First Parts caster help

[PARCO]

I'm putting together my first partscaster and I need some advice. I'm about to drill holes in the body for the control plate, the front pickup and the pick guard but they all seem to kind of work together. It seems to me that if I drill for the control plate and it's off a little then the pickguard won't line up properly and this mat affect the placement of the front pickup. Is ther a method for getting the holes in the right place so everything fits correctly?

 

[wabashslim]

First you mount the neck & bridge plate and string up the 2 E's to make sure it all lines up (absolutely necessary if its a Guitar Fetish body; should probably always be done first no matter the brand or if it's new or used). Line the pickguard edges up with the neck pocket, also making sure its even with the guitar's lower edge and bridge plate, and sink a few screws in it (pilot holes first). Then you match up the control plate. If the pickguard has mounting holes for the neck pickup use those to drill pilot holes for the pickup if you plan on body-mounting the pickup someday, otherwise they're not needed.

Other people will have their own methods no doubt.

 

[old wrench]

There certainly is !!!

What I like to do is place the parts (pick-guard, control plate, etc.) on the body where they are supposed to go in relation to the bridge and neck and see how they look - and then, if necessary, shift them slightly so they look right .

Then I stick them down with a bit of masking tape so they don't shift and carefully mark the centers of the screw holes with a sharp pencil, then mark the centers with a sharp awl so I have a spot to locate the drill bit's tip, and follow up by drilling the pilot holes for the screws.

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[66tele]

I think your instincts are correct. However, because there are so many variables involved, I doubt that anyone will have a template for drilling the holes. Best to wait until you have the control plate, bridge plate, pickguard and pickups in-hand so you can drill all the pilot holes such that everything aligns correctly. The bridge plate is primary for alignment with the neck and string length. Then fit the control plate and pickguard. Pickups would come last. I presume that the body is pre-drilled for the string ferrules.
My 2 cents!

 

[ponycar]

Above advice is great. It is best to have the pots mounted on the control plate while fitting. Place the pickguard, it must look right on the lower bout edges. Then you can confirm that the u shape formed around the control cavity, by the guard is good. I will put masking tape along the control cavity on both sides so that I can confirm that the plate screw nearest the jack is centered at the end of the cavity.
On occasion the neck cut out on the guard may need to be SLIGHTLY shaved to insure that the guard doesn't warp from matching both neck and bout edges if that makes sense.

 

[Sax-son]

A Telecaster, although a simple design, is very exact. Prior to drilling any holes, I do a mock up to see if everything fits properly. If so, I line everything up and use masking tape to keep everything in place. Make sure the control plate (with pots in place) lines up flush against the pickguard and try to center it in the control cavity. I then take a large finishing nail and a rubber hammer and use it as a punch. Carefully go around the pickguard and lightly punch holes in the pickguard and control plate holes. If your body has farrule holes, you can use the same approach using the bridgeplate and putting tooth picks to line it up. Once again you can carefully use a nail as a punch to start your pilot holes using a drill. That method work for me every time without problems.