- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,006
- 1
- 31,701
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
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First Build - "Lucifer"
- Thread starter TerribleTim68
- Start date
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,028
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
MDF for templates Baby! Cheap and Toxic. Over-zealous CA glue application to edges Mandatory. If you aren't wheezing, you aren't doing it right.
In Your Face: An Adventure In Pickup Routing:
So I managed to sneak in enough time to cover the edge of my template with thin Starbond, then got it placed where I wanted it, converted the ShopSmith back to a drill press, chucked up an appropriate sized forstner bit and started hogging out waste material -
For those among you wondering, yes I measured the depth of my pickup bodies and set a stop on my drill press to the correct depth (or at least what I thought would be the correct depth) before I started plunging this thing into it. I went with a slightly smaller bit in the hopes of being able to take more waste out than my larger bit. The larger one kind of left these crescent shapes sticking way out from the sides, we don't want that (or at least I don't think we do, this is all new to me).
Taking The Plunge: Jumping In The Deep End:
From there it was time to get serious with the trusty DeWalt router!
I spent an agonizingly long time stressing over proper depth to get the router set up. My theory here was to make use of the built-in depth stop. See, my DeWalt has a four-step stop on it. So you can set a depth stop, then back it off three steps. Well, when I got all set up I had two steps before coming to final depth, which seemed good to me. Plunge that sucker right into Lucifer's face (only to the first step) and start working it all around. Once happy, drop a step, repeat the process. Then drop to the final step and repeat one more time. I'm getting better at routing, but I have a long way to go. Understanding which way the router wants to work is a big deal. Going the wrong way isn't fun, I'm still learning. also, I can't seem to find any solution for dust control with this thing. I got it used and it didn't come with any sort of attachments nor do I own anything that will hook to it in any meaningful fashion. In one area of the cavity it was throwing the chips/shavings right in my face. In another area it was just depositing them inside the cavity where I couldn't tell what was happening. With the router plunged down, it's also very difficult to see what is happening down inside there under the router base. Again, I'm still learning. But at the end of the day (literally) we have this -
Yeah man, I'm not at all unhappy with that. It's good, the neck pickup could have been a bit less snug, but it still moves freely. I feel like I hit the bridge pickup dead on. They both look even and centered, I think it'll work!
Just for those curious why I'm critiquing myself so much (other than it's just in my nature), here's a close-up shot -
There's room for improvement, but for a first time ever, I'll take it man!
It was difficult to get the corners exact, because these are custom made pickups and housings, they don't have a specific radius corner on them, nor are all 8 corners the same either. I'm pretty sure the housings were glued up and then sanded to a pleasing shape/profile, which is fine with me but it made routing this cavity tricky, because again, not all the corners are the same. But I think I got close enough that I can live with this, and even let people see it. 
For those curious, the pickups are just sitting in there right now (for the photo-op), the wires are all bundled up under them too, so they are not sitting down like they will in the end.
My template held up pretty good, so I'm happy I backed up and went with the CA coating on the edge. I may have regretted not doing that, so thank you all for the input there. Next up is to start thinking about my control cavity and laying out the controls on the face. I feel like my original design idea may change some since the pickups are not exactly in that location. They are close though, so it's not gonna change much. But now I have a real thing that I can start mapping out, then we'll see about that rear cavity. That one actually scares me even more.
Parting Shots: Because Why Not:
Yup, I never get sick of posting pics of this thing -
So I managed to sneak in enough time to cover the edge of my template with thin Starbond, then got it placed where I wanted it, converted the ShopSmith back to a drill press, chucked up an appropriate sized forstner bit and started hogging out waste material -
For those among you wondering, yes I measured the depth of my pickup bodies and set a stop on my drill press to the correct depth (or at least what I thought would be the correct depth) before I started plunging this thing into it. I went with a slightly smaller bit in the hopes of being able to take more waste out than my larger bit. The larger one kind of left these crescent shapes sticking way out from the sides, we don't want that (or at least I don't think we do, this is all new to me).
