altering neck to allow for a coil pickup???

Hi folks! I'm in the process of building my 1st CBG...a 4 string. It's a neck through fretless, but the issue I'm having is the coil pickup not clearing the neck inside the body cavity. My solution was to reinforce the neck on the bottom (back of the neck) with another piece of wood, glued and screwed off to the sides of the pickup cavity. Then I routered the neck to allow clearance for the pickup. I imagine I could have saved myself the trouble by using a piezo pickup, but I really wanted a coil pickup on this one. Is this how some of you more experienced builders would have handled this? I'm sure the info is somewhere on this site, but I couldn't find it. Thanks in advance for any input/opinions you may have to offer up.

Replies

Dan Sleep March 25, 2013 at 8:57am

That turned out really nice!
- Dano Collins > Dan Sleep March 25, 2013 at 9:59am
  
  Thanks Dan!!!!!!! I call it the "DanoCaster"! LOL!!!
Dano Collins March 25, 2013 at 1:54am

Thanks for all the help folks. Here's the end results. Soooo many screw ups that were overcome, besides the deep pickup dilema. I routered the neck and reinforced it underneath to allow for the pickup. The pickup I bought on feebay as a "4 string cigar box pickup". PERFECT.....so I thought. It didn't come with template for cutting the hole in the box, so I made one, and somehow when I cut it out the hole it ended up about 1/4" too big all the way around. So I made another plate for it out of pickguard material to cover the gaping holes around the pickup. Then the headstock: I shaved it down a bit too far and the nuts for the tuners wouldn't tighten completely...hence the big washers as shims. Then I drilled my fret markers in the wrong damned spots on the side of the neck! OMG!! Wood putty, sanded, repaired. Get it all together, plug it in, and NOTHING!!! My bassist in my band is a local tube amp tech (quite convenient). He comes over and trouble shoots it for me. The volume pot was wired wrong, and the pickup itself had a direct short. Useless!!!! So right now I've got an old single coil from my Buddy Guy Strat (that now has Lindy Frahlin Real 54's). The pole pieces don't line up with the strings perfect, and 6 pole pieces on a 4 string looks hokey. But she's alive!!! :) I have a luthier friend that winds coils, so I'll have him make one for it that will fit the string gap perfectly. A great learning experience, and the hiccups won't keep me from trying another build very soon.
The Phrygian Kid March 23, 2013 at 6:13pm

I can make em real thin too, a shade over 4mm message me if u want any
Dan Sleep March 23, 2013 at 10:15am

Here is one I got from Elmar in Austria:

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/pc291373?context=user

Here is one I made myself:

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/img-0910-1?context=user

I would definitely glue and screw a reinforcing piece on the back of the neck to strengthen it.

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/queen-binside-002?context=user
Dan Sleep March 23, 2013 at 10:04am

You could also use a flat pup, which only requires that you drill a hole for the wires. We have a few folks who are building them.
- Dano Collins > Dan Sleep March 23, 2013 at 10:10am
  
  Thanks for the reply Dan. What's a flat pup? Do you have a link to them? Too late for this one, but might be an option in the future. The one I used is a 4 string CBG pickup I scored on feebay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/400420628002?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_... ). I bought that one because it was already prewired with the jack plug and volume/tone pots. I'm just concerned about the neck being too weak now. I guess once she's strung up I'll find out, eh? LOL. I'll try to post pics tomorrow of the neck and what I did. My band has a gig tonight, so it's on hold until tomorrow anyway. :)
  - Dano Collins > Dano Collins March 23, 2013 at 10:14am
    
    ahhhhhhh, flatpup!!!! Found it! Thanks Dan! http://www.original-flatpup.com/