Body-trough Pickup Mount in Case of 8-string Multi-scale Recycle Wood Guitar

I have done a lot of musical instruments. If made for every project worklog then they will be too similar. Worklog might be with one or more unique ideas.

In this article, you can find interesting ideas on how to mount guitar pickup and a few guitar tricks.

But, before I start I want to write thanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Army of Ukrainian volunteers, and everyone who helps Ukraine now in any way.

If you want to help you can donate to https://savelife.in.ua/ . I mostly donate to this organization. If you want help in a different way it will be great too.

Before the russian invasion of Ukraine, I have a lot of plans for projects. I plan to make a new bicycle, multiscale bass, an 8-string baritone, some Arduino project, etc. But on 24 February 2022, I changed all to create evacuate plan for my family.

And thanks to Ukrainian Army I can create something new. When UAF (Ukraine Armed Forces) regained control of North and North-East of Ukraine I restored work on projects.

So, the main problem is the small choice of 8-string humbucker pickups for multiscale guitars. Mostly take the regular pickup and make a multiscale one.

And I want to do so. But I think if I change the base of my pickups I can make up a new mount system.

And, of course, I want a multiscale 8-string guitar.

Project parameters:

• 8 strings
• 27 frets
• 2 pickups
• multiscale 685 mm to 720 mm
• awesome sound and look

In my projects, I use old wood from a scrapyard. In this case, I was lucky. My friend restore the yacht and he knows that I recycle wood, so he brings to me old wood that he replaces with a new one. it is mahogany that was sealed since 1886. It is a great wood hunt.

Also, I found in a scrapyard an old oak windowsill. And I have beech, and birch from different old furniture.

For the fretboard, I found some ash. I don't remember what piece of furniture it was. I hope the nicest one.

wood: oak, beech, beich, mahagoni, ash

guitar furniture:

• 8 machine heads
• frets (I use a wide one, from 2.5 mm)
• rear bridge for multiscale guitar (17-degree inclination)
• 2 pickups for 8 string guitar (neck - Noname, bridge - Dimaggio 8 ioniq)
• 4 potentiometers by 250 kOm
• 2 capacitors ~ 2 pF
• some wires
• guitar truss rod 520 mm
• 2 carbon rods
• piece of metal for nut
• other stuff
• composite epoxy material

instruments:

• a lot of sandpaper
• clamps
• glue (I use Titebond)
• drill
• other stuff

I have made one multiscale guitar, 7-strings one. So I make little changes, and correct fret positions depending on the new bridge.

I grab myself and decide to go to the next level. And with my blueprint in vector, I go to guys who cut for me from the plastic templates.

I create a template for frets. But, how I find later, make a miscalculation. I find out it before drawing frets on fretboard and finally, I draw it all correctly.

Everyone makes mistakes. If I take one dollar for a mistake I will be a millionaire :)

I made a lot of instruments and when you have a dial with wood from a scrapyard it is hard to make side pieces not look like рarquet. Sometimes it looks nice, sometimes not.

I have mahogany, I make pieces of it and glue it on birch. I try to get as close as possible to the contours of the guitar.

I like neck-through guitars because of their sustain and good look. As for me, neck-trough guitars have a brighter sound.

To make a guitar neck you must prepare wood for it.

Forming neck went through stages:

• make neck blank
• installation truss rod in neck
• gluing fretboard on neck blank
• frets marking
• frets installing and leveling
• rounding necks back, making neck ergonomic

Sometimes frets marks before gluing the fretboard on the neck blank. It sounds wary clever. But I make it in an opposite way and it works too.

You can change some steps in any useful way. Only I always round neck in the last because gluing fretboard and installing frets easier when the neck has a rectangle shape.

Next, I need to compose it all together. To have less work with shaping insides and I try to fit the ends of the neck with maximum accuracy.

after that, I cut the rest with a belt saw and sandpaper.

When I nurtured the idea of this guitar I think when I need to install pickups I will make alternate platforms. But I think this would be some like standard platforms.

My guitars have few features. It is neck-through and 27 frets. When you have 27 frets it gives you more flexibility in sound search but also it technically limits you in mounting methods of the neck pickup.

The problem is you must have space to get to the last frets and you need to please neck pickup closest to the neck. So pickups side mount system can interfere with the cut on the guitar side. Also less wood you cut more sustainable and deeper sound you will have.

And I think it would be great if I can mount pickups from another side of the guitar and regulate high of them.

I try to resolve this problem. I wander around the workshop and the furniture nut caught my eye. And I make up this mounting system.

• make a platform for your pickups
• install there the furniture nut
• make holes and recesses in the pickup niche
• with neoprene to make springing
• mount all together

Thanks for reading, and watching.

Thanks, the Ukrainian Armed Forces and all Volonteers. If not them this worklog does not exist.

Don't forget to support Ukraine in any way. Thank you.