| Author |
Topic: Drilling Through MOTS |
James Honberger
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted 10 Mar 2015 7:35 am |
|
Hello Again,
With regard to a '47 Supro that I am restoring, has anyone, for whatever reason, drilled through MOTS. I ask because I'm thinking of doing a string-through body configuration. From what I've been reading here in this forum and other sources, the string-through gives the guitar better sustain. I just don't want to mess up the toilet seat. Any input?
JH
_________________
Founder and CEO of The National Council of Stragglers |
|
|
 |
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
|
Posted 10 Mar 2015 9:11 am Re: Drilling Through MOTS
|
|
| James Honberger wrote: |
Hello Again,
With regard to a '47 Supro that I am restoring, has anyone, for whatever reason, drilled through MOTS. I ask because I'm thinking of doing a string-through body configuration. From what I've been reading here in this forum and other sources, the string-through gives the guitar better sustain. I just don't want to mess up the toilet seat. Any input?
JH |
you have several things here you asked about.
hard to tell if a string through will make that much difference. if the guitar is made of light weight materials, the difference may be negligible. if though, the instrument is made of maple or something nice and heavy then the string through might make a big difference. the other end of the guitar also adds to the sustain factor. is it substantial enough machine head/thickness of head area/thickness of nut to be such that the energy you get from going string through is not being wasted at the other end of the instrument?
also just drilling some holes and bringing the strings through the body may not get you much sustain if the exit angle of the string and how it interacts with the bridge is not such that the string does not transfer the energy into the body well. you want to have the string exit and not pinch against the body at an angle before it contacts the bridge/bridge saddles. just somethings to think about.
now for drilling the MOT. that is only plastic (celluloid). it drills very easily. use a very sharp drill bit as the plastic will melt if a dull bit is used. celluloid is very flammable!!! any drill shavings....clean up and into the trash. |
|
|
|
Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
|
Posted 10 Mar 2015 9:57 am
|
|
String through body means all the strings will be longer which in turn means there will be more string tension if you keep the gauges and tuning the same. What this does to to tone and sustain I really have no idea. I presume that strings under greater tension sustain longer but that's a guess.
You might try applying masking tape to the surface of the MOTS before drilling to discourage chipping? |
|
|
|
Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
|
Posted 10 Mar 2015 10:02 am
|
|
| ...better yet clamp a piece of wood to the surface first then drill. |
|
|
|
James Honberger
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted 10 Mar 2015 12:09 pm
|
|
Thanks Bill, for your thoughtful insight of sustain. I think I will bag that idea on this Supro, because it is a relatively light guitar.
And thank you Jim for your input about drilling into the MOTS. Now I don't have to drill at all. The new output jack can be used in an already routed area on the top, so I wont have to drill for that either.
JH
_________________
Founder and CEO of The National Council of Stragglers |
|
|
|
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
|
Posted 10 Mar 2015 1:20 pm
|
|
| i think you made a wise decision. someone 100 years from now will thank you for it when they marvel at how unaltered it is! |
|
|
|
John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
|
Posted 10 Mar 2015 2:52 pm
|
|
I'd chuck up the bit in a hand chuck to drill through the Mots. You wont rip anything up.
_________________
Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps |
|
|
|
Herb Steiner
From:
Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064
|
Posted 10 Mar 2015 3:34 pm
|
|
A cliche' about silk purses comes to mind. 
I have a Magnatone-made "Eddie Bush Special" that sounds great just the way it is, MOTS and all, and just the way it's supposed to sound. If you want more ooomph, look for a Rick B-6. Many are available for reasonable prices nowadays.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
|
|
|
James Honberger
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted 11 Mar 2015 4:18 am
|
|
Herb Steiner said:
| Quote: |
| If you want more ooomph, look for a Rick B-6. Many are available for reasonable prices nowadays. |
Thanks for the input Herb. I have a Ricky B6, and I play that one the most. This Supro is a project, so that I can have another lap steel to bang around on in some non-standard tuning. Plus I like to have at least one or more projects going on to keep me out of trouble. 
_________________
Founder and CEO of The National Council of Stragglers |
|
|
|
