Why Don't More People Play Aluminum Guitars?

[@RhettShull]

For all the angry British people in the comments, here in the States its Aluminum. There are two different spellings based on region, both are correct.

[@manyvibes1540]

5:02 = 🔥👍

[@jeffwithajay42]

Angry Australians too 😅

[@imtheonevanhalen1557]

Actually, it was a mistake made by Daniel Webster......after the discovery and name aluminum, the Brits decided they wanted the name more regal, you know like Uranium, or Plutonium (that good stuff..) Webster never changed the spelling....the British pronunciation is correct.

[@shoegazeforever8810]

What do you call sodium? sodum? Edit: It is a chemical element so it should end in ium not um.

[@The_Ricardo_Sa]

As someone from a non-english primary language living in the UK I find these arguments hilarious.. as if there are only 2 spellings for something in the world - English-English and English-American... completing forgetting/ignoring the existence of the other 100+ different languages in the world and their own spellings and quirks. It is really a self-centred, post- colonialist / 'superpower nation' ideal... really funny! (And a symptom of the us-vs-them problems humanity is suffering from)... well,... that was a bit too deep... All I meant to say really was that the Al guitar sounded a bit stiffer on the video in comparison to the wood one... :P

[@earnestbass4092]

I feel like the biggest difference is that you ARE playing differently on each guitar. Different brushes, different strokes. Great video!

[@sonictemple2925]

I’m in a post metal band and I play all aluminum guitars. We also use aluminum drums. I play EGC’s and mine have a brushed neck which you don’t stick to. I will probably never go back. The clarity is awesome and the sustain is unreal. After they acclimate to the room they stay in tune super well. No trust rods in mine so set up is a breeze. Plus they are pretty hard to break obviously.

[@jackg1968]

Jerry Garcia played a Travis Bean TB500 from ‘76-‘77 and that guitar featured an aluminum neck. Some of his greatest tones and performances came out of that guitar.

[@genandraaji5707]

Jerry Garcia from Kyuss?

[@alexholdenii4946]

💯

[@tompoynton]

best Garcia tone era imo

[@tonyhewitt1345]

Brian Robertson from Thin Lizzy had a wonderful Travis Bean too. I adored that guitar. Check out "Don't believe a word".

[@toddbigeasy]

I had one of those guitars, wish I still had it!

[@adamalexanderray]

It’s so cold here in the U.K. I wouldn’t enjoy a cold metal neck, especially in winter.

[@TLguitar]

I don't think it should make much of a difference considering the playing part of your fingers contacts almost solely the strings rather than the fretboard; the small area that would directly touch the neck is from the thumb to the base of the index finger. And to nitpick a bit, isn't a lot of the UK relatively mild-wintered?

[@adamalexanderray]

@@TLguitar I mean there’s colder places in the world for sure, but it’s regularly at or below freezing throughout winter. I suffer with Raynaud’s syndrome where my fingers and toes loose circulation and go white/numb. A neck at or below freezing temperature is not ideal even for wood necks, but metal would be extra horrid.

[@TLguitar]

@@adamalexanderray I read about that. Of course it could (detrimentally) contribute _something,_ especially if one has a specific condition of cold insensitivity, but the neck itself is mostly not touched directly so in effect I doubt it should make a serious difference. I personally feel (like many, I assume) my fingers do become less agile when it's cold. Also, I've visited London a couple of times during summertime and I suffered. I live in Israel and in recent summers the daily highs are 30c or more practically throughout the entire season, yet the hour-long unventilated (let alone air-conditioned) train ride from the airport to London was an unexpected complementary sauna.

[@TLguitar]

@Ariel-om5fh Aluminium is actually quite a good thermal conductor - it conducts heat about 3 times as fast as iron. It also has double the specific heat of iron (meaning it takes twice the energy to change _m_ kilograms of material _K_ degrees of temperature), although for a given volume of material that is offset by aluminium's density being slightly over 1/3 of iron's.

[@TLguitar]

@Ariel-om5fh What are these claims based on? There are scientific measurements for the relevant data. The two most common heat sink materials are aluminium and copper. Iron or steel? I don't think so.

