I have one of the newer import Kramer Barettas that I enjoy tinkering with and want to add a neck pickup. Does anyone have advice for the best way to route a finished (poly) body? From my research so far the best advice seems to be use a template, score the paint with scalpel/X-Acto using the template, route using the template first barely touching down on the finish, slowly lowering after each pass. From here I could use a drill to remove some material, and then finish off with the router. Does this sound like a good method? The pickup will be direct mount with no ring, so I want the route to be really tidy. I know some manufacturers route cavities after finishing, but I will be using a router and not have the luxury of high precision as a CNC would afford me. I already have a full sized router, but thought a smaller trim style router may be better for a job like this.
Thoughts?