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Drilling to install transducer...


bigsilk

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I need to drill a hole to install the jack for a transducer, underbridge pickup. Does anyone know whether or not it can be done safely? I had a Seagull and had the same pickup in it, but it was done by a luthier. He charged me a hundred bucks for 10 minutes' work, though. I mean, it's a hole...

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I need to drill a hole to install the jack for a transducer' date=' underbridge pickup. Does anyone know whether or not it can be done safely? I had a Seagull and had the same pickup in it, but it was done by a luthier. He charged me a hundred bucks for 10 minutes' work, though. I mean, it's a hole...[/quote']

 

What kind of guit will you be installing this transducer on, BigSilk? If your guit has an endpin, you're almost all the way there. The endpin is a tapered piece and the hole in which it is installed is a tapered hole. I've done this mod before, all that is required is to remove the endpin, put some tape on the guit to keep the wood from splitting when you drill it, and get the correct size drill bit for the jack. Most of the time it amounts to little more than just reaming out the existing hole a bit, it's an easy mod with a hand drill and a good drill bit. Get a new bit, BTW.....

 

If the guit has no endpin, you'll need to identify the point at which the two side pieces join at the butt of the guitar and that's where the jack will go--or at least that's where I'd put it. I've seen acoustics with the jack on the bottom (not the back, just coming through the side of the guitar on the underside as the guit is held) of the guitar, but only one or two. If you're making a new hole in the guit, start out with a small drill bit and get progressively larger until you get within 1/8" of the final size. Then put some tape, preferably blue painter's tape, on the outside of the guitar to keep the wood from splintering as the final size bit goes through the wood. There may be an end block in there, so you may be boring through more than just the thickness of the side of the guitar--you can check for the end block by feeling inside the guit once you get the strings out of the way. I mention this b/c the end block is fairly thick compared to the wood the sides are made of, and if there is an end block Dagwood's stepped drill bit probably wouldn't have enough "reach" on each step to go through the end block and leave an appropriately sized hole.

 

Dugly

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The stepped drill bit is quite handy if you do a lot of drilling and don't want

to keep swithcing bits, but... be careful. If you aren't familiar with it you can

go from 1/4 to 3/4 in the twinkiling of an eye! So be careful with it.

 

The end-pin jack seems the most unobtrusive. If you don't have an end pin

hole, i.e. yours is just screwed into the end block, you'll have to drill a hole

of the appropriate size. Measure your jack, then get the appropriate sized

bit, tape the outside as indicated above as well as the inside to mitigate

splintering for a more professional look. Go slow too to keep the splinters

down. I'd suggest drilling through the end block (opposite the neck) to give

your jack better support. Drilling through an thin, unreiforced side, back or

top ](*,) can get ugly if the patch cord gets caught on something and you tear

the jack out. :)

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