MIMF

I don't mean to wear out my welcome with newbie questions, but everyone's help here has been indispensable. First time builder, limited knowledge, try to learn as much as I can from books and google, but always end up having a few questions. I'm making a neck-through guitar with two humbuckers and am trying to figure out the best way to route the wires from the bridge pickup to the neck pickup cavity (and thus to the control cavity). I thought that perhaps drilling a hole on an angle might suffice, but I'm a little hesitant. I really don't want to have to resort to a pickguard. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Several possibilities. I am primarily an acoustic builder, and others may give more options.

One way is to route your channels, and then cap the top of the channel with matching wood.

You will have an output jack somewhere. You might be able to use a long drill to drill from the output jack area, and channel from one pickup cavity to the next. The jack position may need to be placed where these channels would work.

Another choice is to drill through the side where you need to route your wires. After you have the channel drilled out, plug the side hole and finish over this.

Another choice is to route the access area behind the back of the guitar. Again, you could cover with wood so it is invisible, or create a removable cover for later access if needed.

Newbie here also but enjoying it !!! I'm not saying what it did is right, there is more than one way to skin a cat. I routed a 5/16 wide by 3/8 deep channel in the lower wing stopped just before the electronics compartment and about 1" shy of the end of the wing. I then drilled a 5/16" angled hole from the channel to the electronic compartment ensuring everything was good an smooth in the channel and in the drilled out path. I capped the slot in the wing with a 5/16" X 1/16" piece of matching wood, I used epoxy to glue it in place. after the epoxy dried I ran the wing across the jointer to clean up the edge. In hindsight I thought 5/16" channel was a bit much but honestly I don't see it hurting anything. A plus was when I routed in the pickups I routed deep enough so I crossed the slot, this made it easy to fish the wires through from the neck pickup to the electronics compartment via the bridge pickup.

Another way that I have heard of is to drill a 1/4 in. hole from the end of the body, through to the bridge pickup cavity, and then further through to the neck cavity.
This requires a long drill bit, and some care in doing, but it is do-able.
Afterwards you can plug the hole, and put your strap button over it to cover.

Then drill an angle hole from the bridge pickup rout to the control cavity.

I only build neck throughs , I typically will rout a channel from the pickup area to the control cavity before I put the figured cap on . Works well for me.

Another option (If you're not doing a cap) is to cut the wiring channel into the side of the wing that will glue-up agains the center-strip/neck. Then either your pickup-route will connect to it, or depending on where you put the channel, you'd only have to drill from the pickup-cavities to connect to the hidden tunnel.

Thank you everyone for the input. It is appreciated.

Nick Middleton wrote:Another option (If you're not doing a cap) is to cut the wiring channel into the side of the wing that will glue-up agains the center-strip/neck. Then either your pickup-route will connect to it, or depending on where you put the channel, you'd only have to drill from the pickup-cavities to connect to the hidden tunnel.

That's what I did but you say it so much better than me

Sorry Jeff, when I read your post, I misunderstood what you meant. I thought you were saying you made the channel from another direction and then had to make a cover to hide it.