Best place to locate a battery box?

[John LaTorre]

I'm building an acoustic guitar in which I'm installing an active microphone system (a Baggs Lyric). The unit came with one of those little nylon battery bags you're supposed to attach to the inside of the guitar with Velcro. Instead of using that, I'm going to build a battery case into the body. (It's the Stew-Mac number 3578.)

Do any of you other builders have a preference where to put this box? Since the only control is actually mounted just inside the sound-hole, there's no reason to put the box near the waist of the guitar. I was thinking at the base of the guitar at the tail-block, but there are two places for it: either into the rib of the guitar adjacent to the tail block, or in the back of the guitar itself. In either case, I was going to reinforce the area with an extra layer of wood to increase the thickness there to around 1/4" or so, or with some linen cloth saturated with glue. Which of these locations, and which reinforcing technique, would you prefer? This is the first guitar I've built with a battery box, and none of the books I have mentions this subject.

[Michael Lewis]

I have seen battery boxes in the side near the tail block, and in the side near the waist. As long as you reinforce the area either location should be good. I don't know if there is an ideal location, just try to keep it from getting in the way and causing trouble. I put one in the waist area of an archtop, and it seems to be a decent location.