Process - Body Cavities
I had anticipated that the cavities would be a difficult part of this build, but it turned out to be a relatively uneventful activity. By using good, reliable plans and measuring frequently, I marked the cavity locations. I bought a few Forstner bits and compared the radius of each corner to the plan, choosing the correct sized bit (twice the radius) to drill each corner to proper depth. Then with the plywood template, dropped the router down into the wood on an angle to depth, and finished routing out each cavity.
I DID, however, make one big mistake that took me about 3 weeks to learn of. In transferring the control plate location on the plan to a different orientation, I took measurements from the plan. I did not notice at the time that the center of the radius at one end of the control cavity was marked but not at the other end, so I measured from the radius center at one end to the end at the other end. With a 1" diameter at each end I ended up with a cavity that was 1/2" longer than it was supposed to be. Fortunately the control plate covered the entire cavity (huge 'whew') but there was no wood into which to screw the control plate down. I had to fabricate a 1/2" semi-circular 'dowel' to glue into one end so that each end of the control plate could be screwed down. Grrrr. At least it was quickly fixed and will always be entirely hidden from sight. Still, I know its there....!
In order to wire each pickup to the control plate, there must be a passage for the wires to follow. The Fender Telecaster plans call for another routed channel to aid in this (essentially in the middle, but would not be visible under the pickguard). I felt that if I ever decided not to use a pickguard or to fabricate a clear one from plexiglass, I'd not put this channel in. So I bought some extra long (18") drill bits of varying sizes and drilled directly from each pickup cavity to the control plate. The neck channel had to be drilled right from the back corner of the neck pocket heel area and through the neck pocket in order to get the right angle. This was a long one, but fortunately ended up in the right place!
I also needed to mark the position of the bridge plate screw holes and the string holes. Using the plans and careful measurement, I double checked the scale length and the neck relative to the nut, heel pocket and bridge position. Not hard to eventually commit to where holes needed to be drilled. Uh oh, more little mistakes here. I managed to snap off two drill bits within 5 minutes. This lead to at least a half-day's work in trying to knock out the broken end from the other side. Not easily done when none of my holes were straight in the body, either! What a pain. With a neighbor's help and ingenuity I eventually got it sorted and cleared the way for the string ferrules and bridge.
Later in assembly, just before the pickups were soldered in place, I added copper shielding to each cavity. This shielding came on a roll with adhesive backing and.
It is a little hard to make out in photos, but the shielding for bridge pickup folds over the top of the body of the guitar towards the tail. This way the bridge makes a connection to the shielding in the cavity for grounding purposes. As it turned out, these pickups are amazingly quiet. I am very pleasantly surprised at how quiet this guitar is at any volume/tone setting.
I DID, however, make one big mistake that took me about 3 weeks to learn of. In transferring the control plate location on the plan to a different orientation, I took measurements from the plan. I did not notice at the time that the center of the radius at one end of the control cavity was marked but not at the other end, so I measured from the radius center at one end to the end at the other end. With a 1" diameter at each end I ended up with a cavity that was 1/2" longer than it was supposed to be. Fortunately the control plate covered the entire cavity (huge 'whew') but there was no wood into which to screw the control plate down. I had to fabricate a 1/2" semi-circular 'dowel' to glue into one end so that each end of the control plate could be screwed down. Grrrr. At least it was quickly fixed and will always be entirely hidden from sight. Still, I know its there....!
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| almost completed body blank |
I also needed to mark the position of the bridge plate screw holes and the string holes. Using the plans and careful measurement, I double checked the scale length and the neck relative to the nut, heel pocket and bridge position. Not hard to eventually commit to where holes needed to be drilled. Uh oh, more little mistakes here. I managed to snap off two drill bits within 5 minutes. This lead to at least a half-day's work in trying to knock out the broken end from the other side. Not easily done when none of my holes were straight in the body, either! What a pain. With a neighbor's help and ingenuity I eventually got it sorted and cleared the way for the string ferrules and bridge.
Later in assembly, just before the pickups were soldered in place, I added copper shielding to each cavity. This shielding came on a roll with adhesive backing and.
It is a little hard to make out in photos, but the shielding for bridge pickup folds over the top of the body of the guitar towards the tail. This way the bridge makes a connection to the shielding in the cavity for grounding purposes. As it turned out, these pickups are amazingly quiet. I am very pleasantly surprised at how quiet this guitar is at any volume/tone setting.
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| copper shielding in pickup and control plate cavities |
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