More progess photos-
So after routing out the new slide switch cavity, I focused next on the channel for the wires between the neck pickup cavity and the slide switch cavity. I had made an MDF template for the channel but I experienced a weird situation where the guide bearing on the router bit was just wider than my channel. Not sure how that happened but the end result was that I had to basically freehand route the channel. It turned out well but there is a slight meander in there. Oh well. It will be covered by the pickguard anyways-
Next up was to make a MDF pickguard template so I could turn my custom material into a pickguard. This is the 3rd or 4th pickguard I've made so it's getting easier and this time, I had an "aha" moment where I realized that if I tape the source pickguard to the MDF upside down, the bevel edge will be elevated, making it much easier for the bearing on the router bit to follow. Anyways, this went pretty quick:
Once the template was complete, I took some spare acryllic I had from making a different pickguard and I made a "mini" pickguard that would cover the area of the slide switch. I secured it to the body using the pickguard screws and now I could easily mark the area where the slide cavity was. I also then drew a horizontal centerline for the cavity:
Using my MDF template for my paisley Jazzmaster, I transfered the slide switch holes and switch cutout onto another piece of acrylic and this finally let me play with positioning to get the switch centered, both horizontally and vertically in the cavity:
After making the new pickguard using the template, I positioned my placement scrap acrylic onto the real pickguard, aligning it by the pickguard screws and then securing it with painter's tape to finally drill the real holes and then begin filing out the rectangle needed for the switch itself:
A lot of slow and cautious filing finally left me with the finished piece and everything screwed together almost perfectly. Here's my custom pickguard and the switch in place:
I just threw those PV 65 pickups in there for the photo. When I assemble it back together, I'll re-use the pure white covers that came with the XII. Pretty happy with how it all turned out. My final bit of progress tonight was to tape off the body and apply the first coat of shielding paint:
If you're curious about the pickguard.. I love the Decoboom pickguards and the 60s-ish styling but options and stock are limited. Since this is a 60s style guitar for me, I wanted something mid century modern or atomic age as a pattern. Several people on Etsy sell digital patterns in these styles so I bought a few and experiemented until I settled on one pattern. The pattern did not have these colors but I was able to tweak it in photo editing software and build out the appropriate aspect and resolution.
I googled a bit and found a company in North Carolina called Custom Made Better which prints custom images onto acrylic in different thicknesses. This one was 1/8" thick and approximately 12" x 18" in size and cost $25. If you follow this route, I would be care and pick up some crafting transfer tape and apply it to the side of the acryllic that does not come with a protective film. I actually used double stick tape between the MDF and the contact tape and it stayed put the entire time I handled it while using the jigsaw and routing table. It will probably be sometime next week before I have any new progress to share..