Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
Post Reply
User avatar
wastedyouth
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2021 1:20 pm

Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by wastedyouth » Thu Apr 08, 2021 1:38 pm

A few questions before opening up the holes in my MJT body.

1. Is a 3/8" drill bit accurate enough or should these be reamed?

2. Will a 3/8" drill bit follow the existing hole well enough with a hand drill, or should I seek out a drill press?

Thanks!

User avatar
YALCaster
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 240
Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:16 am
Contact:

Re: Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by YALCaster » Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:21 pm

I wouldn’t use a hand drill personally, but that’s just me.

User avatar
thohurst
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2020 7:01 pm

Re: Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by thohurst » Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:48 pm

wastedyouth wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 1:38 pm
A few questions before opening up the holes in my MJT body.

1. Is a 3/8" drill bit accurate enough or should these be reamed?

2. Will a 3/8" drill bit follow the existing hole well enough with a hand drill, or should I seek out a drill press?

Thanks!
I'm sure there's some "proper" way to do it, and that I most likely did it wrong, but on my warmoth mustang, I just used a 3/8" bit in a drill press and the fit was perfect, but I agree with above: you deffo shouldn't use a hand drill.

User avatar
wastedyouth
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2021 1:20 pm

Re: Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by wastedyouth » Thu Apr 08, 2021 5:29 pm

I think I will find a drill press. I will use a countersink to help find center with the bit. I saw some links suggesting running the drill backwards to make a clean hole like teaming. Anybody do this?

User avatar
ohm-men
Expat
Expat
Posts: 4321
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:01 am
Location: Belgium
Contact:

Re: Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by ohm-men » Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:07 pm

I"m afraid the only correct way is using a drill press with the correct diameter drill bit.
If you are off with the thible holes, the bridge wont fit, or it will be of center,pick guard won't fit, etc...
Reaming is something I'd also suggest using a drill press for. You dont't want the thimbles to be loose.

I have repeared some guitars that had hand drilled thimbles. This means doweling the existing holes, flatsanding the dowels, drilling new holes in the correct place, etc...
If you can avoid the above, you'll be fine.

User avatar
HNB
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 13513
Joined: Tue May 10, 2011 7:55 am
Location: Puyallup, Washington
Contact:

Re: Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by HNB » Thu Apr 08, 2021 10:24 pm

I use a drill press usually as well.
Christopher
Lilith Guitars

User avatar
timtam
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2729
Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2017 2:42 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by timtam » Fri Apr 09, 2021 12:01 am

I have done it with a manual (non-electric) hand drill. It's not like a strat bridge mounting where everything has to be 100% perfect or it won't work right. There are also various styles of inexpensive drill guides. They can be clamped down if you are concerned about wander.
Image
Image
Image
Image
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

User avatar
tammyw
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 804
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 4:21 pm

Re: Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by tammyw » Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:12 am

I'm not familiar with MJT, what size are the holes to begin with?

If they're already 3/8" and you just need to clear out the excess paint, then you should be able to twist the drill bit in literally by hand.

Also, I have stepped up a MIM to 3/8" with just a cordless drill. I forget the original size, but it was close, and you still have to work carefully even if it seems to mostly follow the existing hole.

If the pilot holes are much smaller than about 5/16", I wouldn't do it freehand.
All pain and troubles melted away like lemon drops beyond the contrails across the sky.

User avatar
Norrin Radd
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 319
Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2019 7:55 am

Re: Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by Norrin Radd » Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:38 pm

I’ve done 2 free hand with a 3/8” drill bit (cordless drill). You are just widening the holes that are already there, and there’s not much that needs to be removed to make the thimbles fit. Just go slow and carefully and you should be fine. However if you want perfection, there are plenty of pieces of good advice above. I just wanted it to work. The holes are almost to size and they are already the proper depth so it wasn’t hard to make the holes bigger using a hand drill, in my opinion

User avatar
wastedyouth
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2021 1:20 pm

Re: Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by wastedyouth » Sat Apr 10, 2021 10:53 am

Thanks all! I got access to a press. Interesting though my thimbles are exactly .375” and my bits are ~ .372-.373”. The thimble fit snugly but stopped about halfway, so I will have to sand them until it slips all the way down.

User avatar
wastedyouth
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2021 1:20 pm

Re: Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by wastedyouth » Sat Apr 10, 2021 10:58 am

tammyw wrote:
Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:12 am
I'm not familiar with MJT, what size are the holes to begin with?
The MJT body comes with 5/16” holes pre-drilled.

User avatar
dren68
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 944
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:55 am
Location: Athens, GA
Contact:

Re: Opening Up Thimble Holes in MJT Body

Post by dren68 » Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:23 pm

I usually just take a hand drill, put a 3/8" drill bit in it, and manually turn it by hand until the thimble fits. I've done it a few times, and it worked perfectly.

Post Reply