Taking The Plunge: Jumping In The Deep End:
From there it was time to get serious with the trusty DeWalt router!
I spent an agonizingly long time stressing over proper depth to get the router set up. My theory here was to make use of the built-in depth stop. See, my DeWalt has a four-step stop on it. So you can set a depth stop, then back it off three steps. Well, when I got all set up I had two steps before coming to final depth, which seemed good to me. Plunge that sucker right into Lucifer's face (only to the first step) and start working it all around. Once happy, drop a step, repeat the process. Then drop to the final step and repeat one more time. I'm getting better at routing, but I have a long way to go. Understanding which way the router wants to work is a big deal. Going the wrong way isn't fun, I'm still learning. also, I can't seem to find any solution for dust control with this thing. I got it used and it didn't come with any sort of attachments nor do I own anything that will hook to it in any meaningful fashion. In one area of the cavity it was throwing the chips/shavings right in my face. In another area it was just depositing them inside the cavity where I couldn't tell what was happening. With the router plunged down, it's also very difficult to see what is happening down inside there under the router base. Again, I'm still learning. But at the end of the day (literally) we have this -
Yeah man, I'm not at all unhappy with that. It's good, the neck pickup could have been a bit less snug, but it still moves freely. I feel like I hit the bridge pickup dead on. They both look even and centered, I think it'll work!
Just for those curious why I'm critiquing myself so much (other than it's just in my nature), here's a close-up shot -
There's room for improvement, but for a first time ever, I'll take it man!
It was difficult to get the corners exact, because these are custom made pickups and housings, they don't have a specific radius corner on them, nor are all 8 corners the same either. I'm pretty sure the housings were glued up and then sanded to a pleasing shape/profile, which is fine with me but it made routing this cavity tricky, because again, not all the corners are the same. But I think I got close enough that I can live with this, and even let people see it. For those curious, the pickups are just sitting in there right now (for the photo-op), the wires are all bundled up under them too, so they are not sitting down like they will in the end.
My template held up pretty good, so I'm happy I backed up and went with the CA coating on the edge. I may have regretted not doing that, so thank you all for the input there. Next up is to start thinking about my control cavity and laying out the controls on the face. I feel like my original design idea may change some since the pickups are not exactly in that location. They are close though, so it's not gonna change much. But now I have a real thing that I can start mapping out, then we'll see about that rear cavity. That one actually scares me even more.
Parting Shots: Because Why Not:
Yup, I never get sick of posting pics of this thing -
Last edited:
In Your Face: An Adventure In Pickup Routing:
So I managed to sneak in enough time to cover the edge of my template with thin Starbond, then got it placed where I wanted it, converted the ShopSmith back to a drill press, chucked up an appropriate sized forstner bit and started hogging out waste material -
View attachment 4340102
For those among you wondering, yes I measured the depth of my pickup bodies and set a stop on my drill press to the correct depth (or at least what I thought would be the correct depth) before I started plunging this thing into it. I went with a slightly smaller bit in the hopes of being able to take more waste out than my larger bit. The larger one kind of left these crescent shapes sticking way out from the sides, we don't want that (or at least I don't think we do, this is all new to me).
Taking The Plunge: Jumping In The Deep End:
From there it was time to get serious with the trusty DeWalt router!
I spent an agonizingly long time stressing over proper depth to get the router set up. My theory here was to make use of the built-in depth stop. See, my DeWalt has a four-step stop on it. So you can set a depth stop, then back it off three steps. Well, when I got all set up I had two steps before coming to final depth, which seemed good to me. Plunge that sucker right into Lucifer's face (only to the first step) and start working it all around. Once happy, drop a step, repeat the process. Then drop to the final step and repeat one more time. I'm getting better at routing, but I have a long way to go. Understanding which way the router wants to work is a big deal. Going the wrong way isn't fun, I'm still learning. also, I can't seem to find any solution for dust control with this thing. I got it used and it didn't come with any sort of attachments nor do I own anything that will hook to it in any meaningful fashion. In one area of the cavity it was throwing the chips/shavings right in my face. In another area it was just depositing them inside the cavity where I couldn't tell what was happening. With the router plunged down, it's also very difficult to see what is happening down inside there under the router base. Again, I'm still learning. But at the end of the day (literally) we have this -
View attachment 4340095
Yeah man, I'm not at all unhappy with that. It's good, the neck pickup could have been a bit less snug, but it still moves freely. I feel like I hit the bridge pickup dead on. They both look even and centered, I think it'll work!
