Nashville Routing Template

[PJ55]

Wondering if anyone knows where I might find a Nashville routing drawing (depth and outline) for the route used for neck & middle pickups. Sure are tons of guitars out there with the large pickup rout. But, I've sure never seen a Stew-Mac template or a drawing anywhere.

 

[slowpinky]

Personally - with teles and strats - it would be so much easier - both in terms of pick up choice/configuration and wiring , if 'swimming pool' routing was standard - on fender and imported bodies - re routing for pickups is a headache. I had to re - rout an MIJ 62 RI for Nashville - tried the subtle approach first but fitting the middle p/u was difficult - so ended up routing it all out without a template - and albeit a bit roughly.
Btw - if you want to put a mini HB in the neck pos. You may have to rout the neck p/u cavity a few mm closer to the neck - or cut your own pickguard.
Good luck

 

[Shepherd]

I just eye-balled it. Close enough.

 

[PJ55]

I do want to use a mini hummer in the neck slot, but would like to have the option of using the Mason configuration, also. Having a Nashville Tele, I find the standard Fender rout (that you show in the photo) to be very convenient to have. But thus far, I haven't been able to find a drawing or template for this. I suppose I can transpose it from my other guitar, using a caliper for dimensioning.

 

[Rob DiStefano]

get a nashville pickguard - there are different placements for the middle strat pup. lay it down on yer tele body and use it as a template to trace out on the body where the middle pup goes. remove the guard and create a hole for the strat pup - any kinda hole - you drill it out with a 1" forstner bit or a wood chisel if necessary. ain't no big deal, it's just a hole that's about 3/4" deep and the pickguard will cover it.

 

[slowpinky]

I do want to use a mini hummer in the neck slot, but would like to have the option of using the Mason configuration, also.

There's a good thead here about that;

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-technical/152498-modifying-pickguard-fit-mini-humbucker.html

You can mod the nashville pickguard by using either edge of the existing neck p/u hole - but the closer you get to the neck the more likely you are to have to rout more out - so actually I fluked it and scored the pickguard from a Squier VM Nashville on eBay - which is cut just that way.

any kinda hole - you drill it out with a 1" forstner bit or a wood chisel if necessary. ain't no big deal, it's just a hole that's about 3/4" deep and the pickguard will cover it.

like this!

 

[soulman969]

get a nashville pickguard - there are different placements for the middle strat pup. lay it down on yer tele body and use it as a template to trace out on the body where the middle pup goes. remove the guard and create a hole for the strat pup - any kinda hole - you drill it out with a 1" forstner bit or a wood chisel if necessary. ain't no big deal, it's just a hole that's about 3/4" deep and the pickguard will cover it.

I'm in the process of converting a 95 MIM to a Nashville adding a Strat middle pickup. I've done just what Rob suggest here to get that basic pickup placement and etched the shape of the pickguard hole and the base plate in to the top.

If that Tele just has a rout for a single coil neck pickup the shape and dimensions of that will accommodate a Strat pickup as well. If you create a cardboard template of that rout and center it with the etching from the pickguard you should be able to rout it with the minimum loss of body wood assuming that's your objective.

Otherwise a bathtub rout is the simplest and easiest way to go.