My Latest Electric Guitar Build Part 2

After cutting out and trimming the templates, I carefully filed and sanded the edges to make them as smooth as possible. Any uneven spots here will be transferred to the guitar if they aren't taken care of.

I use several different files to do the work.

I used a 1/8" (3mm) drill bit to mark the neck bolt locations.

I used the same bit to mark the tuner holes, the ends of the truss rod slot and the control shaft  holes.

Here is what I ended up with. For each guitar I build, I have templates for the control cavity and cover, the neck, the body and the neck pocket. This guitar will be made for P90 pickups, but for future builds, I plan to offer single coils and humbuckers, which will require a template for each scenario.

Templates aren't absolutely necessary for building a guitar, but they are nice if you plan to make more than one copy. Also, they allow you to mock-up the guitar so you can double check your design. In this photo, I'm determining the bridge placement.