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Filling In Old Pickup Holes?


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So I have this really old bass that I picked up at a yardsale. It doesnt even have a brand name or logo on it so I dont know what kind it is but anyways I took it all apart and im going to fix it up and paint it for an art class project at school.

The pick guard is all cracked and the pick ups are all disconnected so they are useless so im planning on throwing them out, filling in the holes and then I was gunna buy some new pick ups and drill new holes for them and then get a new pick guard. I was wondering what would be good to use to fill the holes. I want something that wont wear out over time and will look good.

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Before you decide to fill the pickup cavities and route new ones, I would suggest that you decide what pickups you are going to use, purchase them, and then see how they fit in the bass. It may turn out that you don't need to do any filling and re-routing because the new PUs may fit in the existing cavities.

Now, I am not the best source in matters of woodworking but, from what I know, I would route the current PU cavity to an even rectangular shape and then make a plug (as tight fitting as you can make it) out of a similar wood as the body. I would then glue the plug into the route, and fill any gaps with wood dust from the plugs and glue. Sand and finish the body in the normal manner. I have filled unused control pot holes in bodies this way using a dowel, and as log as I am painting the body in an opaque finish, I cannot even tell that the body was not always that way. I have not ever tried this for such a big cavity as a PU route though. In theory, this method should work just fine.

There are quite possibly better methods out there and I'm sure someone on this forum with more direct experience will speak up and give you another option.

Peace...Rog

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i used a piece of mahogany to fill my neck pickup route.

I cut the mahogany so it fits the hole. of course, there are going to be a places with no contact. I fill those holes with wood putty (fill between the side of the mahogany and the side of the route. then I sand down flat, and fill in the shrinks between the putties (heat will shrink the putty) with epoxy, then sand down flat again. then I put a veneer over the body then do the rest

next time I'm filling in a route, I'm gonna route out a bigger, deeper cavity in the body (basically making the pickup route bigger) so that I can fit a piece of wood that fits better.

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