Tips for drilling bridge holes?

KingRazor · #1 11-29-2010, 04:52 PM

I'm (more than likely) going to be buying a finished body that won't have any holes drilled for the bridge. I want to make sure I do a clean, professional looking job on the bridge installation. Any tips?

C.Linton · #2 11-29-2010, 05:34 PM

A drill press would help.

Peepaleep · #3 11-29-2010, 05:38 PM

A drill press and clamps

Benjamin Strange · #4 11-29-2010, 06:39 PM

Make sure that you align your bridge with the center line made by the strings, not by the edges of the neck or anything else. Positioning is critical.

And yes, use a drill press with brad point bits.

bassy7 · #5 11-29-2010, 06:52 PM

A drill press isn't neccesary but extremely helpful. Brad point drill bits are a must in my opinion. Use a punch to mark the center of the holes before drilling, this prevents the drill bit from "walking".

As Benj St. said, positioning is critical. Make sure the outer strings will line up properly with the Fboard before drilling for the bridge. If you just try to center the footprint of the bridge with the neck--- you may end up with string spacing issues on the edge of the neck. Make sure the bridge is mounted parallel with the frets/pickups- if its off even a tiny bit it really shows.

JLS · #6 11-29-2010, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingRazor

I'm (more than likely) going to be buying a finished body that won't have any holes drilled for the bridge. I want to make sure I do a clean, professional looking job on the bridge installation. Any tips?

Other than getting it lined up correctly, as others have pointed out, consider getting a Vix bit. (Look it up)