The Bridge Slot - 2

The solution: Carve two 3/8” deep 1” wide channels into the bottom of the 2x4 and then build around it. The bridge will be 4” wide and the slot it sits in will be 2” deep (that just happens to be the width and depth of the 2x4 used for the main body). I carved the channels in the bottom from where the control cavity will be down to where the bridge will be, and then cut the whole 2x4 in half at the bridge. I then cut up the ¾” Sapele plank to make two side pieces, a back plate to cover the control cavity, and glued the rest up into a couple 2”x4” blocks to be glued to the back of the main body. I placed a spacer (to act as a place holder for the bridge) into the assembly and glued everything back together. I ended up with the a main body that is 5.5” wide, 4” deep, 18” long and with a readymade control cavity and pickup channels running into the flat bottomed bridge slot. Here’s a picture of the side, back and control cavity after roughing off the edges.