[@Trentstone121]

Because they're way too expensive for most guitarists. Btw, teddy bear nugant used a lucite guitar with an aluminum neck waaaaay back in the seventies. I know it for a fact, because my dad owned it for a while. He got rid of it because it was BADLY balanced. The neck was really heavy compared to the body so it wanted to dive on you. Probably why teddy sold it to begin with. Anyways, an aluminum neck lucite guitar isn't a modern idea at all. Just thought I'd share the story.

[@ChuckNicholsonTRM]

The general combo isn't new, but the Aluminati necks are so much more advanced than the early days of aluminum neck guitars like the Dan Armstrong guitars. They use a hollow core technology that really changes the aluminum neck game.

[@stephenpepper1790]

He literally says this (how it’s not a new idea)

[@JeremyAndersonBoise]

I have played one of those guitars, a friend with a shop had one for a while. I think Brad Whitford played one in Aerosmith for a minute, as well. It was awful. The hollow core necks are much more sensible.

[@jipes]

Dear Rhett just a note the nut doesn't affect the sound of fretted notes only the open strings. The saddle of the bridge are indeed very different thing

[@albertplaysguitar]

Oh, he knows 😂

[@seanthomasmusic]

Rhett's playing is always musically minded and not showy or even noodly. Reserved and thoughtful. Regardless of the guitar, the player is a keeper :) Good Job man!

[@eharmicar]

Mark Farner(Grand Funk) played a Messenger w/aluminum neck from ‘69-‘72.The neck when taken out of the guitar was shaped from the end of the fretboard to the ending of the neck where it met the bottom of the body,like a tuning fork.Messenger info.said it was tuned to A 440 like a tuning fork.Farner retired it because it needed a fret job and as it was an aluminum neck he said he didn’t trust anybody to do a refret.He then switched to a Microfrets then to a Veleno which had an aluminum body and neck.

[@arvetemecha]

too light for heavy metal tones maybe. Sorry, that's such a bad joke.

[@aymanshowmik9599]

😂

[@CorbCorbin]

Light metal, really.

[@tarkenton3895]

These are used quite a lot by doom and post-metal bands; AKA posers that can't handle solid steel guitars

[@JT96708]

Try depleted uranium.

[@plantain.1739]

​@@JT96708Lead guitar

[@seanthomasmusic]

That neck pickup on the Aluminum guitar sounds like it would be perfect for jazz! I actually genuinely like the sound

[@r0flgal0re]

That's exactly what I thought.

[@13StJimmy]

Keith Levine (of Public Image Ltd.) used to use guitars with Aluminum necks and his tone cuts through the mix like a saw

[@georgespencer3973]

Keith’s tone on those early PIL albums was so awesome!

[@offbeatinstruments]

I have Greg Lake’s (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) Travis Bean from 1977. It sounds superb and is an amazing guitar, but… it is very heavy and the neck does feel cold at first. I actually had problems with light strings in that when it was really cold there wasn’t enough tension to pull the neck into some level of relief. The body is solid koa, so doesn’t feel neck heavy.

[@HollywoodRecordingStudio]

One of my favorite guitars is the Abel Axe. It’s the reverse of the Aluminati - this one has an aluminum body and a wood neck. Tone and playability on this is really nice.

[@kennburgess1541]

As a guitar builder hobbyist i have been working on aluminum designs. Its a fun idea but i haven't moved on it yet due to cost and amount of work involved.

[@CorbCorbin]

Why not Titanium?!? They make steel guitars, don’t they? 😄

[@RobDogzInc]

Titanium is insanely hard to work with, also really expensive obviously

[@chrisquick9219]

All you have to do is watch Oh Sees guitarist/frontman John Dwyer.

[@briangarcia8384]

Hell yeah. Beat me to it.

[@xdoctorblindx]

Didn't think I'd find any Thee Oh Sees fans in a Rhett Shull comment section!

[@stephenericwalsh]

@@xdoctorblindx I like them.