Just for those curious why I'm critiquing myself so much (other than it's just in my nature), here's a close-up shot -
View attachment 4340094
There's room for improvement, but for a first time ever, I'll take it man!
For those curious, the pickups are just sitting in there right now (for the photo-op), the wires are all bundled up under them too, so they are not sitting down like they will in the end.
My template held up pretty good, so I'm happy I backed up and went with the CA coating on the edge. I may have regretted not doing that, so thank you all for the input there. Next up is to start thinking about my control cavity and laying out the controls on the face. I feel like my original design idea may change some since the pickups are not exactly in that location. They are close though, so it's not gonna change much. But now I have a real thing that I can start mapping out, then we'll see about that rear cavity. That one actually scares me even more.
Parting Shots: Because Why Not:
Yup, I never get sick of posting pics of this thing -
View attachment 4340096
Bravo!!
You did a fantastic job on the routing!
You are far too hard on yourself with this stuff. You are new to using routers, so it takes time to learn how they work and gain experience. Just like building your race cars, it takes time, then you learn so your builds get better and better.
The folks you look up to have years of experience and many of them have learned along to way that no matter how good a person's skill level, you can still make mistakes. It's just that when the pros make mistakes, they learn how to fix or hide those mistakes and of course they make fewer of them as you will when you gain additional experience.
As for the dust flying out from the router... I don't bother with dust collection on hand held routers. But you can learn to do one of two things when it spits stuff in your face. Twist the router body, so the spray goes in a different direction or move out of the way! LOL
You are building a fantastic bass! It truly looks amazing!
And keep one thing in mind, when you show this to most people they will glance at it and say, very nice, then ask you how long it took to build. When you show it to other builders, for the most part they will compliment your work. Usually the only person talking about and worrying about the small issues is the builder themselves. Well unless it's a huge mistake! Then everyone can see it.
When you route the control cavity, approach it in the same manner you did with the pickup route and you will do just fine.
Just a heads up from someone that has made every single mistake possible when building, please plan ahead on what material you will use for the cavity cover and how you will attach it before you drill a single hole. Also keep in mind what parts need to go into the cavity, a few times thinking I was smarter than the others, I made the cavity very tight. sure it looked nice and all, but was nearly impossible to wire everything in such a small space.
Speaking of mistakes, when I first began routing pick up cavities and control cavities, I measured and set the stop on the drill press so the face of the forstner bit was at the level of the bottom of my cavity. Forgetting about the center pin on the bit. So when the routing was done there were a bunch of little holes in the bottom of the cavity. Oh well.. you learn.
Also keep in mind that you need to drill a hole to reach the pickup cavities. Unless your control cavity edge butts up to the pickup route edge, you will need to drill a hole, unless you left a channel for this purpose before building.
Seriously, your bass looks amazing!!
I'm looking forward to watching your progress!
Oh man, you wanna freak yourself out?
Go see if your wife has one of those little concave mirrors that blow your face up 100x so you can dig for treasure in your pores and pull out microscopic hairs.
That's excellent, you are being far to hard on yourself. I've seen large manufacturer's instruments with bigger gaps in neck pockets than that, sold at retail.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,006
- 1
- 31,701
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Well done! That has to feel good, yeah?
My very first pickup cavities were ridiculous. Big ol’ 1/8” gaps all around.
Yours look tighter than some factory produced models!
My very first pickup cavities were ridiculous. Big ol’ 1/8” gaps all around.
Yours look tighter than some factory produced models!
