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!

Make Way For The Envirocaster!

What the heck is the Envirocaster, you ask?

Birdseye Maple for the neck and fretboards and Swamp Ash for the body.

The necks are cut and ready to shape.

I even used American Black Walnut for the marker dots.

Back in August, the Gibson guitar factory in Nashville, Tennessee was raided by the US Justice Department who confiscated some of the wood they used. The USJD claims the use of this wood violates certain international laws. I'm not going to get into who is right or wrong in this case, but I can say it has had a scary affect on luthiers everywhere.

As a result of this action, I've decided to build a guitar using woods, which are not protected by any trade or environmental laws. To do this, I'll have to forgo my usual choice of imported wood. Most of the woods I have used in the past aren't subject to these laws, but that could change in a heartbeat.

For this reason, I have elected to go with woods that are responsibly grown and cultivated for our use. To be more specific, I will be using Swamp Ash for the body and Birdseye Maple for the neck. These woods are grown specifically for harvest and their use has little impact on the environment. Some species of imported wood, on the other hand, are clear cut from the world's rain forests, which is illegal. A guitar made from such wood can be seized, not only by the US government, but by others as well. It just goes to show that you have to do your homework before firing up the band saw.

A note about Swamp Ash: There really isn't a species known as Swamp Ash. In truth, there are many species of Ash in the Fraxinus family. Most of them produce a wood which is hard and heavy. Occasionally, Ash trees will yield boards that are substantially lighter than the norm. Why this happens is subject to debate, but it seems to happen more often with trees that grow in a wet environment, hence the name Swamp Ash. Many people claim that Swamp Ash comes from the Louisiana Bayou, but in reality, it can come from any Ash tree found growing in a wetland. Ash has a wonderful tone and resonance, however, if you try to build a solid body guitar from just any slab, the weight might break your back. The other day, I picked up a Telecaster made from ordinary Ash and it had to weigh at least 12 pounds!