[@graybronze]

Nice to see some aluminium featured on here Rhett! I ordered an EGC in 2012 which is all aluminium and hollow construction, I now have 2 more aluminium neck guitars, one SG shape with a wood body and one Tele shape with an acrylic body and I love the sound of all of them. Still dig my wood necks but I generally reach for the aluminium ones first, they're very versatile. They have an extra clarity across the frequency range without muddiness or harshness which I really enjoy, it's sort of like having a clean boost pedal always on. I like the feel of an aluminium neck, I don't get that sticky feeling you describe, possibly because mine are all brushed rather than polished. Also as you say these things are of course subjective, I personally always prefer really heavy guitars so certainly in the case of my acrylic one it's definitely that! I get no neck dive either due to the weight of the body, I don't think my other two have that issue either though to be honest. Anyway, ramble over! Just interesting to see something I'm personally very into on your channel so thought I would drop a comment, great stuff man!

[@OldForrester]

Ready for endless tone metal discussions!

[@kitchenspider]

dude, please. 5.9% nickel titanium carbide composite is the only fretmetal that truly allows the strings to vibrate in true 440hz. you'll know your tonemetal has it when you hear that icey shimmery goodness on the tail end of your transients. anything else is trash

[@jgeraci1]

I think you nailed it with saying that it would look good on stage . The way the light is reflecting off the neck in the video is cool as hell . I bet it would be pretty amazing under some colored stage lighting.

[@joelshields8807]

The other guitarist in my old band had an EGC. It was a very sharp/bright sounding guitar - it did that whole abrasive Albini/Levene thing perfectly (and it also made it difficult for me to find a good frequency range since he owned the highs). He'd let me play it occasionally and I hated the way that neck felt - and yeah, always cold. Personally, I respect wood.

[@johncosby9479]

I wanted to hear you play glass and metal slide on that metal fretboard.

[@guydouglas6094]

I thought that - try a brass (or glass) slide! It might be quite bright but may add to the already 'metallic' sound of the guitar.

[@bubbakav]

Saw Climax Blues Band in concert in July of 1977 opening for Bad Company. Lead guitarist was playing a Veleno aluminum guitar. I distinctly remember seeing that headstock and wondering "what the ...".

[@jonathanvanhoose7610]

Yea!!! Someone else actually knows about CBB. The guitarist was Peter Haycock and yes, he did play a Velano. I met Peter in 1976 and he let me jam with him and try out that beautiful guitar. He even gave me Velano's phone number and strongly suggested that I give him a call. Sadly, I never did it and being a poor college student knew I could never afford to have one made for me. Today, I truly regret it. It would be so cool to have now as they are so unique and priceless.

[@tadejcizej7694]

when is the studio update coming???i cant wait for it!!!

[@boldlygo3469]

That aluminum guitar actually sounds better than expected. It's not bad!!

[@peterwaterford9482]

One of the great but currently obscure "concept albums" of the past decade was recorded with a Rick Toone Spearfish with aluminum neck: 2018's "Queen Of The Murder Scene" by The Warning. While the quote-unquote "libretto" follows a conventional operatic narrative of obsessive love leading to murder, madness, and suicide, the songwriting and execution far exceed the ages (13, 16, 18) of the Villarreal sisters who wrote and recorded it.

[@benkrecskay3378]

The aluminum neck on those guitars is just scratching the surface, but them in combination with the Orange custom shop 50 and Dany’s superb playing really is the perfect vibe for that album. Ugh, so great!

[@vparenkin]

Rhett! Love your videos!! Just this morning i was rewatching your older videos. We match our playing/recording style (and taste in music too) and i got immediately hooked up on your channel! Thank you!!

[@autiebleSam]

2:15 Hollow aluminum probably cuts down substantially on cost, too. Solid CNC aluminum is a lot more expensive the a few welded molds.

[@vorpalblades]

It's still forged aluminum, not cast.

[@5urg3x]

Steve Albini’s Veleno is now in a museum, Kurt used it on In Utero. Has a really bright punk sound to it.

[@3days2retirement]

Aluminati seems like a tool for a specific purpose. It made me draw a danelectro comp. I really liked it's smooth, silky sound.

