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Tchiki-Steph wrote:So you plan to put the kind of tremolo/tailpiece/bridge we find on Epiphone ET270 and Aria 1802/1803.
Do you own one already ?

That's the one.

I have this mint one, kept back from when I sold MOTORIK I:



Thanks loads for the input.

elbandito wrote:

Tchiki-Steph wrote:

Yep ! ARIA 1802t - great guitar, quite easy to find and very affordable (around 200 € here)

theworkoffire wrote:

Tchiki-Steph wrote:So you plan to put the kind of tremolo/tailpiece/bridge we find on Epiphone ET270 and Aria 1802/1803.
Do you own one already ?

That's the one.

I have this mint one, kept back from when I sold MOTORIK I:



Thanks loads for the input.

Amazing condition !!!

Managed to get the template made today:

Drew, cut, then routed round the original MOTORIK template to get the outline...


...then stuck a drawing over the blank and used the original and my Jag template to chop out a new cavity configuration:



There's a nice two-piece alder blank waiting for this, now.

I'm gonna speak for everyone if I can...
Ben, we've missed your builds!

'mazin. am real excite for this to fruitate.

Thoroughly enjoyed myself in the shed this morning...

Drawing round the template - I could have done it with the join central but in the end I decided to have most of the body in one piece, so I did it as close as I could to one edge, just missing a knot:


This is the body jigsawed out about 2-3mm from the line. After this I screwed the template down onto the body using holes that will eventually have pickguard screws in them:


Then routing the sides flush, always so the bit is pulling down the grain not pushing into it, with remider arrows on the template to tell me which way to cut. Learned that the hard way on the first MOTORIK build. So first with the top bearing...


...then raising the bit, turning the body over and finishing off. Someone asked me where they could find these bits the other day. I got this from Axminster: 806690, third one down -http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-CMT- ... -20936.htm It's 50mm long, 1/2" shaft, 19mm bearing width, with an extra 19mm bearing to fit on the shaft. They aren't cheap, but they are really nice quality and leave the grain perfectly smooth all round so you hardly need to sand it afterwards.


Drilling the neck mounting holes:


I marked off the three cavity depths I needed on a scrap from the body blank, then used the depth stop on my drill to make sure I didn't go too deep when I...


...hogged out the cavities with a 20mm forstner bit:


All ready for routing. I've marked the template with the depth of each cavity, then the depth (T) for the router including the template thickness:


Routed nice and clean. I have two or three bearing guided cutters of different widths and depths for this:


Starting to cut the roundover with a 1/2" radius bit, remembering not to do the underside of the neck pocket - that gets done by hand: I did this in about three passes so it didn't put too much load on the bit. I sanded the edges before doing this so there were no irregularities from the routing that would affect the roundover.


Rounded over:


Then I used the neck holes and the trem cavity to measure and mark out a centre-line, measured 3" back from the front edge and clamped my neck pocket template in place. I jacked it up at the back to angle the pocket slightly. I've left the pocket about 14.5mm deep at the front, 13mm deep at the back. It might need to go deeper later - depends on the neck. I just remember having a hard time getting the angle right on the first MOTORIK, having cut the pocket flat to begin with:


So this is where I finished up today: all done except the arm and tummy contours, and I need to drill wiring tunnels between the cavities. I always forget to do that:

theworkoffire wrote:

Tchiki-Steph wrote:So you plan to put the kind of tremolo/tailpiece/bridge we find on Epiphone ET270 and Aria 1802/1803.
Do you own one already ?

That's the one.

I have this mint one, kept back from when I sold MOTORIK I:



Thanks loads for the input.

I wish you would have sold this a few months later. Because I would have it rather than my Jag.

Unreal Ben... !!! I don't think I've ever been so impressed with someones work as much as I have of yours. So nice to see the process unfold.

thanks
O

Looking good there, Ben!

i'm interested to see how the contour turns out on this one. the contour on motorik I is one of the sexiest effing things ever.

also, that router bit you use looks fantastic. if the US dollar weren't so hideously weak right now, i'd order two.

Fantastic stuff, Ben. Can't wait to see how this turns out.

Also, I just remembered - my Silvertone's still at your house. Stupid me. I should come and pick it up sometime. I'll PM you.

Ben you make it look so easy!

Gorgeous body work sir. Love that clean routing.

theworkoffire wrote:Thoroughly enjoyed myself in the shed this morning...

Looks like Ben just won on Friday a little belated for me to post on Saturday but it's a great quote.

And the build is coming along fine I see, very tidy. Is this one for you or are you going to sell it afterwards?