As for the control cavity, this idea is far too clever not to "borrow" and adapt to your bass!
This is part of the @dwizum build thread....
[URL="https://www.talkbass.com/threads/build-thread-walnut-maple-buckeye-burl-pickups-bridge.1522985/page-2#post-25472503"]Build thread: walnut, maple, buckeye burl, pickups, bridge[/URL]
In fact I have to remember it for my own build!
This is part of the @dwizum build thread....
[URL="https://www.talkbass.com/threads/build-thread-walnut-maple-buckeye-burl-pickups-bridge.1522985/page-2#post-25472503"]Build thread: walnut, maple, buckeye burl, pickups, bridge[/URL]
In fact I have to remember it for my own build!
Well done! That has to feel good, yeah?
My very first pickup cavities were ridiculous. Big ol’ 1/8” gaps all around.
Thanks everyone, I appreciate the support and comments. You are all right, I am far too hard on myself. It's just how I am, I strive for a level I'm probably not close to achieving and then get frustrated if I don't reach it. It's just my nature. I feel sorry for my kids who had to grow up in my house, with me holding them to the same level. Luckily, they all turned out to be very productive members of society, with very minimal counseling.
@John_Nicholas regarding rear cover material. It'll most likely just be a piece of black pickguard material. One, because I already have a chunk left over from a previous repair job project. Two, because I wasn't talented enough to figure out how to slice off a thin piece of that zebrano before I made the body, so I don't have an offcut or anything large enough to make the cover out of. And finally three, because I should probably stop over-complicating this thing and just set my sights on the finish line.
Regarding the wiring "hole", I think I'm gonna rethink my rear cavity space so that it "overlaps" that bridge pickup some, creating an opening. Because, yeah, I failed to account for any sort of channel when I glued up the body. One more rookie mistake I won't make again, but there's other ways to skin that cat. now that I see the pickup cavity, I can see how I can overlap the rear cavity and just create a wiring opening. But I also need to leave room for the screws, lots to think about. Plus, I'm not against drilling it, it's not gonna be a terribly long hole and I've done that maneuver on other mod/parts projects and I still have the crazy long drill bit (I used it to drill a hole from the neck pocket to the bridge pickup cavity on another project).
As for "space", that's the next big focus. I have it drawn in AutoCAD and everything mapped out for the control layout and the placement of everything in the cavity. But I need to print that CAD drawing so I can lay it on the real thing and start really dialing it in before we start making another template for that. I've learned, a good template can hide a lot of your lack of skill.
There's gonna be some paper and pencil work involved here as I trace the top and then transfer that to the back so I can figure out exactly where those pickup cavities are, where my bridge recess is and what my "no fly zones" are. Fun stuff!
Again, thanks everyone. That was a big step for me. It was scary, it was nerve-wracking, it was anxiety inducing and it was oh so satisfying. I'm pretty happy with the end result. I think once I get to sanding this thing and those edges around that cavity get sanded a bit more smooth and start to soften that sharp edge, it'll look killer. I'm way less nervous about the rear cavity than I was before, but still nervous. You get this close and the chance for making a pile of REALLY expensive firewood becomes seriously nerve-wracking!
Oh, one more question for the group!
So I didn't post a pic of the inside of the cavity when I was done, because honestly I was so excited to get it strung back up so I could just look at it that I forgot to take one. But, you guys mentioned the tiny holes from the tip of the forstner, yeah, I have those too. I got the bottom completely flush, aside from those tip holes. What I can't figure out is how to plunge that router bit that little bit extra. The cutting surface is on the sides of the bit, not the bottom. So what's the trick to getting it that mm deeper?
So I didn't post a pic of the inside of the cavity when I was done, because honestly I was so excited to get it strung back up so I could just look at it that I forgot to take one. But, you guys mentioned the tiny holes from the tip of the forstner, yeah, I have those too. I got the bottom completely flush, aside from those tip holes. What I can't figure out is how to plunge that router bit that little bit extra. The cutting surface is on the sides of the bit, not the bottom. So what's the trick to getting it that mm deeper?
