A little custom ramp made of ebony with maple trim. This was a fun project. My guy wanted a ramp to match the radius of the fretboard (10"). Here's how I made it happen.
Shaping the blank
I started out with a solid block of ebony that I needed to trim down, sand, and shape. Then I routed the pickguard pattern on the back so the ramp could sit flush to the body. And the last detail that made this design perfect: the ramp was made to barely fit between the pickups.
The snap-in trick
I added 4 or 5 beads of superglue — acting as dried pearls — on each side to help pressure-lock it in place. Then I drilled slight indentions on the inside edges of the pickups corresponding to those glue pearls.
The end result is a custom, snug-fit ramp that snaps in with a rigid feel but pops off easily for a quick change. No permanent hardware, no modification you can't walk back.
The finish
This bad boy was finished with 10 coats of premium high-gloss lacquer. We have it set at exactly 3mm from the strings for the smoothest feel.
My guy loved it.
Want one?
Custom work like this is some of my favorite time at the bench — one-off builds shaped to your instrument and your hands. Hit me up if you need one of these, or check out everything else the bench offers.