I'm thinkin this accident was meant to happen.Good time to fab up a custom ovoid wooden pickup cover!
The universe has spoken.
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Winter Buildoff 2022: Still A Diva
- Thread starter TerribleTim68
- Start date
The universe has spoken.
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,028
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
I mean... are you sponsored by Reinhard Jedamzik of Delano?
...
Would you put a decal on your custom Racecar ... from a vendor who didn't sponsor your team?
...
Cover that silly Delano logo.
...
Would you put a decal on your custom Racecar ... from a vendor who didn't sponsor your team?
...
Cover that silly Delano logo.
Oh yeah, they are epoxied in there good, sealed up tight.
The only issue with putting a cap of ebony on it is that I'm already maxed out on height. I want to look into a countersink bit and see if I can do something there first. Making the pickup taller would mean routing the cavity deeper, which at this point I have no way to do.
The only issue with putting a cap of ebony on it is that I'm already maxed out on height. I want to look into a countersink bit and see if I can do something there first. Making the pickup taller would mean routing the cavity deeper, which at this point I have no way to do.
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,028
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
.... use a chisel.
You already got the nice tight hole... what the bottom looks like doesn't really matter.
...
Why did that sound weird?
Ugh that sucks Tim, but the gang's got you covered with genius suggestions. My only other one is that a drop of black mixol into CA glue blends really nicely into black pickups.
Regarding the ebony, a piece of ebony veneer would not impact thickness at all, and in the end, dollars to donuts it will look like an entire ebony pickup cover.
Sometimes these things make you want to gouge out your eyes, but there are so many ways to get there that there's no point being blind over it.
Regarding the ebony, a piece of ebony veneer would not impact thickness at all, and in the end, dollars to donuts it will look like an entire ebony pickup cover.
Sometimes these things make you want to gouge out your eyes, but there are so many ways to get there that there's no point being blind over it.
I have been wanting to buy some black Starbond....Ugh that sucks Tim, but the gang's got you covered with genius suggestions. My only other one is that a drop of black mixol into CA glue blends really nicely into black pickups.
Regarding the ebony, a piece of ebony veneer would not impact thickness at all, and in the end, dollars to donuts it will look like an entire ebony pickup cover.
Sometimes these things make you want to gouge out your eyes, but there are so many ways to get there that there's no point being blind over it.
I was going to suggest black Starbond. Heck, do the whole top of the pickup and make it nice and flat and smooth and shiny.
If needed, step away for a few hours or even a few days. I’ve been ready to cut something in half and in half again until it’s teeny tiny pieces. I eventually want to get back to it and work out a solution.
If needed, step away for a few hours or even a few days. I’ve been ready to cut something in half and in half again until it’s teeny tiny pieces. I eventually want to get back to it and work out a solution.
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,028
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
Or...
Imprint the pickup surface texture via silly putty... fill the hole with Starblonde... apply texture putty... let cure...
...re-drill.
.... total speculation . But anything is possible
...
Edit... I just described a vinyl patch kit... like a child.
I would carry that pickup over to the edge sander, and gently sand the top surface down about 1/16". Then epoxy on a slice of ebony (or other good looking hardwood). Back at the edge sander to thin the ebony down to 1/16". Lightly round the edges, block sand the surface to 800 grit; polish with Scotchbrite Grey & White, and coat with Stew-Mac Fingerboard Oil.
That's what I do to all of my pickups. It makes a tough, durable, nice looking top cap. On most of my basses, I use the cutoff piece from the end of the fingerboard blank, aligning the grain and streaks with the fingerboard.
That's what I do to all of my pickups. It makes a tough, durable, nice looking top cap. On most of my basses, I use the cutoff piece from the end of the fingerboard blank, aligning the grain and streaks with the fingerboard.
Black Starbond was my first thought, but hard to match that texture. I like the veneer cap idea. I have Bravely Fled all my builds at one time or another, sometimes for MONTHS until the Mojo returns. Screw the deadline.
So many good ideas for fixes. I like a wood cap. You could even do maple, and then dye it to match the burst on the top. The pickup could have it's own mini burst!