[@dylanjastle]

You gotta do A/B blind tests with guitars like this

[@BLBlackDragon]

Love the honest review. You made sure to separate your personal preferences from the technical aspects, and I respect that. (It's why I keep coming back to your channel)

[@soundssimple1]

Is there something wrong in isolating the pickups from the rest of the guitar? Isn't it the pickup that gives the guitar the core tone of the guitar ? ie single, toaster, P90, humbucker etc ? If you are correct with this then would this guitar be a neutral 'model' guitar to test pickups against each other without the body/neck material interfering ? You could have discovered something here ?

[@danielbell4007]

Baum wingman is a great option if you want something quirky but more traditional.

[@Insanabiliter_In_Linea]

Seeing King Buzzo playing his aluminum guitars made me really want one, they look and sound so good and I bet they play really well (minus the weight lol). Way too rich for my blood though sadly.

[@joellovejoy8876]

By brother Has an aluminum neck Kramer We love the guitar but it likes a stable ambient temps. We love playing out doors but not the guitar to use on cool days . It is a straight fast neck for sure though..

[@ssplintergirl]

One of my luthier buddies noted that the coefficient of thermal expansion of an aluminum neck vs a wooden guitar neck is significantly higher and can lead to a guitar’s set up getting very inconsistent with changes in temperature. Probably not an ideal gigging guitar if it had no reinforcement in that regard.

[@vorpalblades]

Lucite body, not wood.

[@narco73]

Yeah, aluminium is about 4 times that of wood. That said, with a temperature change of 20 degrees celsius, and the lengths of a guitar string, you're looking at a change in length of about third a millimetre. Timber is around quarter of that. And carbon fibre is way less again. So if this is something to consider, a carbon neck would win. Also, the temperature is unlikely to change this much during a set, and the neck is about ¾ of the length of the string, so this will mean these three quarters expand relative to each other (the body being different material will technically be an issue, as the scale length won't change equally over the full lengths of the string). But (without thinking about it too much) I expect this will mean that the frets will be at MOST an twelfth of a millimetre out, which isn't really going to be a problem, after room acclimatisation.

[@blandoon]

It's funny you mention brass nuts and brass saddles... I have an Ovation UK2 electric from around 1980 that is actually a plastic/urethane foam body over an aluminum frame, and it also has a brass nut and huge heavy brass saddles. But it has a wood neck and otherwise looks pretty normal, so it kind of is the opposite of the Aluminati. I think people back then thought the heavy brass would improve sustain?

[@CaptHiltz]

I put car seat belt pads around a few of my guitar straps that I use for my heavier guitars and position them so they are on top on my shoulder. It helps quit a bit.

[@gregoryguarneri8473]

The “ping” and treble of the aluminum guitar definitely comes through in the video

[@dasherf17]

Yeah, it's got what I would call a "nail-ish" sound...musically nail-ish...but nail-ish...a bright attack...

[@florisbackx1744]

7:40 I think you are not so much as hearing with your eyes but with you hands. We often 'hear' through how the guitar actually resonates in our hand and our body as it rests against it. I have a few guitars that feel like the sound amazing especially when it's not even plugged in, however when I objectively listen back to recorded sounds the perceived difference is just not there. I wouldn't say it sound metallic, I thing pristine and articulate would be more what it sounds like to me.

[@ahoneyman]

Played a Modulus graphite bass. It feels kinda funky at first but you get used to it. According to the owner he's never touched yhe truss rod and the frets never sprout no matter how cold or dry it gets.

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

7:53 Honestly I hear some steel drum in that but then again I'm a pitch perfect and "Tone wood" whisper... Like I can see why someone whould go with a alumaum... Though imiang spring steel or even thin titanium. Like I believe their is a place for good non wood guitars because like my grandma says you can just use a tin can and a stick.

[@Florida_Living1]

Hey, Rhett. Just wanted to tell you that your note choice and “feel” has really improved since I started watching you several years ago. Not to say it was ever bad at all, but you’re really top notch these days! Keep it up man!