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,006
- 1
- 31,701
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Oh, one more question for the group!
So I didn't post a pic of the inside of the cavity when I was done, because honestly I was so excited to get it strung back up so I could just look at it that I forgot to take one. But, you guys mentioned the tiny holes from the tip of the forstner, yeah, I have those too. I got the bottom completely flush, aside from those tip holes. What I can't figure out is how to plunge that router bit that little bit extra. The cutting surface is on the sides of the bit, not the bottom. So what's the trick to getting it that mm deeper?
What about measuring that tip of the forstner bit and setting the drill stop to account for the tip so it doesn't go in so far??
If you want to use the router bit, you no longer need the template, but I would be very careful, you can use the edge of the pickup route as a "template" and route just a tiny bit more to clean up the tiny holes!
And just like @ctmullins said, the end of the bit cuts just fine!
Thanks guys! I'm honestly still debating if it even matters. Nobody is gonna see them unless you disassemble the thing, so I may just leave it alone. Altho, that is probably where I'll sign this one since there's no neck pocket to scribble my name inside of.
Templates: A Roadmap To Victory:
I'm still building templates, for what seems like days. I printed my CAD drawing of the control layout while I was at work today and brought that home with me. Laying it on the bass, I see a small corner where I can overlap the cavities to tackle my wiring chase, so I added a piece of paper there (upper left corner of the paper) -
How many of you instantly went "OMG, that's a lot of stuff!!!"? Yup, it's a lot. I explained it all several pages ago, but in an effort to keep you on this page, what we've got is an on/off for each pickup up top (near the pickups, go figure), a volume knob over to the left by itself, the 3-band Darkglass Tone Capsule in the middle there, coil split for each pickup below the TC (the two grouped tight at the left), a series/parallel to the right of that and finally a pre-amp bypass over there on the right. Yes, I know there's such a thing as a rotary switch to tackle the pickup switching. But my body isn't thick enough to handle one (at least, not one I could find) and I like the idea of also having built in kill switches. I've never had a bass with a kill switch, so why not? The rest of it also could have been tackled with some push/pull pots, but again, couldn't find push/pulls that would fit in the 1-1/2" thick body and .... I like switches and knobs and stuff! 
So yeah, this is what I'm going with! Now let's see about making templates, shall we?
I went through the trouble of cutting out a piece of thin cardboard (from a soda box) and laying it all out, just to double check that I liked the arrangement -
Yup, I like it! moving on!
I also fussed with it for a long time making sure this would fit within the back bevel and not cut into anything it shouldn't (like that bridge recess and so on), yet still be placed right to overlap that corner of the pickup cavity. So much measuring, looking, re-measuring, looking and then re-measuring! Let's make somethin man!
I'm seriously getting low on MDF, but I had a piece big enough to make two templates. The way I see it, I need one for the actual cavity, and one for the little lip that the cover will sit in. so let's make that one first! I cu a piece of MDF, removed much waste in the middle with forstner bits on the drill press, then moved to the spindle sander to remove the rest. Clean it up with some files and a sanding block and we've got a template for the lip that the cover will sit in. This gives me my working parameters for the rest. I then used that one to lay out my cavity template by placing the lip template on top of another piece of MDF and tracing around the inside edge with a compass -
I like using drafting tools, even when not at work. I can draw all day in a 3D modeling program, but any chance I get to hand draft something, man I'm in! okay, yeah, it's not really "drafting", but I had a drafting tool in my hand, so there!
I then used a good ol' 1/2" socket to mark my corners where the screws will go, because something has to hold this sucker down -
I know, there's all these cool tricks with magnets, leaving a spot where you press down to flip the cover up and all that. But I don't have a fancy piece of wood for this, it's just gonna be a black plastic cover, we'll just put a few screws in it and be done. Next time, next time.
