Lumbering Along

Well, I'm all a little bit excited as I've ordered myself a collection of templates for doing guitar cutting out bobbins. Including all manner of pickup routs, neck pockets (well two, a Strat and a Tele, but that is plenty) and some other fun stuff for all the family. A bit of a guitary pinata.

Initially, I'm going to be grown up and practise doing a couple of pickup routs on some scrap wood, as it is probably the first thing I'll have to do, let's face it (The Fabulous One will need a hole for my P90 for starters), and then I'll see how I get on.

Clearly that means that I will start cutting unlikely shaped bodies and then spend ages routing pickup holes, turning them into swimming pool routs, going for a fancy outline and ending up removing so much wood that it looks like one of those Steinberg headless thingies, about the size of a pack of B&H with a neck gaffa taped to it and a few rubber bands for strings..

Saying that, I am a bit happier using the router now - with the slight proviso that the fact that the on-off switch doesn't work, worries me a little, as I need a third hand to unplug it, or instead leave it on the bench/table whirring around maniacally while I do the honours. Which isn't a good thing given my past record on health, safety, paying attention and well, mental stability.

I also need to get one of them there router bits that has ball bearings on them so that they follow the template without whooshing off in different directions and trashing the joint.

I don't know what they are called but I think if I ask for such a thing in Homebase I'm sure they will sort me out. Maybe with a sun lounger or a pot of Dulux, I must admit, but even so.

But minor stuff, I'm sure. What can possibly go prickly-pear-shaped?

I had one tip, and that was that the first thing I should use the templates for is to make some working templates. Backup strategies, I understand them. The ones I've acquired are MDF so maybe I'll try and get some perspex or something more durable. Or maybe I won't. You never can tell when the sap is rising..

Anyway, the templates should be here by the end of next week I think, which is all cool.

Being an optimistic kinda chap, I have to set myself a target. I'll no doubt take a while to get there, but if I have a distant oasis to trudge toward, it keeps me going.

So the aim that I'm aiming for, is to make a body in the shape of a Vox Teardrop. Attach a Strat neck to it, a fixed bridge and a pickup or two. I'm thinking a pair of soapbar P90s, but we'll see. I am tempted to go the TV Jones route and do a kinda Teardrop La Cabronita hybrid. But that in generally termed verse is the target. Let's see how close I can get.

La la laaa