Or - look at the little recess on the opposite side of the pickup, where there is no screw. I wonder if you could carve this side out to match that?
You could always try a less invasive fix (fill with CA and drill out with a counterbore), then glue a cap on if the less invasive fix didn't look good.
Or - look at the little recess on the opposite side of the pickup, where there is no screw. I wonder if you could carve this side out to match that?
You could always try a less invasive fix (fill with CA and drill out with a counterbore), then glue a cap on if the less invasive fix didn't look good.
A sequential approach makes sense, from least to most invasive. Counterbore first, maybe looks fine, if not, up a notch. Do you have any wood left from the board, enough to do a cap? Thats maybe the only aesthetic thing I question on a Diva, the black pup interrupting that beautiful board. You must realize by now we wont LET you bail on this build permanently! Its too nice.
Now that you have real solutions from real luthiers, I feel ok telling you to slap a Jegs sticker on there and carry on
In reality, you could have a vinyl sticker made to put over when it mounted
In reality, you could have a vinyl sticker made to put over when it mounted
Okay, much love for all the many suggestions. I have great concerns that this isn't gonna turn out well, but I have placed an order for some black Starbond and I'm going to attempt the "fill it and redrill hole, then use countersink bit" method. We'll see what it looks like after that. I don't have a piece of ebony to cover it with, and being that I use that little dimple in the top of it as my thumb rest, I don't really want to cover part of it with rosewood or something similar and have this little black oval thing sticking out at the top. It either needs to be all black, or no cover, because I use that dimple. But again, I don't have any ebony. So if this Starbond fill turns out like the poo-poo, then I'll be calling @Rôckhewer and moving on to @Bruce Johnson 's method.
Ugh, I seriously can't tell you all how frustrated I am.
Oh, in other news, I weighed it before I took all the hardware off yesterday. It looks like we're at 9lbs 6ounces without strings. She isn't skinny, but she isn't thicc either. It's funny because Lucifer was right around that same weight, but he's a 5-string. So I guess the ash body wing cores helped shave some weight on that one. This one being all wenge/purpleheart...not so much. I'm glad I made the body 1-1/2" thick instead of something closer to 1-3/4" or so.
Ugh, I seriously can't tell you all how frustrated I am.
Oh, in other news, I weighed it before I took all the hardware off yesterday. It looks like we're at 9lbs 6ounces without strings. She isn't skinny, but she isn't thicc either. It's funny because Lucifer was right around that same weight, but he's a 5-string. So I guess the ash body wing cores helped shave some weight on that one. This one being all wenge/purpleheart...not so much. I'm glad I made the body 1-1/2" thick instead of something closer to 1-3/4" or so.
If I were attempting a "fill and redrill" I'd be tempted to counterbore first, to create a large but even-looking counterbore around the screw hole. Basically, size the counterbore to cover the entire damaged area. Cut it just deep enough to give yourself a little lip all the way around the hole, don't have to go deep enough to cut out all the damage. Then fill and re-drill and counterbore with the correct size counterbore to match the counterbores on the other holes. This way, you end up with a nice clean perfect circle of fill around the hole, instead of a jagged shaped fill.
If that worked fine, and looked OK, I might even go to the other two holes with the same larger-sized counterbore and hit them just deep enough to create a recess around the hole, then fill that recess with the same material. Then you have three matching holes all with a little ring of fill around them, and it might almost look like it was done on purpose.
If that worked fine, and looked OK, I might even go to the other two holes with the same larger-sized counterbore and hit them just deep enough to create a recess around the hole, then fill that recess with the same material. Then you have three matching holes all with a little ring of fill around them, and it might almost look like it was done on purpose.
I think you need to drill a pilot hole at the very least or the countersink bit will walk, right?
I'm gonna order one of these offset hole countersink bits, if you haven't seen them ,they are pretty sweet. I've noticed a lot more YT woodworkers going to them because they really leave a super clean bore -
I'm gonna order one of these offset hole countersink bits, if you haven't seen them ,they are pretty sweet. I've noticed a lot more YT woodworkers going to them because they really leave a super clean bore -
