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Advice for routing a custom MM 6 string pickup cavity

madmaskbass

madmaskbass

Apr 29, 2008
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Australia
#1
Hey guys i did search i promise but the specific information isn't clear.

I have some very special custom multicoil MM (lakland size) pickups in a 6 string configuration. I am nutting out solutions to get this done right and am struggling a bit. Especially in regards to getting the tags and corners right.

My idea: Make a template in mdf..My plan would be to get the overall rectangle at size with straight edges on the router and then free hand rout in the tags.

How do i get the corners right? my understanding is to use a smaller bit..I have a small bottom bearing pattern bit thats probably 1/4 inch (i am not exactly sure) can i use this? Could I use a drill bit that suits the corner profile?

Any help would be incredibly appreciated.
 
#3
Scoops said:
I probably wouldn't use a freehand router to do the tabs.

I'd put them in my MDF template.

To get em there, use your drill press, or hand drill and put those in first. Then cut out your rectangle with straight edge
Click to expand...
Ahh perfect. I didn't word it well i meant freehand it in the template but using a drill for the tabs is an awesome suggestion.

Thanks
 
#4
I recently attempted this for a set of EMG 40 pickups. On the spec sheet, they mentioned a 1/8" corner radius, but I don't have a pattern bit that small. So what I did was, chucked up the 1/8" bit, put a 3/8" collar in the router base, then measured the offset from the edge of the bit to the outer edge of the collar.

- Drew up center lines, then drew up the basic rectangle of the EMG (4x1.5") on MDF
- Added lines which were the offset distance (which became something like 4.25 x 1.75").
- Drilled out some bulk in the middle of the rectangle, then double side taped some straight edges to the offset lines and ran the template on the router table with the 3/8" pattern bit and it cut a perfectly rectangular, oversized template.

This way, when you put the template where it needs to go, if you chuck up the 1/8" bit with the 3/8" collar, you're going to cut the inside line you first drew, which should be the perfect size you need for the tight corners.
And it did, indeed, do that very well for me.

THAT SAID: I should have made the corners more than 1/8" because the pickup needs "room to breathe" and if the corner matches the pickup perfectly, but the pickup isn't pressed into it, things look a tiny bit off.
Also, make sure you add a little of that breathing room in the first drawing. If you make an EXACT template, there's no room for shielding.

If you carefully cut the template with a bigger radius in the corner, it would likely allow for a rounder edge. There is likely math involved in that which is not part of my brain, so if anyone does know a more accurate way to do it, please let us know!

And yeah, drilling the pickup ears first is definitely a good move if you don't have a router bit that can cut the template exactly as you need off the bat. If you can find technical diagrams, you can sometimes find how offset they drill them. From what I've seen, it's not always half of the drill bit.
 
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#5
rojo412 said:
I recently attempted this for a set of EMG 40 pickups. On the spec sheet, they mentioned a 1/8" corner radius, but I don't have a pattern bit that small. So what I did was, chucked up the 1/8" bit, put a 3/8" collar in the router base, then measured the offset from the edge of the bit to the outer edge of the collar.

- Drew up center lines, then drew up the basic rectangle of the EMG (4x1.5") on MDF
- Added lines which were the offset distance (which became something like 4.25 x 1.75").
- Drilled out some bulk in the middle of the rectangle, then double side taped some straight edges to the offset lines and ran the template on the router table with the 3/8" pattern bit and it cut a perfectly rectangular, oversized template.

This way, when you put the template where it needs to go, if you chuck up the 1/8" bit with the 3/8" collar, you're going to cut the inside line you first drew, which should be the perfect size you need for the tight corners.
And it did, indeed, do that very well for me.

THAT SAID: I should have made the corners more than 1/8" because the pickup needs "room to breathe" and if the corner matches the pickup perfectly, but the pickup isn't pressed into it, things look a tiny bit off.
Also, make sure you add a little of that breathing room in the first drawing. If you make an EXACT template, there's no room for shielding.

