Builder's tip: Drilling stud holes through pick guards..

[LtDave32]

So, you've got a pick guard that goes over bridge stud holes, and there's no holes in the guard..

I needed some special holes drilled, and Pickguard Heaven informed me that they are no longer drilling any bridge holes in pick guards as a matter of policy.

So that leaves it up to you.

I've got a SG batwing guard that is getting a lightning bolt bridge, along with a two P90 config, and it's of five-ply material.

Not an easy guard to find in five ply. Even harder to find with the bridge stud holes drilled in it.

So here's what I do:

First I get some cabinet doweling center pins in 1/4" size:

they will fit perfectly into the bridge stud 5/16 threaded hole with no extra play:

Now we fit the guard up with the pup covers, align with the neck bottom, etc:

Give the area over the studs a nice whack with a rubber mallet:

And you will be left with two nice indentations on the back side where you need your stud holes to be:

Just drill those pin pricks with a 1/2" forstner bit and you are all done!

 

[Mark Scrivener]

First I get some cabinet doweling center pins in 1/4" size

Very cool. I never knew there was such a thing....when faced with problems like that I always assumed it was just one more reason I kept a small metal lathe in my shop.

 

[LtDave32]

Most of the big home stores have those pins. So does Harbor Freight .

 

[fleahead]

Exactly how I would have done it, but more guerilla style

 

[judson]

great tip.....matter of fact i am trying to get to harbor freight tomorrow a few items that are in-store only specials so i may as well grab a few of those pins....

also just ordered a pickguard for a 1965 melody maker from chandlers after hit or miss with three other purchases, just happen to stumble upon their site, hope it fits...first time ordering from them

btw...did you use an MLP banhammer for that or is that an MLP warning hammer as being made of rubber

 

[CB91710]

Used to run into similar situations all the time on model airplanes.
Almost every time for cowlings and often for wing attachment if we couldn't drill both pieces at the same time.
We would tape a piece of paper to the substrate... or balsa if it needed a long reach (such as cutting an opening in the cowling for the engine head and muffler)... and mark/drill it where the hole was.
Then we'd slip the to-be-attached part over the substrate, under the paper/balsa sheet, and locate the hole that way.

But that would not be precise enough for this application due to the size of the holes for the bridge studs.
Sure, you could mark the entire diameter of the hole, but then you'd have to locate center to drill the guard.


As for why they are no longer drilling holes......
I picked up a couple of guards for my 2020 Standard, not being sure if I wanted white or black.
Both of them, when mounted to the body, were slightly offset from the bridge stud mounts. I was able to open them up enough with a tapered reamer and the gap is hidden under the thumbwheels, but I'm wondering if other customers didn't complain, so they decided to simply not drill them?

 

[LtDave32]

great tip.....matter of fact i am trying to get to harbor freight tomorrow a few items that are in-store only specials so i may as well grab a few of those pins....

also just ordered a pickguard for a 1965 melody maker from chandlers after hit or miss with three other purchases, just happen to stumble upon their site, hope it fits...first time ordering from them

btw...did you use an MLP banhammer for that or is that an MLP warning hammer as being made of rubber

That hammer is the MLP two-week hammer. I have a bigger one of hard rubber. It is the 30-90 day hammer.

The three day hammer is one of those little tack-hammers that come in wifey tool-kits. Along with the pink screwdrivers.


The perma ban hammer is a power-assisted, pneumatic affair.

 

[LtDave32]

Used to run into similar situations all the time on model airplanes.
Almost every time for cowlings and often for wing attachment if we couldn't drill both pieces at the same time.
We would tape a piece of paper to the substrate... or balsa if it needed a long reach (such as cutting an opening in the cowling for the engine head and muffler)... and mark/drill it where the hole was.
Then we'd slip the to-be-attached part over the substrate, under the paper/balsa sheet, and locate the hole that way.

But that would not be precise enough for this application due to the size of the holes for the bridge studs.
Sure, you could mark the entire diameter of the hole, but then you'd have to locate center to drill the guard.


As for why they are no longer drilling holes......
I picked up a couple of guards for my 2020 Standard, not being sure if I wanted white or black.
Both of them, when mounted to the body, were slightly offset from the bridge stud mounts. I was able to open them up enough with a tapered reamer and the gap is hidden under the thumbwheels, but I'm wondering if other customers didn't complain, so they decided to simply not drill them?

View attachment 503027
View attachment 503028

Probably because most of those who order pick guards are ordering for custom builds.

Think about that for a sec. Right in my shop, I have no less than five different steel Gibson scale templates; vintage, rule of 18, modern, etc etc. every single one of them is going to put the bridge just a few cents different than the other scales.

And if you place your fret board a hair different? or set the neck a hair deeper? It's all going to change.

It will not change that the naked eye could see it if they looked at the guitar head-on. But when you try and align holes dealing with differences of like .050, It would become a nightmare.

I had cut a guard for this out of plexi, and used it to xfer over to some 5 ply material that wasn't cheap. I had bought a 45 degree bit for the PG bevel.. It's a whole 'nuther art dealing with a 5 ply PG. I got close, but it wasn't good enough to leave the DSG shop. So I opted for a storebought.

I still have enough of the 5 ply to make another guard, but I thought it better if I saved it.

 

[CB91710]

That hammer is the MLP two-week hammer. I have a bigger one of hard rubber. It is the 30-90 day hammer.

The three day hammer is one of those little tack-hammers that come in wifey tool-kits. Along with the pink screwdrivers.


The perma ban hammer is a power-assisted, pneumatic affair.

The hammer tool box combination....