What's On Your Workbench?

[tubedude]

One day in elevated heat did the trick. I have vol/vol controls wired at the moment. I have to buy one new EMG vol pot because bridge pickup pot is not working properly. I also need one EMG pot knob. The bass feels a lot lighter than original XM2. That’s what I was looking for.

View attachment 4264325

Nice! It looks much brighter in that image.

 

[TerribleTim68]

So, yeah......getting back at it I guess. currently my workbench is covered with Lucifer. Trying to figure out how to cut a bone nut -

And then I need to learn how to rout pickup cavities -

I feel pretty good about the nut, been watching Chris' recent video over at Highline Guitars on, get this, carving a nut! I've watched it like 3 times already, probably watch it a couple more. I just need to find some good videos on pup routing. I have an idea of how I want to tackle it, just need to build up the confidence!

the main problem is, this stupid day job that keep sucking up all my time. I'd love to be retired so I could just work on my hobbies all day, but at the rate my life is going I'll have to work till I die.

 

[RichterScale]

Yep, the needy idiots at my job are constantly bothering me too. Hardly leaves any time to get anything important done.
I wish it was the good ol days when you rolled up to the GM plant, punched in, head to the bar for the day or head back home, then stop by the plant at the end of the day to punch out.
These new jobs these days are ridiculous.

 

[TerribleTim68]

Yep, the needy idiots at my job are constantly bothering me too. Hardly leaves any time to get anything important done.
I wish it was the good ol days when you rolled up to the GM plant, punched in, head to the bar for the day or head back home, then stop by the plant at the end of the day to punch out.
These new jobs these days are ridiculous.

Right?!?!?

My other dilemma is that I REALLY need to get started on my "Youtube Cross Channel Challenge" piece for this month. It's already the 11th and I haven't done anything at all on it. So I still need to "make" it, then edit the video and get it posted, all by the end of the month. Remind me again why I decided to join in on that...

Working from home was so much better! is it wrong to wish COVID could return me to that?

 

[TerribleTim68]

I dug back through the posts from @Ripthorn's Cepheid 5 (which is CLEARLY the gold standard for multiscale builds, and the build that all those who come after will be judged against) hoping to see how he went about developing the pickup routing template. But alas, no such luck. Just a post that said "Got the pups routed today!".
So...that being said.....if any of you have a specific post in one of your builds where you had to develop a custom pup routing template specific to that build, and shows the steps you took to do that, please link below. I'm looking for how you guys are handling it without creating a full body template that includes the pup routing holes. Something that is just the pup rout template.

 

[ctmullins]

I view pickup routing as fairly simple actually. Especially with rectangular pickups.

1. Make your rectangular template. Mark its centerline.
2. Mark the body centerline.
3. Decide on the pickup positions - how far from bridge/neck. Mark them.
4. Hog out the bulk with a Forstner.
5. Position template. Clamp securely!
6. Route to depth, using multiple shallow passes.

Being a multiscale is slightly more involved, only because you need to calculate/eyeball the angle of the pickups. But the centerline is still the centerline.

 

[TerribleTim68]

[QUOTE="ctmullins, post: 25255743, member: 115884"...Being a multiscale is slightly more involved, only because you need to calculate/eyeball the angle of the pickups. ...[/QUOTE]
That's the part that has me all twisted up. Because really the centerline of the pickup is off in some odd angle from the centerline of the guitar. Right?

 

[ctmullins]

That's the part that has me all twisted up. Because really the centerline of the pickup is off in some odd angle from the centerline of the guitar. Right?

Not really. The exact center of the pickup itself should still fall on the centerline of the instrument. It's just rotated a bit.

For my multiscale build, I placed the pickups in the traditional Rick positions, so that's at the (virtual) 24th fret and 36th fret. And since the frets are slanted, the slant of the pickups follows the same proportion. The 24th fret of my B string (34" scale) is 25.5" from the nut, while the 24th fret of my G string (32" scale) is 24" from the nut.

 

[TerribleTim68]

Not really. The exact center of the pickup itself should still fall on the centerline of the instrument. It's just rotated a bit.
...

It's highly probable that I'm overthinking it and I need to just start cutting into some MDF.

 

[ctmullins]

Or to put it a bit more plainly:

• The 24th fret is 0.75 of the scale length
• 0.75 of the 34" scale B string gives me 25.5"
• 0.75 of the 32" scale G string gives me 24"

And

• The 36th fret is 0.875 of the scale length
• 0.875 of the 34" scale B string gives me 29.75"
• 0.875 of the 32" scale G string gives me 28"

 

[TerribleTim68]

Okay, I did a thing! -

I posted the "run down" in my build thread. But yeah, I got started o a pup routing template.

