Antonfage Posted November 22, 2019 Report Share Posted November 22, 2019 Hello! I have an Ibanez Soundgear Gio p-bass and I'm considering replacing the pickups and adding an extra j-bass bridge pickup. The problem is that it has a black high gloss laquer finish (I don't know exactly which type of laquer). Is it possible to route a pickup cavity without lifting the laquer and damaging the finish? And do I need to add some kind of laquer to the inside of the cavity to protect the edges? I've heard that when you're drilling a hole through a laquer finish you should start by going backwards to prevent the drill bit from lifting the laquer. Does this somehow apply when routing too? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted November 22, 2019 Report Share Posted November 22, 2019 How to? Answer: Very, very careful! You've heard right, drilling backwards can be more gentle. This is just my logical thinking, take it with a pinch of salt: Before routing, cut the outlines with a sharp knife through the lacquer. Rather multiple shallower passes than one forceful to prevent cracking. Cover the entire area with masking tape before drawing and cutting the outline. Removing the lacquer from the area to be routed may also help. Then use a forstner bit to drill out most of the material. And then carefully route what's left. Before removing the masking tape you may also want to protect the routed edge with either lacquer or super glue. When removing the tape try to work towards the new cavity. And be prepared for a major disaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 22, 2019 Report Share Posted November 22, 2019 Additionally, it may be useful to set your router very shallow on the first couple of passes, literally only cutting through only half the depth of the lacquer on the first pass and the rest of the lacquer's depth on the second pass, before cutting into the wood. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted November 22, 2019 Report Share Posted November 22, 2019 kind of surprised no one mentioned putting tape on the finish before routing. I would think that if you combined all three advices: cut along the outline with a razor, masking tape the area, use a router and pass so shallow it hardly breaks the gloss - then another pass... you could hardly miss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted November 22, 2019 Report Share Posted November 22, 2019 10 minutes ago, mistermikev said: kind of surprised no one mentioned putting tape on the finish before routing. 1 hour ago, Bizman62 said: Cover the entire area with masking tape before drawing and cutting the outline. I'll have to learn better English in order to be understood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted November 22, 2019 Report Share Posted November 22, 2019 6 hours ago, Bizman62 said: I'll have to learn better English in order to be understood. geeze, I can't be expected to read things people say and respond intelligently! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonfage Posted November 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 Thank you everyone for the great replies! I'm trying to get ahold of a broken guitar or bass body to do a bit of practicing on, cause I don't really feel like it's worth the risk to try it on my real bass yet. Don't really know where to find that though. Maybe here on the forums? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted November 24, 2019 Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 the cheapest thing to practice on is going to be particle board... easily acquired at local hardware store. In fact... I would def recommend you practive by building a template that mirrors your guitars shape... that way, once you get it perfect on the template, all you have to do is put it on the guitar and it will guarantee success afa centering. just a thought. edit: barring that - craigslist is where I'd look for guitar projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonfage Posted November 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 2 minutes ago, mistermikev said: the cheapest thing to practice on is going to be particle board... easily acquired at local hardware store. In fact... I would def recommend you practive by building a template that mirrors your guitars shape... that way, once you get it perfect on the template, all you have to do is put it on the guitar and it will guarantee success afa centering. just a thought. edit: barring that - craigslist is where I'd look for guitar projects. You're correct! But the thing I'm most worried about is the laquer finish, so I'd prefer to have something with a similar finish to practice on. I'm probably going to buy some plastic routing templates to get the shape right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted November 24, 2019 Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 11 minutes ago, Antonfage said: You're correct! But the thing I'm most worried about is the laquer finish, so I'd prefer to have something with a similar finish to practice on. I'm probably going to buy some plastic routing templates to get the shape right. fair enough and probably a good plan. craigslist and offerup would be my best guess. every now and then someone posts a dirt cheap guitar there. I bought a dillion prs copy for $25 there once... no hardware, but a solid maple body and neck. Those kind of deals are a bit few and far between but that's where I'd look for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted November 25, 2019 Report Share Posted November 25, 2019 10 hours ago, Antonfage said: I'd prefer to have something with a similar finish to practice on. How about a table top? I suppose there'd be tons of cheap shiny living room tables made out of MDF in second hand or furniture shops. For practicing purposes a missing leg or some cigarette and beer bottle marks won't matter so the price tag might even say "free" if you check the backyards of said shops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted November 25, 2019 Report Share Posted November 25, 2019 As long as you use a sharp router bit and take very light passes with the router, you should be fine. Taping the area with a good masking tape (Scotch tape etc) and burnishing it down properly is a good idea too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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