Fitting A6T BBand pre amp on A201

[colinhouston]

Hello
I am thinking of upgrading my BBand pickup from an A2.2 to an A6T.

The problem with this is cutting the hole in the top side of the guitar. BBand recommend finding out how thick the solid wood side is. They recommend minimum 2mm, with ideal 2.5 - 3mm without having the need to reinforce the area with plywood. Can you tell me how thick the side should be? It is an A201 ser no A00914.
The proposed hole itself would be rectangular and 46mm by 43mm

thanks

Colin

[JB]

Hi Colin,

Sorry for the late reply ... don;t know how I missed it ! ... anyways, the sides will be about 2.3mm thick.

You could glue in 2 small strips of plywood then drill pilots holes for the screws.

JB

[colinhouston]

Hello JB and thanks for reply.

A few more questions before I dive in if you don't mind!

I am guessing the plywood is reinforcement for the holding screws, so it would be OK to cut the slot first and then glue the two strips on the inside to take the screws?
What thickness of plywood would you recommend? Are we talking 2-3 mm thickness of plywood strips?
Any particular type of glue you could recommend?

Also for cutting the slot I was going to drill a hole at each of the four corners and use a small hand held minature saw blade and take my time cutting between the holes. Is there anything to watch out for or avoid when cutting the wood?

Thanks again

Colin

[JB]

You've described the process perfectly Colin.

2 - 3 mm would be fine. Using wood glue and leaving overnight would be best.

After drilling the holes in the corner I would suggest using a fine blade for cutting, it may take you longer but it will reduce the chance of any tear-out and leave smoother edges.

I personally think it's better to cut the shorter sides first so that all your cross crain cutting is done before the wood starts to become more flexible.

Take it slow and remember the golden rule ... Measure Twice, Cut Once !

All the best,
Jim