direct mount humbuckers and filling end plunge routs?

[appar111]

I'm thinking of direct mounting a bridge humbucker on my HSS warmoth strat, but I've run into a small issue.

When the body was routed for an HSS setup, they did the end plunge cuts so that when mounting the humbucker on a pickguard, there was a place for the mounting screws to hang down underneath.

How would I go about filling in these end plunge cuts? Should I use a wooden dowel rod or something similar and wood glue? Problem is, the end plunge cuts aren't circular, they're more oval shaped, like this:



So what's the best way to go about filling these?

[ImmortalSix]

Re: direct mount humbuckers and filling end plunge routs?

If you don't care if it's wood, put wood filler in there. It's a putty that gets hard as hell and acts like wood (you can drill it, etc.)

If you do care, I'd put silly putty in there or measure it, and simply get a block of wood and start carving and sanding. (then glue the block in).

With a little math and measuring, you can get the exact end radius of the ovals, also the depth, and the length.

[formula73]

Re: direct mount humbuckers and filling end plunge routs?

*hacked up nice guitar disclaimer*

I had one of those really nice Aria Pro LP copies that are nearly impossible to find. I stripped everything off of it and filled in those spots with spacers I cut out of the handle of a wire brush. All you need is a little 6" mechanic's scale (ruler) and you can get yourself all figured out.

I'm not even going to say what happened to that guitar in the end but I will say I'm ashamed of myself.

[ItsaBass]

Re: direct mount humbuckers and filling end plunge routs?

Press-fit wood blocks, and don't worry about the curves. It's cheap, effective, reversible, and easy.

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: direct mount humbuckers and filling end plunge routs?

I'm wondering whether you could cut a piece of thin ply to fit the complete route. Pop a screw in the centre of the ply then mount the pickup to the ply. That should mean it's easily reversible.

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: direct mount humbuckers and filling end plunge routs?

You need a hard piece of wood to mount the pickup to. Most hardwood dowels are made of birch or poplar which are quite soft. I would try to get a small amount of maple or ash, like a knife blank or whatnot. Then just cut out two small rectangles roughly the size of your holes and round the edges by rubbing them on a piece of sandpaper until they have nice rounded edges and slap em in there.

[appar111]

Re: direct mount humbuckers and filling end plunge routs?

If you don't care if it's wood, put wood filler in there. It's a putty that gets hard as hell and acts like wood (you can drill it, etc.)

If you do care, I'd put silly putty in there or measure it, and simply get a block of wood and start carving and sanding. (then glue the block in).

With a little math and measuring, you can get the exact end radius of the ovals, also the depth, and the length.

I was thinking that if I angle the humbucker (ala frankenstrat style), I might only have to put one dowel rod plug in each side, towards the end of the plunge cut where the humbucker leg would go.

Or I could take two round dowel rods, sand them flat on one side, sammich them together and put it in the end plunge cut.

This one's also a top mounted body, so it'll look very EVH franky when it's done. Also makes it more of a challenge on the one side since it's routed out for the typical strat control cavity, so whatever I put on that side, I'll really have to glue it in so it won't come loose.

[appar111]

Re: direct mount humbuckers and filling end plunge routs?

I'm wondering whether you could cut a piece of thin ply to fit the complete route. Pop a screw in the centre of the ply then mount the pickup to the ply. That should mean it's easily reversible.

I hadn't thought of that-- not a bad idea! a piece of pickguard material might not be bad either for this, or anything that's thick enough to put a mounting screw into.

Plus, since the pickup I'm using has shorter mounting legs, using a piece of the right thickness to fill the complete route would effectively raise the pickup cavity height.

[The_Tonemonster]

Re: direct mount humbuckers and filling end plunge routs?

Mix up some Marine tex epoxy. It will hold threads perfectly. You can find it at most dedicated hardware stores or marine supply stores.