How large should a hole be to mount a pickup?
I like having a mounting hole no larger than 1/16 around the outer dimension of a pickup, cover or mounting system. I like keeping the instrument cut only deep enough to fit the pickup at it s lowest adjustment. If the cavity is too large or deep, the tone of the wood will be affected and more feedback is possible. Many companies cut large or deep pickup cavities to reduce the weight of the instrument or to fit many models and styles of pickups. My custom shop manager Larry Brooks recently restored a 1956 Les Paul Custom that was modified poorly for humbucking pickups. He rebuilt the cavities and mounted the pickups for me, making the pickups snug like I like them. Well, the guitar sounds fabulous with Antiquity pickups and one that I m keeping for a long time.