Curious question, what size router bit do you guys use for pup routing? I'm almost 110% positive I've asked this before, but my mind is a terrible place to live.
I think my smallest bit is a 1/2" flush trim bit, bottom bearing. I'm considering just using that for this template since I cut the corners with a forster bit and they are nice and crisp. I could stick on some MDF straight edges using those corner holes as the "guide", flip it over and rout it so the bearing rides on the MDF straight edges. The 1/2" bit won't run into the corners, which would be good because my corners are fine. Does this seem reasonable?

 

[dwizum]

I use a 3/8" diameter bit from amana, part 45475. I find the 3/8" diameter is about right for corners on most soapbar humbuckers (except for EMGs and their dang small radius corners!)

 

[Jon Clegg]

Okay, I did a thing! -
View attachment 4266461
I posted the "run down" in my build thread. But yeah, I got started o a pup routing template.

Curious question, what size router bit do you guys use for pup routing? I'm almost 110% positive I've asked this before, but my mind is a terrible place to live.
I think my smallest bit is a 1/2" flush trim bit, bottom bearing. I'm considering just using that for this template since I cut the corners with a forster bit and they are nice and crisp. I could stick on some MDF straight edges using those corner holes as the "guide", flip it over and rout it so the bearing rides on the MDF straight edges. The 1/2" bit won't run into the corners, which would be good because my corners are fine. Does this seem reasonable?

I use a 3/8" router bit for the main rout. If tight corners are required, I use either a 1/4" or 3/16" pattern bit at min speed on my Dewalt trim router.

 

[RichterScale]

I picked up Freud 3/8 top and bottom bearing bits from Rockler and that was perfect for my Bart soap bars.

 

[TerribleTim68]

Awesome, sounds like I need to invest in a 3/8" bit and then maybe some smaller stuff.

Thanks guys!

 

[Big B.]

I use a 3/8" diameter bit from amana, part 45475. I find the 3/8" diameter is about right for corners on most soapbar humbuckers (except for EMGs and their dang small radius corners!)

I've stopped using emg shape pickups entirely because of those stupid corners.

 

[rojo412]

I've stopped using emg shape pickups entirely because of those stupid corners.

Oh, man, THANK YOU!!!!
I am so glad to hear that I'm not the only person completely hating the fact that pickups use sharp corners like that.
If I had my druthers (and frequently, I do!), pickups would be shaped like the P2 (or P4 or BC) or the MM soap without ears. That way, a 1/2" bit would do all the work perfectly, every time.

Sharp corners on pickups make me very angry. They aren't sharp enough for a chisel, but are too sharp for most router bits. SO STUPID!!!!

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Oh, man, THANK YOU!!!!
I am so glad to hear that I'm not the only person completely hating the fact that pickups use sharp corners like that.
If I had my druthers (and frequently, I do!), pickups would be shaped like the P2 (or P4 or BC) or the MM soap without ears. That way, a 1/2" bit would do all the work perfectly, every time.

Sharp corners on pickups make me very angry. They aren't sharp enough for a chisel, but are too sharp for most router bits. SO STUPID!!!!

Pickups like the EMG's which have relatively sharp corners are designed to go into pockets routed with a 1/4" dia bit, with a 1/16" clearance around the outside of the housing. With that clearance, the 1/8" radius corner left by the 1/4" bit looks and fits right. Most manufacturers rout their pickup cavities and/or openings in pickguards with a 1/4" bit.

 

[TerribleTim68]

Pickups like the EMG's which have relatively sharp corners are designed to go into pockets routed with a 1/4" dia bit, with a 1/16" clearance around the outside of the housing. With that clearance, the 1/8" radius corner left by the 1/4" bit looks and fits right. Most manufacturers rout their pickup cavities and/or openings in pickguards with a 1/4" bit.

Bruce is a walking encyclopedia. I love him.

 

[HardNHeavy]

First refin job..Actually a bored to death pandemic build.lol
Unbelievable how long this is taking, sanding, and clear coating over and over. I haven't begun to wetsand and buff out the body yet. My only issue now is getting headstock decal floating within the clear coats. If i look at it head-on it looks great, turn it at an angle in the light and you see the outline edges, yet i don't feel it when i run my finger over it.....a labor of love.