Speaking of thin bodies, after laying out all the stuff on the cardboard it became apparent that the wiring off the 3-band EQ knobs sticks up a lot...like...a concerning amount. After some careful eyeball level measuring, it looks like they are gonna need about 1-1/4". so this may be tight. I'm concerned about how thin I can go on that top over the cavity. I'm thinking 1/4" is probably the minimum, so this may get interesting later.
And then the dinner bell rang, so I had to stop .... for now.
I'm still building templates, for what seems like days. I printed my CAD drawing of the control layout while I was at work today and brought that home with me. Laying it on the bass, I see a small corner where I can overlap the cavities to tackle my wiring chase, so I added a piece of paper there (upper left corner of the paper) -
How many of you instantly went "OMG, that's a lot of stuff!!!"?
Yup, it's a lot. I explained it all several pages ago, but in an effort to keep you on this page, what we've got is an on/off for each pickup up top (near the pickups, go figure), a volume knob over to the left by itself, the 3-band Darkglass Tone Capsule in the middle there, coil split for each pickup below the TC (the two grouped tight at the left), a series/parallel to the right of that and finally a pre-amp bypass over there on the right. Yes, I know there's such a thing as a rotary switch to tackle the pickup switching. But my body isn't thick enough to handle one (at least, not one I could find) and I like the idea of also having built in kill switches. I've never had a bass with a kill switch, so why not? The rest of it also could have been tackled with some push/pull pots, but again, couldn't find push/pulls that would fit in the 1-1/2" thick body and .... I like switches and knobs and stuff! So yeah, this is what I'm going with! Now let's see about making templates, shall we?I went through the trouble of cutting out a piece of thin cardboard (from a soda box) and laying it all out, just to double check that I liked the arrangement -
Yup, I like it! moving on!
I also fussed with it for a long time making sure this would fit within the back bevel and not cut into anything it shouldn't (like that bridge recess and so on), yet still be placed right to overlap that corner of the pickup cavity. So much measuring, looking, re-measuring, looking and then re-measuring! Let's make somethin man!
I'm seriously getting low on MDF, but I had a piece big enough to make two templates. The way I see it, I need one for the actual cavity, and one for the little lip that the cover will sit in. so let's make that one first! I cu a piece of MDF, removed much waste in the middle with forstner bits on the drill press, then moved to the spindle sander to remove the rest. Clean it up with some files and a sanding block and we've got a template for the lip that the cover will sit in. This gives me my working parameters for the rest. I then used that one to lay out my cavity template by placing the lip template on top of another piece of MDF and tracing around the inside edge with a compass -
I like using drafting tools, even when not at work. I can draw all day in a 3D modeling program, but any chance I get to hand draft something, man I'm in! okay, yeah, it's not really "drafting", but I had a drafting tool in my hand, so there!
I then used a good ol' 1/2" socket to mark my corners where the screws will go, because something has to hold this sucker down -I know, there's all these cool tricks with magnets, leaving a spot where you press down to flip the cover up and all that. But I don't have a fancy piece of wood for this, it's just gonna be a black plastic cover, we'll just put a few screws in it and be done. Next time, next time.
Speaking of thin bodies, after laying out all the stuff on the cardboard it became apparent that the wiring off the 3-band EQ knobs sticks up a lot...like...a concerning amount. After some careful eyeball level measuring, it looks like they are gonna need about 1-1/4". so this may be tight. I'm concerned about how thin I can go on that top over the cavity. I'm thinking 1/4" is probably the minimum, so this may get interesting later.
And then the dinner bell rang, so I had to stop .... for now.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,006
- 1
- 31,701
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
The black plastic covers are about as thick as a pickguard, so around 3/32”, nowhere near 1/4”. You’ll have plenty of depth.
So here's a shot of the back side with my two templates marked out...
The piece of tape was me marking the corner of the pickup cavity...roughly.
The piece of tape was me marking the corner of the pickup cavity...roughly.
Last edited:
I still need to make a "reverse cavity" template for cutting the cover. Thoughts? I assume it's the same as a pickguard, but I've never done that either.
