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To drill or not to drill... (LR baggs M1a)


bloodsample

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I just picked up the LR Baggs M1a soundhole pickup and now I'm debating whether to drill the 1/2" hole required to stick the jack through the strap button at the bottom of the guitar.

 

The guitar is not expensive so I'm not worried about making a hole in it. My main concern is that if one day I decide to get a better guitar and want to move the M1a from the old guitar to the new one the old guitar will have a 1/2" hole left at the bottom. So my question is: is there some kind of strap button that screws into a 1/2" hole so that I can cover up this hole if I decide to remove the M1a? Should I just not drill and leave the wire sticking out of the soundhole?

 

Has anyone drilled a hole for a pickup and then removed the pickup, what did you do with the hole? Did you regret it?

 

Steer me in the right direction please, thanks.

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Ummm ....

 

Drill, baby, drill?

 

Yeah, drill baby drill!

 

I've been so scared of drilling or cutting into my guitars (the acoustics anyway), but last week I had to change the tuning machines on my old flamenco guitar because the B string tuner broke (friction between the dowl around which the string winds and the headtock cause the machine thing to break) so I went out and bought new tuning machines and changed them out keeping the same set of strings on it (another thing I'd never do).

 

The whole thing was such a success that I'm finally going to put something like what you're doing in it so as to amplify it. I say go for it, as soon as I can get into Luthier on 44th St to pick something up, I'll be doing the same.

 

So,

 

Drill baby, Drill!!!

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Don't drill... ream.

 

If you don't want to buy a reamer, maybe you know someone who does woodwork or guitar-repair work who could loan you one.

 

If you don't want to ream it instead of drilling, be prepared for the possibility of an irregular shaped/wrong-sized and crooked hole due to drifting and wobbling, and/or a damaged finish around the end-pin/jack. You might be lucky, and you might not...

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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$70 (w/shipping) for a reamer to drill one hole...mmmm...a bit pricey, but I agree, it will do a better job.

 

The other option that I like to use is a 3-4-5 step drilling process.

You start with a smaller bit and work your way up to the 1/2" in 3-4-5 steps. That will ensure no chipping.

 

Additionally...you can take a pencil and outline the 1/2" circle before you drillthen using a small knife/razor...score the circle line just deep enough to get past the lacquer/finish.

That way, when you drill, the edge will surely be clean on the outside.

On the inside...again, using a 3-4-5-step bit process will help prevent serious chipping.

 

miroslav - miroslavmusic.com

 

"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."

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for $50 you can have it drilled and have the female jack installed (cost less than the bit and you won't screw it up)...if this is your main baby you definately don't want the cord sticking out of the sound hole (tackey and tends to get in the way)...when you get tired of playing it, you can swap out the pickup and take it with you (or leave it and get another M1a)
Take care, Larryz
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I'm with Caev. Ream it.With a nice new reamer...good and sharp.

 

A drill will likely splinter a bit when it goes through the other side and maybe even chip the lacquer on the outside a bit also. A lot can go wrong with a drill...angle, imperfect circle, splintering, the drill gets sucked through and the chuck hits the guitar...

 

I don't know about strap buttons that big. If you sell it just leave the pickup in and get more money for the guitar.

 

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