It is time time mount the pickup in the new guitar I have completed. This is an Artec Edge-BT model pickup that has a pezio pickup, an internal microphone and a built in tuner.
I had already got started with this and then thought it might be a good idea if I took some pictures of the operation so that others may either show me a better way or learn from the way I do it. I am certainly up for it is someone has a better way !
First of all, most pickups have a curve to them and you have to match the curve of the pickup to a curve on your guitar.
The next thing I do is to make a cardboard template that will fit the curve of the pickup and fit under the lip of it. I allow very little clearance and want this as tight as possible. It would be easier to take a little more off than to make the mistake of cutting the hole too big.
Next I transfer the template to the guitar and make sure it is in line with the curve on the guitar and not hitting anything major inside the guitar.
When I am satisfied that this is a good location for the pickup and nothing is going to be in the way, I lightly draw out the inside of the hole with a pencil. When all looks good from here, then I tape off the hole using the pencil lines as a guide.
In this case, I used a 1/8" downward cutting router bit mounted in my dremel tool to make the cut being sure to go in a counter clockwise pattern. One of the side braces had to be cut in this case, but I didnt worry about it since there are other side braces on either side of the pickup. I couldnt show the actual cutting of the hole because I needed both hands to do it.
Here is the hole cut out.
Then I placed the pickup in the hole to make sure it was a good fit and didnt need any further cutting before I removed the tape.
Finally, the tape was removed and the pinching ears of the pickup were tightened. The fit looks good and I have a pickup mounted in the guitar.
Hope this helps!