Routing The Latest Batch Of Envirocasters

Today, I finished routing all four of my current batch of Envirocaster bodies. At this stage, each Northern Ash body weighs 5.8 pounds. That's about 2.5 pounds heavier than if the were made from Swamp Ash. I know some people are picky about weight, but IMO, tone and sustain are far more important. In my experience, the best tone and the most sustain comes with a slight weight penalty.That being said, my goal is to hit about 9 pounds for each of the finished guitars. That's about what a Les Paul weighs.

My control cavities are made by drilling out the area with a 1.5" diameter forester bit. Then I rout the cover shelf with a template.

The double cutaways will get three single coil pickups.

The single cutaway will get a pair of P90s.

Preparing The Body Blanks

For the next round of Envirocasters, I've decided to make the bodies out of Northern Ash. Northern Ash is much harder and heavier than Swamp Ash, however, it is way cheaper and easier to come by. Also, IMO, it has better tone and longer sustain. To reduce the weight, I drilled some 1 inch diameter holes into the glueing edge about 2 inches deep. The bodies still won't be as light as a Swamp Ash version, but I'm hoping each will be around 6 lbs. After I cut out the shapes and rout the pockets, I'll put them on a scale to see where they end up. Stay tuned!