Pickup Route Clearance Checker

What this tool is for

Screen measured rectangular cavity and candidate pickup dimensions before any routing decision. Pickup fit tools compare user-entered physical measurements. They do not maintain a product catalog, predict tone, or authorize routing, drilling, forced installation, or structural changes.

Use it when you can describe the current state and need a defensible next check. It is not a shortcut around inspection: preserve the starting state, change one variable, and verify the result under the same conditions.

Before you begin

With permission and the instrument safe, record the cavity’s smallest usable clear length, width, and depth. Measure the complete candidate envelope including its deepest fixed protrusion and choose an explicit allowance.

• Use a stable, tuned instrument unless the page specifically investigates tuning.
• Name the physical reference, unit, and test condition beside every important number.
• Keep the original measurements so any reversible change can be returned to baseline.

Input guide

Input and display unit

sets the interpretation and display unit; do not mix units elsewhere in the same run.

Cavity clear length

supplies a measured geometric quantity whose datum and resolution should be written down.

Cavity clear width

supplies a measured geometric quantity whose datum and resolution should be written down.

Cavity clear depth

provides a measured or counted input; confirm the allowed range and repeat the reading before relying on it.

Pickup body length

supplies a measured geometric quantity whose datum and resolution should be written down.

Pickup body width

supplies a measured geometric quantity whose datum and resolution should be written down.

Pickup installed depth

provides a measured or counted input; confirm the allowed range and repeat the reading before relying on it.

Desired clearance / side

provides a measured or counted input; confirm the allowed range and repeat the reading before relying on it.

Input labels describe evidence, not targets. A placeholder demonstrates format only; it is never a recommendation for a particular guitar.

How the result should be read

Any negative or smaller-than-requested clearance is a stop. A positive result means only that the entered rectangles clear; test a physical template and inspect every omitted feature.

Read priorities from top to bottom, but stop as soon as new evidence contradicts an earlier assumption. Save or print the result ticket with the entered conditions so another person can reproduce the decision.

Method and logic

The checker compares a simplified rectangular cavity with a rectangular pickup envelope. Length and width difference are divided per opposing side; depth is compared directly.

The page keeps calculation and diagnostic claims deliberately bounded. Display rounding improves readability, while the underlying logic uses entered values; descriptive branches report relative tendencies and the evidence needed to confirm them.

Worked example

A 72×40×20 mm cavity and 70×38×18 mm candidate provide 1 mm per end, 1 mm per side, and 2 mm depth in the rectangle model. Hidden tabs or a curved corner can still block installation.

The example demonstrates reasoning, not a universal setup specification. Substitute real measurements and repeat the final test before accepting the next action.

Assumptions and limitations

Rounded corners, tapers, finish, shielding, springs, screws, tabs, wires, connectors, height travel, and inaccessible depth are omitted. The output never authorizes routing.

Instrument design, service history, measurement error, and player technique can outweigh a calculator or checklist. Where manufacturer instructions exist for the exact hardware, use those instructions and record the revision consulted.

Safety and stop conditions

Stop for abnormal resistance, cracking, heat, odor, electrical sensation, moving wood or joints, a measurement that cannot be repeated, or any step that would remove material without a confirmed cause. Secure strings and stored mechanical energy before hardware work. Refer structural, fret-cutting, mains-powered, or uncertain repairs to a qualified technician.

Related workflow

• Pickup Ring & Mount Fit Checker — Check pickup-to-ring opening clearance and existing-versus-candidate screw-center spans.
• How to Measure Pickup Fit — Measure the string path, part, cavity, ring, and screw centers.
• Pickup Fit Measurement Reference — Keep external size, opening, route, and mounting spans distinct.

Open the related page that answers the next unresolved question; do not run every tool as if every system needs adjustment.