[@tamg212]

Rhett, I am mostly an acoustic player and recently bought a carbon fiber guitar made by Emerald. Great sound and feel -- but completely different than my good wood guitars. I don't like it as much, per se, but it fits a niche -- namely playing outdoors or in extreme weather conditions (hot, cold, wet, dry, any altitude, etc.). You can appreciate different guitars for what they are. Comparing the Aluminati to a Les Paul is silly -- apples and oranges (apples and Chevrolets?). I am curious about one thing though -- I bet it stays in really good tune as does my Emerald. Aluminum and Lucite will not expand and contract like wood will. Probably great for playing outdoor venues. Just a thought.

[@theosmit6366]

Aluminum has about double the coefficient of thermal expansion of carbon steel. So you could still expect the tune to change over large temperature swings, but it's going to be really predictable since humidity won't come into play.

[@NathanSidF]

I feel like the higher density the material of the guitar is, the less 'frequencies get absorbed'. Like you said that it sounds like you're just hearing the pickups? Wood might kinda act like a sponge in comparison te metal and other denser materials. If you really want to hear the difference you've got to try an Obstructures, EGC or Travis bean. Those guitars have the bridges mount on the same piece of metal as the neck (kind of neck through, but with a body bolt on). I feel like such instruments highlight the resonance of an aluminium guitar. If I would be describing the sound. It's like a jazzmaster on steroids. Presence and highs for days. I really like how you can start with such an instrument, use thick fuzz and have the guitar still cut through the gains.

[@myeyesarewaiting]

I wonder why they did a headstock with string trees rather than just having a pitched headstock... not like that is going to snap off if it falls backwards. When you say you're only hearing the pickups... I think it's more that the aluminium isn't robbing any frequencies out of the strings. You're hearing everything, much like what you do with a carbon fibre guitar.

[@Patrick-857]

Likely because it would require a much larger billet, since it's machined from a single billet of aluminium.

[@TheMytherian]

I’d love to see you check out a Strandberg salen and see how you find something like that with your back pain and it’s modern approach to classic sounds

[@samj.6867]

I'm a LP player too. But the aluminum seems to have an interesting bright clarity to it.

[@sigiligus]

Wow, what a coincidence! The shiny thing sounds shiny! And let me guess, the heavy wood sounds “deep,” amirite?

[@steveh2o]

I have an old 70s Applause with an aluminum neck. It originally has some sort of hard foam rubber around the back. The headstock was broken off and I grafted in a wooden one and replaced the foam with wood. It's mostly a conversation piece but will play. Doesn't sound horrible but the frets are well worn and molded onto the aluminum. Not much room to dress them more.

[@TheBoboMaker]

I owned an Ovarion made acoustic guitar with a graphite neck and aluminum fretboard. Got it for cheap at a pawn shop. Found the cold fretboard to be distracting and the Ovation style rounded back to be awkward playing sitting down. I would describe the sound of the Aluminati as cold or clinical. I listened to the video while walking the dog. It was clear which guitar you were playing at all times. Wood for the Win.

[@GearStuffandThings]

Isn’t the bridge an Aluminati as well? You can buy those from them separately

[@Ponchy]

Sounds to me like the Electrical Guitar Company has the aluminum thing down a bit better. For reference, they are the ones that took over the Travis Beans officially as well create their own more modern aluminum guitars which don't really have the problems that this guitar seems to have. The EGC necks are way thinner than you could ever get with wood, and they are not neck heavy at all and very balanced. Just look up the people that play EGC's (John Dywer from Thee Oh Sees included, as someone mentioned in the other comments). I play aluminum because I don't have to worry about a lot of the problems you do with wood.

[@ThomasGilmore-fi6gb]

I had a Travis Bean for 14 years. I was never able to gig with it effectively because of the speed that aluminum exchanges heat. It would warm up while I was tuning and playing. When I was on break (especially if the AC was on) the neck cooled and contracted enough to make the strings more slack and so very flat, so I re tuned it. As it warmed it expanded and became sharp and had to be tuned again. Tuning on stage over and over was too much to put up with and there was nothing spectacular about the sound so it had to go. Telecaster works for me now and I know that getting a certain special guitar will never make me to play any better.

