For three easy installments of $19.95 (paid to the order of McKnight Guitars), you too can enjoy the benefits of your very own side sound port.
Sound port installation instructions:
List of materials:
Dremel with router base
1/8" Downcut spiral bit (StewMac)
1/2" dia Dremel sanding drum
180, 220, 320 sand papers
Brush on super glue (Stew Mac)
2" masking tape
Tape the area off with two layers of masking tape. Be generous so you don't risk scratching the surrounding finished area around the port.
Look inside your guitar and see if there are any internal side braces. If so, transfer the brace locations onto the outside on the masking tape so they are visible from the outside. This is the area that your sound hole must be located [between] as you don't want to sever a brace. Stay well below the top and back kerfed linings too.
Draw out the port shape on the masking tape. Smooth designs seem to produce a better tone. I use a port roughly the size of a small egg. Remember the larger the sound port the higher pitch your guitar will be. Start out smaller and you can always make it larger.
Use the Dremmel , router base and down cut spiral cutting bit. Stay 1/16" inside of the line and cut the hole out.
Put the sanding drum in the Dremmel and now sand to the finished shape outline.
Use 180 sandpaper and round over the internal and external edges of the hole. Progress to 220 and finish with 320. Be very careful NOT to sand the finish on the exterior of the guitar.
Coat the edge of the hole with superglue. It will dry hard and shiny. Use the edge of the brush to apply the glue and make a circle around the freshly sanded edge.
Remove the masking tape. If the glue is rough (usually it isn't) you can smooth with 600 wet or dry sandpaper and then buff.
Get a glass of iced tea, kick back on the couch and let me know how big your smile is when you first hear your ported guitar.
Tim…
Warning [read the fine print >] Even though this may seem like a simple modification please remember there is no way to reverse it once the port is cut. It took me about 9 months of continuous R&D to work out the ideal shape and location for my sound ports. I tune my sound box to a certain frequency and if the port is cut too large you will raise the Helmholz or main air resonance of the body. The result will be a loss of power and projection. If the port is cut to the correct size the sound port will actually produce a gain in forward and 360* projection.