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What’s the trick to drilling for this switch on Explorer/Standards?


devrock

Question

This is for the builders. I plan on building a couple of very similar Explorer-type guitars with some nice Limba I scored recently. I absolutely LOVE the look without the pickguards. On the one here, what’s the trick to drilling for the switch position in the lower horn (not the switch itself, that’s easy, but the route for the wiring)? It’s simple if you’re doing a pickguard, As it’s just part of the routing, or if you go with a figured top. But for solid body, I’m a little perplexed. Would you go diagonally from the bridge pickup route? Thanks!

 

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I'd use a small bit to drill all the way through from the top (epicenter); Forsner bit to cut recessed round rear cover; then smaller Forsner the actual cavity, in that order, like the round and round plated toggle cavity for a Les Paul. And then drill my pilot from the neck pickup cavity to the toggle cavity, shortest distance between two points.  Here's the first pic I found that shows what the back of the horn would look like the way I've described doing it.

 E2.6TBRM-rear-1.png

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1 hour ago, Dave Scepter said:

876OJF7.png

Ahhhhhh......that makes sense! :) I was thinking of something cleaner. But, really, who’s gonna see that and complain?

Jeff, that’s exactly what I was thinking before, albeit a much trickier way to do it. If the drill bit goes off line, you’re screwed. But that was my first idea. I know how to make the cavity for the switch. It’s the route for the wiring that is the problem.

Thanks, guys!

 

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Lwbv7JD.png

Whether you're drilling from the neck or bridge pickup , Just remember that the pickup wires needs to go to the selector switch first then from there, to the controls then the output jack... Plan it out, be careful, and you should be fine

RAWK ON 🤘

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2 hours ago, devrock said:

Ahhhhhh......that makes sense! :) I was thinking of something cleaner. But, really, who’s gonna see that and complain?

Jeff, that’s exactly what I was thinking before, albeit a much trickier way to do it. If the drill bit goes off line, you’re screwed. But that was my first idea. I know how to make the cavity for the switch. It’s the route for the wiring that is the problem.

Thanks, guys!

 

If you go in the order I listed, the first small bit through the guitar serves as the pilot for the next two Forstner bits' centerpoints/tips bores from the back side. First the big one, the shallow recess for the plate, then the smaller, deeper for the actual cavity. Your drill cannot go off line. You will not be screwed. See the bit's center tip/pilot?

Image result for forstner bit

We're using a drill press for this correct?  If you don't have access to a drill press, you better have brand new, high-quality bits, a SLOW, STEADY AND UNWAIVERING hand ... and balls the size of coconuts.

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For the pilot, you need 12" drill bits. Thin one to start, big'un as a chaser to open it up. This is from putting a kill switch in a strat. Front-loader, but you get the idea.

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Under/through the pickup cavities... 

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8 hours ago, Jeff R said:

If you go in the order I listed, the first small bit through the guitar serves as the pilot for the next two Forstner bits' centerpoints/tips bores from the back side. First the big one, the shallow recess for the plate, then the smaller, deeper for the actual cavity. Your drill cannot go off line. You will not be screwed. See the bit's center tip/pilot?

Image result for forstner bit

We're using a drill press for this correct?  If you don't have access to a drill press, you better have brand new, high-quality bits, a SLOW, STEADY AND UNWAIVERING hand ... and balls the size of coconuts.

I think you’re misunderstanding my issue. It’s not the cavity I need to know how to do. It’s the wiring channel.

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8 hours ago, Jeff R said:

For the pilot, you need 12" drill bits. Thin one to start, big'un as a chaser to open it up. This is from putting a kill switch in a strat. Front-loader, but you get the idea.

Image may contain: outdoor

No photo description available.

Yes, that’s what I’m talking about. I have that bit already, so that’s what I’ll try.

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My task list today included gutting my vintage ESP Akira Star in prep for a refin, and I totally forgot it is a round cavity treble horn rear loader toggle.

Look at its channel origin and end point. Exactly what we ran with above.

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