[@damham5689]

I remember as a kid my dad was friends with Bob Hiel. (Bob Hiel of Hiel sound) back in the 1960s and early 70s we use to go down to his music store, Ye Ole Music store in Marissa Illinois. Bob gave me my first guitar when I was 7. Anyway. Bob had acrylic guitars with aluminum necks in his store. I have no idea what brand they were, but I wanted one. Bob also had Pete Townshends broken SG along with various other instruments from bands he built and ran sound for back then.

[@UrbanGarden-rf5op]

Acrylic body sounds like Dan Armstrong,

[@jimferris9447]

I live in Saint Louis. I listened to Mr. Heil many times on KMOX. He was a wealth of knowledge, and knew so many people. Famously, he made Peter Frampton’s gadget for the mouth sounds with his guitar.

[@SEGREDOSPROIBIDOS1]

Brutally honest review but that’s how you operate and the company knew the risk. I’m sure there’ll be people interested in the design. Not my cuppa tea though.

[@AnthonyCortese-p4s]

Was the Rickenbacher frying pan guitar aluminum?

[@bottomkitchen250]

My cousin had a Kramer DMZ 3000. That was such a cool guitar. I'm pretty sure the Kramer's and the Travis Bean's were the one's that were from the 1970s.

[@jmeakin4]

Perhaps from hearing the video through smartphone speakers, but the aluminum-necked guitar didn't sound warm at all despite its humbuckers. Its metal/composite construction may cause its pups to sound closer to P90s, but without hum. Contrasted with a LP Special or even a Strat may have been a closer A-B comparison.

[@cancelbubble6535]

What's underneath those two big control cavities on the back? Obviously you have the volume/tone pots under one, but even that cover is pretty big.

[@olaf2170]

One of my favorite artist John Dwyer plays an acrylic body with aluminum neck from the guitar company. I think its incase a stage hand gets a little too rowdy and he needs to smack them around

[@georged9615]

Because metal expands and contracts with temperature change, I wonder if the aluminum neck would affect tuning as you played it and it warmed up from contact with your hand. Same as with strings, but because of the greater mass of the neck, would it occur over a longer time after you start playing?

[@vorpalblades]

Metal has a better thermal coefficient than wood. Wood expands and contracts much more than metal.

[@djTachi]

Surprised this wasn't sponsored.. I'm sure they'd be thrilled to hear their guitar is cold, sticky and tinny sounding Marketing gold 🤑

[@barrycreed9886]

Danelectro guitars have brass nuts, or metal nuts in any case. I put a brass nut on an Epiphone EB0 bass which made a BIG difference for the better.

[@bobbg9041]

Carbon fiber hollow body and neck Tuned to 44 cycles. With those pickups and tilt pitch bend.

[@PhatLvis]

There can be a substantial difference in tone from a normal guitar. An aluminum guitar like a Veleno, such as the one Steve Albini just sold for a fortune from the In Utero sessions, actually has a quite unique and cool sound - as heard on songs like Very Ape.

[@PhatLvis]

Also, kudos to Shull for saying "aesthetic" properly, with a soft "th," rather than uh-STET-ic (as though spoken with a Brooklyn accent), as has become a common error due to the KZbin Feedback Loop.

[@reddottx]

I really like the shapes of the body and headstock. Might try to copy those in the shop.

[@verycrankyperson]

How well will an aluminum neck guitar stay in tune? As compared to all wood.

[@richypederson4019]

I've got a question, could this guitar potentially be used as like a modern take on a Resonator type sound and used for slide? To my ear, that might make use of an aspect that might otherwise be a turn off? I'm not crazy about resonators, but they very much have their place.

[@danmc_2783]

I reckon I get what you said about the sound being all about the pickups and not the body of the guitar. To me it almost sounded like it had active pickups, that are trying to sound like Alnico PAFs like a Fishman or something

[@DreidMusicalX]

In the 80's? I have two guitars with brass saddles and brass nuts. And yes it does have an impact on the way the string resonate on the guitar. Brass kinda settle the highs down a bit. A steel ashtray bridge will give a guitar a different twang like Tele, the brass saddles tame it a bit. Toss in some cheap steel saddles instead and you will see what I mean. Same way when a top loaded string on the bridge, from a body loaded string thru. String through the body will make it a warmer resonance.

