For those who hate pickguard drilling

Soloshchenko

Senior Member
Messages
430
Why don't Warmoth provide small guide holes for mounting a pickguard. I love assembly, the bit that I hate is having to take a hand drill to my beloved Warmoth body. As I have a standard thinline tele pickguard on mine I can't see why the guys at the factory couldn't do the holes for me. I surely can't be alone in thinking this service would be useful?
 
Because they're totally clueless as to what parts we're using, how its gonna all line up, and what little bit of shifting in things will be needed to make it all work.
 
-CB- said:
Because they're totally clueless as to what parts we're using, how its gonna all line up, and what little bit of shifting in things will be needed to make it all work.


But surely you can specify? I bought my pickguard with my body all from Warmoth so they would have known where to drill holes as they have the pickguard as a template.
 
Warmoth are in the parts business, their bodies are actually much more builder friendly than their similarly priced competitors. In the price you get bridge routing and drilling as well as just about any pickup routing combinations that just aren't available elsewhere. I guess they could carry out just about any job if they were so inclined but would you pay the upcharge? In a factory situation any deviation from the norm costs big bucks. I don't know how their costs work out but I would imagine 10 bucks a hole and a no return caveat would be close.  BTW  I hate drilling holes too.
 
Root of All Bolt-Neck Daddy-O Fender used some variable patterns for holes on their pickguards over the decades; one of the ways that fundamentalist vintage extremists claim to know fakes is by measuring the distance between screwholes. Tape your pickguard to the guitar, mark the holes with a pencil; find some little rigid plastic tubing (like the stuff inside a ballpoint pen that holds the ink); cut the tubing to a length that prevents your drill from going too deep. (?) Slip it over the tiny bit, then the next bit up etc. until you've drilled the right size hole, may have to change tubing.

(Save old ballpoint pens, Mother of All Weird Tubing....)
 
Tape is the normal way to do it, but it can push down in the process of drilling a dozen holes, of course you want to be careful. One advantage of little bits of tubing is that once you have them cut for your particular drill bits, you can use them over and over.
 
I marked mine with a sharpie, again it can wear off, but I just kept the sharpie handy.  :hello2:
 
willyk said:
Warmoth are in the parts business, their bodies are actually much more builder friendly than their similarly priced competitors. In the price you get bridge routing and drilling as well as just about any pickup routing combinations that just aren't available elsewhere. I guess they could carry out just about any job if they were so inclined but would you pay the upcharge? In a factory situation any deviation from the norm costs big bucks. I don't know how their costs work out but I would imagine 10 bucks a hole and a no return caveat would be close.  BTW  I hate drilling holes too.

I think that would be expensive for what I'm asking given Warmoth bodies are machine cut.

Also my suggestion should only apply to Warmoth pickguards and the website could specify in massive red flashing letters "THIS SERVICE IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE BUYING WARMOTH PICKGUARDS WITH THEIR WARMOTH BODIES. Naturally no refunds as well (I live in the UK- I'd never send anything back) I'd pay 5 bucks a hole, I REALLY hate drilling holes.
 
Nah...

It still wont work.... too much variability.  Bridges, hot dogs, the way neck pockets align, the whole gamut of things....

I just get it right were it needs to be, drill one hole, put in screw about 90 percent of the way, drill an opposing hole and put that screw in 90 percent of the way... now the guard is not moving... drill all the rest... talk off guard blow away cumbs and install guard.  Done.
 
Send me the body, for $5.00 a hole I will do it for you, and if you prchase 10 holes, the 11th is free.
 
Ever since I read this post, I have been wondering if there is something wrong with me that I just whipped out the old DeWalt 14.4 volt and slapped the wired up pickguard onto my brand new Warmoth body and let loose.....wait a minute, I knew there was something wrong with me way before that...
 
The correct way to do it, drill 1 hole and put in a screw, then another hole and another screw, then drill the rest of the screw holes now that you have 2 screws keeping the pickguard from sliding arround.
 
I will do it for $10 a hole and a plane ticket to England, but I promise you my holes will have authentic vintage tone - you get what you pay for, after all. Oooh, better make that $15 per hole. :guitarplayer2:
 
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