Epiphone Special II (Part 3) | Routing a Battery Box for James Hetfield EMG Active Pickups

The James Hetfield EMG conversion continues! With the neck work complete (Part 2), it's time to tackle the biggest structural challenge: adding a 9V battery compartment to the used Epiphone Special II body. Active EMG pickups require power, and the control cavity is just too cramped. Join us as we attempt our first major routing project with the new cordless trimmer to install a rear-mounted battery pack! Key Steps & Learnings in this Video: Prep and Layout: Taping the body and establishing lines of demarcation for the battery box placement (3:30). Template Trouble: Realizing the purchased battery template is too small for the actual battery case, requiring some freestyle routing (8:43). Router Setup: Setting the proper depth (22mm) using a simple dowel/chopstick technique to avoid drilling through the front of the body (14:00). The Big Drill: Drilling pilot holes to start the pocket, and the scary process of using the router for the first time! (16:40) Post-Route Inspection: Assessing the fit of the battery box and fixing minor snags with sanding for a flush finish (32:18). Oops Moment: We own our mistakes! A small ding on the side of the body while drilling the wire channel—we'll fix it! (30:56) Despite the apprehension, the battery compartment looks like a huge success! In the next video, we tackle the wiring and installation of the EMG JH Set. Shout Outs & Thanks: Massive thanks to the Jacks, and to our inspirations: John, Smoke Eater Guitars, Chris at BCG5150, Brandt, and Sparky! Your support on this project has been invaluable. Shoutouts: @sparkyguitars971 (Sparky) @TonJager (Brant) @2Yards (Yard) @GuitarMedic-CANADA (Vic) @SmokeEaterGuitars (Jon) @j-mansgearcave (J) @BCG5150GUITARS (Chris) ______________________ Special Thanks to our channel members "The Jacks" Want to support the channel? Feel free to explore Channel membership options: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBr6kaWeOvldTHvntB3tnMg/join Ted Talks Guitars & Life Merch Store https://tedtalksguitars-shop.fourthwall.com/ Use our Amazon Affiliate Link.* https://amzn.to/3W3PZox *If you click on this link to shop at Amazon the channel will receive a modest financial commission from your purchases. ___________________ Channel Codes & Coupons: Guyker Referral Link: https://www.guyker.com/?ref=tedtalksguitars If you use the link you will save 15% at Guyker Use the coupon code: TEDSMITH __________________ Playlists and journeys: Checkout our playlist page for more series and journeys https://www.youtube.com/@TedTalksGuitars/playlists _______ #guitar #cheapguitar #guitarrouting #emgpickups #batterybox #jameshetfield #epiphone #diyguitar #luthier #woodworking #router #guitarproject