[@brandonbutler8808]

I'm commenting before finishing the video, maybe this is mentioned, but I believe Kurt Cobain played an aluminum guitar on in Utero, in fact I just Googled it, It was Steve Alibini's Valeno aluminum guitar. From Music Radar: "Buying one now is difficult. John Veleno was a pioneer of aluminum guitars and only produced around 195-200 'original run' examples in the second half of the '70s with prices that can go far north of $20,000 on the vintage market. Why aluminum? It was the material he understood the best. Veleno’s day job in the late '60s was in St. Petersburg, Florida building aluminum electrical housings for NASA space shuttles. Veleno was also a guitarist who gave lessons and brought an engineer and player mindset to his designs."

[@joaquinlavin5877]

aluminum neck guitars are interesting beasts... there's a quote from John Dwyer (from Oh Sees) saying that he needed to leave his aluminum neck ECG on stage for half an hour before playing so the metal could acclimate to the venue's temperature

[@Simeon_Harris]

anyone remember the tokai talbo? aluminium body and maple neck. gary moore was seen with using one for a bit.

[@pierreblenderbuss9807]

I've got a few aluminum guitars--sounds great, but temp changes really screw with the tuning.

[@tomusic8887]

With the muted trebles as heard on the r9 it is still bright....

[@StevenPhillips]

Rhett, I've been seeing lots of Carbon Fiber necks (Klos) and was wondering how you felt about them.

[@cheezyridr]

i had 2 kramer 450Gs from the 70's. both were great guitars

[@StarQueenEstrella]

You’re correct in saying that the use of aluminum for guitar necks did come about in the 1970s. Gary Kramer of Kramer Guitars was one of the first who had the idea, and even made a bass for Gene Simmons that had an aluminum neck. Steel has also been used for making guitar bodies, like the James Trussart guitars Ron Wood plays with The Rolling Stones.

[@roberthenry6910]

Wandre was doing metal necked guitars in the mid 50s to late 60s even

[@StarQueenEstrella]

@@roberthenry6910 on a mass-market level?

[@roberthenry6910]

@@StarQueenEstrella I believe on some level. Just take a look at any Wandre, but specifically the Cobra. Really neat guitars!

[@RobDogzInc]

Tones for both guitars: Aluminum at 4:05 Les Paul at 9:04

[@guydouglas6094]

The LP sounds warmer and more even in tone - the Aluminati sounds spikey and maybe a tad harsher. The frets are stainless steel as confirmed from website. I wonder how it will fair with hand sweat on the aluminium and (stainless) steel frets for corrosion. Stainless steel is not infallible. Wow, the guitars are expensive $$$$$$$. Good video Rhett. I think the Aluminati might be good for slide(?) like a resonator (metal) acoustic(?)

[@burger1113]

Imagine playing an outdoor gig in some dry winter day lol even a fall season evening would be a no go for me

[@mr.timebombman2230]

I would buy that guitar. Love the clean tone of it. I would possibly change the pickups and tailor it to my taste, but that does not sound bad to me.

[@toddbigeasy]

Back in the 70's and 80's I had an aluminum neck guitar, a Travis Bean. My good friend has it now. wish I would have kept it, they are online for sale really pricey!

[@weschilton]

I get what you mean when you say that the pickups sound isolated from the guitar... I think that its that the harmonics from an aluminum neck and a plastic body are going to be so different and I bet VERY subdued compared to wood. Maybe even nonexistent.

[@davidjairala69]

I'm not sure what the scale length is on the aluminum guitar, but that's gonna affect the tone compared to the LP, as well as the fact that the strings are new

[@SuperKazmierski]

Art is always evolving. Some people still paint with horse hair brushes, while others paint using cutting edge technology. The keys with a musical instrument is 1. will it play the same note consistently over time. 2. does it help or harm the creative process. Everything else is just bonus stuff that doesn't really matter.

