Cable tunnel??

[heavyfunkmachin]

hi,

I was wondering how could I install a jazz bridge pickup in a p body... the thing is I don't really know how to do the tunnel for the cable... you know, so i can connect the pickup to the control cavity without routing or damaging the finish.

Any ideas?

 

[Stealth]

Take a very long 5mm drill bit and use that to drill the tunnel from the pickup to the cavity. Depending on the length of the drill bit you can get it to run at a very shallow angle.

Similar to the approach in this thread.

 

[Rip Topaz]

Quick advice that isn't mentioned very often. Always keep track of where the back of the bit is. In other words the part that hasn't drilled into the body yet.

It's very easy to adjust your angle too far and scratch the f**k out of the top of the instrument with the part of the bit still sticking out.

 

[MarkL]

Thanks Heavyfunkmachin for asking a question I was going to sooner or later. I have an "add-on" question:

This ground wire doesn't actually get soldered to the back of the bridge does it? I'd think the physical pressure of being screwed down under the bridge would be enough? Maybe soldering a small (quarter inch by half inch rectangle) of copper sheet to the wire might help with that?

 

[Bassamatic]

Normally, there is a small loop of wire under the bridge that is clamped by the bridge screws. Just make sure the wire and the bridge are clean before you clamp it down.

 

[heavyfunkmachin]

to solve the bridge/ground wire thingy i usually put conductive sticky copper foil that holds the cable to the body and then i screw the bridge on...

 

[KingRazor]

to solve the bridge/ground wire thingy i usually put conductive sticky copper foil that holds the cable to the body and then i screw the bridge on...

I took this one step further. I put a piece of copper tape down and then soldered the ground wire to the copper tape, then screwed the bridge down on top of that.

 

[salman]

Quick advice that isn't mentioned very often. Always keep track of where the back of the bit is. In other words the part that hasn't drilled into the body yet.

It's very easy to adjust your angle too far and scratch the f**k out of the top of the instrument with the part of the bit still sticking out.

+1

This happened to me on a nice quilted maple...was not my best moment Many expletives involved

 

[SDB Guitars]

Use a long drill bit (aircraft bit), and drill from the neck pocket down through the P-pickup cavity into the new J-pickup cavity. Then just run the wire up through the P-pickup cavity and follow that pickup's wire into the cavity. Much less risk to the finish than trying to drill at an angle from the top.