If you carefully cut the template with a bigger radius in the corner, it would likely allow for a rounder edge. There is likely math involved in that which is not part of my brain, so if anyone does know a more accurate way to do it, please let us know!

And yeah, drilling the pickup ears first is definitely a good move if you don't have a router bit that can cut the template exactly as you need off the bat. If you can find technical diagrams, you can sometimes find how offset they drill them. From what I've seen, it's not always half of the drill bit.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the insight. what i have read/found useful in this one:
How to build a bass guitar – Making a P bass pickup routing template for the pickguard – part 1 | eBass

He talks about using a 1/4 bit to rout later amd get the the corners perfect
How to build a bass guitar – Routing the pickup opening in the pick guard part 2 | eBass

My idea was to drill out the corners (on the template not the bass) with a bit that matches the corner profile which is around a 5mm bit whilst i am drilling the tabs and then rout the rectangle as you explained. going over-size evenly is where this is hurting my brain. Especially in getting the offsets right.
From what i can understand if the plan is drawn slightly oversize using maths and then I stick to the lines of the design perfectly i should be sweet.
 
#6
I would do it like @rojo412 described. Drilling the corners first definitely does work, but unless you have a smack-on set of templates (like the stew Mac ones) you will struggle to get your template/router to hit the tangent of the drilled holes.

as mentioned, you don’t want the route to be exactly the size of the pickup otherwise it will be difficult to fit (and adjust height). You want about 0.5mm clearance all round.
 
#7
Drilling corners while making the template is fine, because if you "mess up" and don't hit a perfect tangent with your straight lines you can just toss the template and start over. I agree that drilling the corners on the actual bass is difficult to get perfect. I tried it on my first few pickup routes and didn't like the results.

The trick with making a "perfect" template - specifically when it comes to getting the corner radiuses perfect - is that you need a way to actually route perfectly to whatever template you build. So if you end up deciding that a 2.5mm corner radius is a "perfect" match to your pickup, and so you build that in to your template, - well - now you need a way to have a router bit follow that radius, which means you need a pattern bit at or below that diameter, or you need to make the template oversize like @rojo412 described and then use a collar with a small bit for the corners.

I take a slightly different approach than what has been described so far. I just trace the actual footprint of the actual pickup I'm going to use right onto the mdf. I cut close to the line with a saw and then file with a flat file until the line JUST disappears. This gives me a temlpate that is exactly one pencil line width oversize in all directions, which I find to be just about perfect to allow the pickup to sit in the route and look OK.

For corners, I just ignore them in the templates - I make the corners square or at least close-ish to square. When using a pattern bit, the bit will just "stall" into a square corner and you'll end up with whatever radius the bit is, so I just use a bit that has a radius I want. This keeps you from having to try to make perfect corners in a template! And if I don't have an exact match bit on hand, I go to the closest size up that I have, and then carefully file the corners tighter with a small round file. On one bass I tightened the corners with a small radius bit in a router, freehand, but that was probably stupid-risky and I haven't tried it again since!

I do think the oversize template with a collar on a small bit is probably the most elegant solution, and some day I'll probably switch to that.
 
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#9
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#10
Bruce Johnson said:
Old School Technology: A drafting circle template! You probably already have one in your Dad's desk.

I use mine all the time for laying out radiused corners while making routing templates.

https://www.amazon.com/Pickett-CHA1204I-Circle-Template-Diameter/dp/B000KIDVJE/ref=sr_1_4?crid=21U895MGPTQ1K&dchild=1&keywords=circle+template&qid=1585850320&sprefix=circle+t,aps,222&sr=8-4
Click to expand...
Well that would sure be a whole lot nicer than the dodgey end of the right size drill bit I tried and failed to use! Definitely will grab one. My dad does have one mixed in the masses with every other hand thing i could ever think of but he's 1500km away and a month in isolation to get to him unfortunately but i'll be grabbing one.
 
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