[@k53847]

So, it there a difference between 6066 and 7075 aluminum? You know, the whole tonewood thing?

[@runwin3]

Greet analysis. The sticky feel of the neck would be an instant deal breaker for me, but I was raised on Ibanez and Schecter super smooth necks and can only play Fenders with the satin feel. Trying to get used to the lacquer feel but it’s a long battle!

[@sgriggl]

i just take a little sandpaper to any lacquer neck...

[@runwin3]

@@sgrigglI don’t even like the feel of that sometimes 😂 I know it’s sounds crazy, it’s just my very specific and particular personal preference. Sandpaper on aluminum might not be so nice though!

[@bobbg9041]

The les paul is a lot warmer but it may be your settings. I think the metal one plays more to Metal music, i could see Richie Blackmore playing Smoke on the water with it or Man on a Silver mountain. However i can't see GILMORE playing Wish you were here on it.

[@8cylpiano]

The body shape is the constellation Orion. How cool is that?

[@Sylkis89]

If the neck is hollow does it have a truss rod, can you adjust it?

[@johnhmaloney]

They sound very different, but I wouldn't say that the Orion sounds metallic. To me, it just sounds like a modern guitar with bright pickups that are designed for high gain. Although, I think it sounds great clean too. I'm glad that you pointed out the similarity to the EBMM St. Vincent model. I'm sure that the Orion's shape is legally distinct, but it's clear what they were going for.

[@Scoots1994]

The aluminum and composite based guitars I've played have all sounded more harsh at the start of the note.

[@gringogreen4719]

Another note. Danelectros typically have aluminum nuts. I had an aluminum nut blank made for my main Tele in my pic.

[@AndyA1234]

Do you get your kicks on Rowt 66 or Root 66? With your Cape-oh or Cap-oh?

[@timelwell7002]

In the past I've played a Travis Bean guitar, which had an aluminium neck, but TBH it didn't 'grab' me. I guess I'd have try one of these 'Aluminati Orion' guitars for myself to know for sure whether it could be an inspiring instrument to play. Actually the impression I have of acoustic guitars made from Carbon Fibre is quite positive, though again, I haven't actually played one to know for sure if they might 'speak' to me. I presume Lucite is similar to Carbon Fibre, with similar acoustic properties - so I'd certainly keep a very open mind as to how desirable this guitar might or might not turn out to be. But the thing is, any kind of metal will be at a similar temperature to the ambient temperature. So if the guitar has been outside on a freezing cold day, the neck be be just as cold - not nice. Equally, if the guitar were to be left in, say, a hot car on a baking hot Summer's day, the neck could burn your hand. Neither scenario is desirable... As a UK citizen, and a speaker of the King's English, I would say the correct spelling is as follows: A-L-U-M-I-N-I-U-M. Note that there are two 'I's. But hey, this is just a bit of fun - we all now what this is. To quote from Shakespear - 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.'

[@sampilsbury9415]

What about carbon fibre or just plastic?

[@rickfinsta2951]

My buddy has one of the Strat and Tele bodies (one of each) that Fender actually had made - they look like they were hydroformed or something and I don't know any of the story on why/when/where they were commissioned by Fender. I own a CNC manufacturing shop so one of these days we are going to cut necks for them out of 6061 just to see how a hollow-body all-aluminum electric sounds LOL.

[@mvsr990]

I got an Aluminati neck at the start of the pandemic and then found the world's lightest Peavey T-60 - with the aluminum neck mounted it was about 7.5 pounds. I had so many doom metal fantasies. Tragically, I absolutely hated the ergonomics of the T-60, I could never get used to it after playing nothing but Fender offsets for several years. Wound up selling it for enough to break even, one day I'd really like to try an Aluminati neck on a Jazzmaster body.

[@mikeatl4953]

The only “aluminum guitar” I can recall hearing was Jerry Garcia’s Travis Bean. He played some amazing solos on that guitar, but if I recall, it was only the neck that was aluminum. The body and the finger board were mahogany and rosewood respectively.