I plan on creating a hole in the body of a guitar like in the picture (circled in red). Generally, this is done in a factory by a machine, but I have a feeling it's possible without a computer. I'm not sure how many methods exist, or what tools may be involved.
If I end up butchering the whole thing, I'm not going to cry too hard over it, I spent about $70 on the guitar, and $15 on the pickups on amazon. I bought it pretty much to experiment modding.
Any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks.
Ps for guitar nerds who care, I plan on adding a single coil pickup in between two already existing humbuckers. I'm going to install a 5 way selector like a strat. I pretty much have it all figured out how it'll be wired.
A jig, a router with depth control. And a plunge cut bit. Thats probably what most manufacturers do if they havent moved on to cnc
Or maybe a multitool and chisel if you're fine with a rectangle.
Or ultra cheap and don't care how it looks you use some gouges and dig it out (cross cutting will be a bitch.
Good luck and have patience especially if its maple.
>>962284
Basswood, and thanks
>>962284
this pretty much
if you don't have a template, use another piece of wood, trace your design, then route it out to your satisfaction
take that template and use it on the guitar with a bit (http://www.amazon.com/Dia-Top-Bearing-Flush-Trim/dp/B0000225XQ) to get the perfect match
harbor freight has a trim router for <$30
If you're brave enough, and I would be, print off a 1:1 of the cut our you want. Glue it on and free hand it with a laminate trimmer style router. Slow and steady is the key.
not op, would anyone tackle this with hand tools? chisels?
>>962369
Not if this is a question they need to ask. Getting any kind of uniformity in carpentry requires the appropriate tools and jigs.
The time investment to route those cavities by hand is a waste of the skill if you have it and devoid of reason if you don't.
The majority of the cavity is covered by the pickups or pickguard. If you leave the cut edges exposed and choose a hack method, it will be visible.
This job is very simple with a router and attention to detail setting up.
>>962277
can help. you want to predrill to just under your final depth. a series of holes to remove wood basically. then you're going to make or buy a jig, and plunge route to remove the rest. I recommend double stick taping the jig on and also clamping with scrap wood on the underside of the body to prevent dents.
>>962369
It would be a lot of work, and someone who isnt very experienced is going to fuck it up.
And it looks like it wont be covered with a pick guard, so it needs to be clean
Get a cheap router and take your time
>>962277
If you want to avoid power tools, a bit and brace followed by cleanup with a chisel would work fine. Other options include a drill press, a router, or a carving knife.
>>962369
I'd prefer to do it with hand tools. By the time you get the jig to do it, think it over twice, go slow but not TOO slow so you don't burn the wood, etc. I'd have been done. That's less than half an hour with the pickup you want to put in, a knife, a gouge and a couple of straight chisels (probably a 1/2" one and an inch to get material out quicker). It's basswood for God's sake, but even in sugar maple the pickup would look like it grew there in half an hour, with less chance of fucking it up. Cheaper, too. More Roy, less Norm guys.
>>962277
get a bunch of termites and tell them to munch out those holes
