daveq Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 Has anyone tried to install EMG (in a new guitar - building from scratch) pickups without the mounting rings? I was hoping that there was a way to just have the face of the pickup visible (and the screws). The only way I can think of is routing from behind which would take out a large chunk in line with the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feylya Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 I'll assume you're not going to have a pickguard. AFAIK, the only way to do it is to route out a channel from behind to fit the pickup and then cover it some a plastic cover or whatever you want. James Hetfeild's first explorer had the this construction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullmuzzler Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 I believe that Mark Knopfler's 1987 Pensa Suhr flame maple s/n 001 has bridge pickup installed in that fashion (only the screws are visible). These guitars build by Bob Gill have the same kind of pickup mounting www.bobgill.demon.co.uk; www.bobgill.demon.co.uk I would also like to know how it can be done. mullmuzzler | OSSMT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted July 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 Thanks mullmuzzler - that's exactly what I am wanting to do. Is that a solid body or a semi-hollow? It looks like a carved solid body. The guitar will not have a pickguard - and I don't mind (actually prefer) to have the screws show through. I wasn't sure if the LGM guitar (the 7 string built for someone who's name I am forgetting right now) had this type of construction. The pickguard on that guitar made it hard for me to see. If I route through the back - won't that degrade the strength, sustain, ... of the guitar? Especially since the neck pickup will be very close to the neck pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted July 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 OK, now I think I see how it was done (I think). It looks like the maple top was routed for the face of the pickup and the body was only routed for the depth needed for mounting it. Since it is a two-piece, this works. For my single piece, this will not. I'm not sure how you would go about changing the pickup in that guitar though (at least the neck position pup)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulNeeds Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 Someone - I forget who (sorry) - described a way of routing the pickup cavity so that the pickup itself fits very tightly into the cavity, the edges of which are undercut for the screw mounting flanges of the pickups. Then this overhang is drilled for the pickup mounting screws. Looks a very neat way to do it, and is certainly what I intend to do when I finally can afford the f-hole strat with maple cap I dream of! Have to buy some rollers first to do a tele body with before I ever get to that project.... Talking of which, and to digress, does anyone here know any good reason why a body can't be stripped in the dip tank used by a furniture restorer? Any probs likely to arise, like splitting? It's a USA Standard tele body - no idea what the finish type is apart from "black". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F1sh Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 go to stewmac and buy the screws used to hold the mounting rings in. tap small pilot holes where the pickup mouthing screws line up in the bottom of the pickup cavity. place a piece of foam rubber under the pickup, put the screws threw the pickup mounting ear holes (may need to push and twist a bit, but they will fit) and then use a small screw driver to thread them into the pilot holes you drew, and BAM, your good to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F1sh Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 an nm, if your tryin to get that flush look. someone else here did that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 Rhoads 56 did this on his guitar, here is a link to the page on his site showing how it's done http://www.monaro.com.au/guitar/feb/index.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 Someone - I forget who (sorry) - described a way of routing the pickup cavity so that the pickup itself fits very tightly into the cavity, the edges of which are undercut for the screw mounting flanges of the pickups. Then this overhang is drilled for the pickup mounting screws. Looks a very neat way to do it, and is certainly what I intend to do when I finally can afford the f-hole strat with maple cap I dream of! Have to buy some rollers first to do a tele body with before I ever get to that project.... Talking of which, and to digress, does anyone here know any good reason why a body can't be stripped in the dip tank used by a furniture restorer? Any probs likely to arise, like splitting? It's a USA Standard tele body - no idea what the finish type is apart from "black". it was alex on his neck thru guitar.he once drew a diagram on how he did it but i wouldn't even know where to look.it was very cool though.he had an angled route on one side so he could slide it in.plus he soldered the adjustment springs on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlexVDL Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 I'm just back from a gig, and don't want to type the whole story again right now Maybe tomorrow, but I think you'll get the point by looking at these pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Rhoads 56 did this on his guitar, here is a link to the page on his site showing how it's done http://www.monaro.com.au/guitar/feb/index.htm DID ANYONE READ THIS POST!!!!!!! LOL!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullmuzzler Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 HOW did you route this cavity, man? Tools... Approach... Angle... Could you make a tutorial for this problem? Lets say that I have a project: - mahogany base and carved 2-peice maple top - EMG pickups H/S/S - wilkinson VS100 trem I would like to install pickups in that kind of fashion (only the mounting screws are visible). What do you suggest? One more thing: Knopfler's Pensa Suhr model is much thinner than a, let say, Ibanez which has 45 mm thick body. Is this clever solution? mullmuzzler | OSSMT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted July 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Thanks, I did read all of the posts. Unfortunately, I cannot use the methods shown for multiple piece bodies since I am using a single piece (no top). I like the angled route idea although I have no idea how I'm going to do it. Was this also a two-piece body (meaning a bottom/top piece)? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 you could do it like the Parker fly models, they are installed from the back on a one piece body through the trem cavity / electronics bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted July 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 LGM, I've been looking for a picture of the back of the Parker guitar so I can see how they reach the neck position pickup. Do you know if they just make one big route from the trem to the neck? I have never looked closely at these guitars before. Their features seem to go along with the price tag. Yikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Dave, you know, that's a damn good question, I don't have my parker anymore unfortunately, and I don't remember it well enough to tell you I'll see if I can find anything else out about it though (maybe they are 2 piece ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 alex's is a neck thru so he actually routed the wings and neck for the pickups seperately before he glued it together. :o awesome huh?i don't know if i would have the skill to do something like that myself but i guess he does Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 Rhoads 56 did this on his guitar, here is a link to the page on his site showing how it's done http://www.monaro.com.au/guitar/feb/index.htm DID ANYONE READ THIS POST!!!!!!! LOL!!!!! I did!! As for Alex's idea and pictures, well, i think its pretty straight forward how he did his version. You guys mustn't be looking at the pictures... I did mine prior to gluing the top on. Alex did his by putting inserts in. It CAN be done on a single piece body without glueing in inserts (or gluing a tp on), or routing through to the back for a "backdoor" installation. Just be prepared to spend HOURS doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlexVDL Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 I don't know what you mean by inserts? I did mine like wesley said. It is a maple neck that runs thru to the tremolo, (not all the way to the butt of the guitar). The maple neck is almost one inch thick, which is glued into a one piece mahogany body of about 50 mm thick. I routed the cavities for the height adjustment wings first, I did this from the back of the neck. Then I routed the humbucker cavity from the front of the neck. I also routed a channel for the wires at the back of the neck between the two pickup cavities. After it all was done, I glued my neck into the body, and used a chisel to cut out the angle so you can slide the pickup in like you see in the pics on the previous page. Here a drawing how my neck looked before I glued it into the body. So just like you rhoads, I routed it prior to glueing. I did not use any inserts or something you're talking about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted July 19, 2003 Report Share Posted July 19, 2003 Oh, ok... i though i remembered that your guitar was a set neck... no idea why though. Either way, the inserts would still work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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