I've been going 'round and 'round about this also and with the thought of loosing as little wood from the body as possible.
The problem is the size of the connector at the end of the wires. I don't think I want to be removing the wires from the connectors.
My build won't be using any magnetic pickups.
The wires come off of the saddles directly between the height adjustment screws and connect to a termination block.
The connector is too large to make it sensible to cut through the bridge plate.
We could route a small channel at the front of the bridge plate and then try to hit that from the underside with a long drill bit.
Naaaaaaa ... it's gonna look sloppy.
The best option I'm thinking of is rear route but with a pick guard and routing for 1 strat at the bridge.
The worst part of this idea being getting the 1 volume knob I'll be using to work with the pickguard.
I'll probably drill out the pickguard so that the pot mounts to the body and I only need to remove the knob to remove the pickguard.
At least this way the battery can be in the rear compartment and no need to rout for a battery box.
The pick guard issue begs the question:
If I have a rear route ask ask for 1 volume pot hole and a pick guard order with 1 volume knob hole with they match up exactly?
I doubt it. I better drill them both myself.
The hard way but the cleanest look: ( No pickguard ... no pickup routes ... just a sea of beautiful wood. )
Drill 6 holes through the bridge plate directly under the front of the saddles.
Where will the saddles intonate? Do we care if the holes are in a straight line?
Cut a channel in the body under those holes and connect that channel to the rear cavity.
Mark each wire before removing it from the termination block. ( they might already be color coded but I'm not sure if it's on the connector or the wire.)
Remove each connector from the saddle wires and thread them through the bridge plate and then down into the rear cavity.
I believe they just pop out if you push the end of something against the release ... but I haven't tried it yet.
Attach the bridge temporarily to avoid dangelation.
Re connect the connectors to the end of each wire.
hummmmmmmmmm ......... I dunno if I'm up for body mangelation at this point in my life, but now that I thought this out by writing it ... it is tempting.
Rut Rooo ! What's this hole when choosing no pup in the bridge?
Index hole ... OK ... but even on a lam. top?
I guess they put the top on before they shape the body? Arggggg .......
There's no option to fill the hole with anything other than a neck marker type fill?
No original wood other than do it yourself ? Ouch!
