Are 5 strings thunder buckers wider than 4 strings?
No, they have a wide magnetic field due to the metal case and magnet extensions on the coils.
I'm doing this build with Aguilar 35 series pickups which are also spec'd for 'narrow' Fivers. It also gets an Aguilar 18v Preamp We'll see how it turns out.
Here's a northern ash JAE42 body with red "dog hair" finish.
First, black paint.
Then clear lacquer washcoat and drywall compound rubbed into the grain
Lacquer, red rub, lacquer, red rub, lacquer.