doing this, one is supposed to route the pkp cavity into the bodywood before gluing the top. That, I did not know. Just figured I'd figure it out when the time came.

Lots of great ideas, thanks a redneck truckerload.

And Frank, yes, it is for the P-heart, but I have 4 others too, all with slightly different carves and different body shapes, so the idea has to be flexable from one to the next.

[jmrentis]

Has or does anybody ever route a small area around the pickups route to recess the pickup rings, sort of like a binding route but on the inside. I think if you did this well it could look really cool. I don't know how far you could recess it though being a carved top but it seems possible. Someone let me know what they think of that idea and if it's possible, or if it has been done. Thanks guys. Good luck Drak, I can't wait to see th pheart finished. Later. Jason