Tools and parts:
-.09 in/2.286 mm ABS haircell plastic sheet (I'm actually using 1.5mm thickness because I had extra material left over from cutting trim rings for a different project, and knew this cover wouldn't be load-bearing. If you're cutting a backplate expected to hold the weight of a battery box, I suggest going for a minimum 2mm thickness).
-Scrap cardboard or another material for making a template. I used the cardboard the ABS sheets were packed in.
-Kitchen scissors or utility knife or artist scalpel for cutting template, depending on what material you're using. If you're making a more rugged template out of MDF, wood, or acrylic, then the following dremel parts will be more appropriate.
-Dremel, 561 cutting bit, sanding drum, and an engraving bit or other sharp, narrow bit appropriate for cutting out the T shape for step-top adjustment.
-A drill with common bit sizes (We're just putting screw holes in a thin cut of plastic).
-3M 9579 double sided tape for adhering template to backplate material
-Low tack masking tape (I use Frog Tape) for marking straight lines or fabricating a backplate without having an original on-hand to trace.
-Pencil for marking template/tape/backplate material (I use mechanical pencils with 0.5mm lead and, sometimes, I'll slowly turn my head toward a person to reveal that the pencil is hanging out of one of my nostrils).
I should also recommend safety glasses and some mask or respirator - unless, of course, inhaling a mess of hot plastic is your idea of a good time.
...
The above screencap was a Reverb listing someone made for a 1993-2003 Fly backplate. It was initially listed for $250, then generously reduced to $125, before finally being removed altogether. Alternatively, you can make one yourself or send a traced template to a pickguard or cavity cover manufacturer such as WD Music.
I also occasionally see posts from people who've bought a Parker-branded guitar without a backplate. I took some photos in a meager attempt to help with that, too.
Pictured below are a "pre-refined" (1993-approx. 2003) and refined (approx. 2003-2012) Fly backplate. I've seen backplates from the Graphtech years of Fly production which omit the rectangular cut for the battery box (Incidentally what I'm making, here). If you're needing a refined Fly backplate, Mike Gallenberger may have some. I'm unaware of any sources for other era or model backplates (hence this thread).
Note that the different era Fly backplates are different shapes. I'm reproducing the top one - In principle, the process is the same for both.
If you have a backplate on hand to trace onto the template material, mark the screw holes prior to tracing the outline; so you can have the screw markings as a guide to reorient the backplate as needed. This way, you won't need to waste tape adhering the original to the template, just to have to remove it and adhere the sheet for the new cover.
Above is our traced template. The next two photos pertain to fabricating a template when you don't have an original to trace:
The above photo demonstrates a method I devised with essentially no thought; and a simpler way of doing it will surely occur to others:
I laid a strip of masking tape over the screw holes so that each end covers a hole. I then laid another strip over that one, to bridge the length to the next screw hole. The idea is to trace a perimeter over the screw holes with strips of tape, with each consistently overlapping a screw hole in the same orientation. I then pushed the mechanical pencil lead through the overlapping layers of tape and into each screw hole, to mark their placement. These holes are subsequently used to transfer this tape-traced perimeter to the template material.
The next step, pictured below, was to carefully peel the strips of tape away from the body in a manner which ensured they both remained connected in their screw hole overlap and retained their orientation, relative to one another. Because they all overlapped in the same way, peeling the lower strip up brought the next overlapping length of tape with it. I was then able to transplant the tape outline to the template material as one piece.
If your preferred way of fabricating a rear cavity cover is to just adhere a paper template to the ABS and cut it from there, then a simpler way of doing this would be to place a sheet of paper over the rear cavity and either mark or poke through the paper over the screw holes, height adjustment screws, etc. I went with the goofy tape idea because I wanted to demonstrate how straightforward it would be to transplant onto a variety of template materials. In either case, you end up with a perimeter of the cavity you need to cover that's marked by the screw holes; and can proceed with a backplate shape design from there.
The next step is to cut the template to shape.
I decided to cut the carboard template out with kitchen scissors to demonstrate that we're not striving for perfection at this point; because the final product will be carefully sanded to shape - Always cut outside the lines. When you're dealing with a material as brittle as thin ABS plastic, you need to leave room between your cuts and the final perimeter of the shape you're carving the piece down to - You can whittle down a cover that's too large, but will have to start over if you cut it too small.
Pictured below is the template adhered to the ABS sheet using double sided tape. In case anyone’s concerned about the guitar in the photo: I only had the Fly on the workbench as a visual aid for the previous photos - I was sure to return it to its stand in the house before I started flinging shredded plastic all over my garage.
The next photo was taken after I roughed out a cut of the material using the 561 bit. The jagged section on the left is where the bit jumped. Had I not been following my own advice of leaving plenty of space between the cut and the final perimeter we'll be shaping the plate to, I might have thrown a tantrum and then subsequently pretended that that first attempt never happened...
The next photo is intended to illustrate the incremental progress being made: The new backplate (right) is still rough on the edges - But we're gradually getting to where we want to be by running a dremel sanding drum along the edges of the cover until each side begins to even out. This step is the most time-consuming. Also, I'm aware of what a mess the workbench is (I decided to move straight from a routing project to the backplate one without vacuuming in between).
Now we're nearly done. I used the template to drill the screw holes and bridge height adjustment holes, and an engraving bit to cut the "T" for the step-stop and the channel for the spring tension adjustment wheel. The material kept chipping out during this delicate work - So I ended up shaping things a little larger than necessary until they looked even.
Finally, we have the new backplate sat on its intended guitar to show that it's not a total disaster (I also don't need to attach it until after I've finished the battery box transplant and swapped some components out).
Though not perfect, I felt frugal for using up some extra material and not buying some buffoon's $250, non-autographed version.
#DIYGuides
