Aluminum Guitars!

[Pete Pedisich]

Hi,

Being a FOG member since the Yahoo days, I have seen how many Festool owners are also receptive to products that are made to a high standard, and display thoughtful engineering.

...so for a while now I've wanted to share pics of some finely made aluminum guitars by a small maker, who happens to be a good friend of mine. In addition to being a talented mechanical and product designer working in metals, and a gifted musician, he is above all a decent, principled and hard working guy.

Aluminum guitars are not for everyone (especially when presented on a forum of woodworkers!) but I have always admired the art and craft that goes into creating them and I thought some of you would as well.

The website is www.AluminumGuitars.com

-Pete

 

[AlexThePalex]

Looks nice, Probably very well crafted. But the only thing that matters to me is the sound of a guitar. I've never found metal guitars to have the rich and warm tonality of wooden guitars. Metal has a different way of resonating than wood. On the website they speak about a "pure and crisp" sound, but to me that means "empty and hollow". You get the high tones very well but in the lower regions something is distinctly missing.

In my opinion, you don't make a church bell out of wood, or a guitar out of metal.

 

[woodguy7]

I would echo what Alex said, wood does resonate much better.  But from a craftsmanship point of view, Stunning !!!

 

[mastercabman]

Looks nice, Probably very well crafted. But the only thing that matters to me is the sound of a guitar. I've never found metal guitars to have the rich and warm tonality of wooden guitars. Metal has a different way of resonating than wood. On the website they speak about a "pure and crisp" sound, but to me that means "empty and hollow". You get the high tones very well but in the lower regions something is distinctly missing.

In my opinion, you don't make a church bell out of wood, or a guitar out of metal.

Yeah that's what i was thinking too,but then again it is an "electric "guitar so the sound could be more about the quality of the pick-up?

 

[Jonhilgen]

I have a buddy that is just starting to build cigar box guitars!  Calls them Leroys Blues Box.  Nice little four string guitars that some of the original blues guys used to play with back in the day.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Looks nice, Probably very well crafted. But the only thing that matters to me is the sound of a guitar. I've never found metal guitars to have the rich and warm tonality of wooden guitars. Metal has a different way of resonating than wood. On the website they speak about a "pure and crisp" sound, but to me that means "empty and hollow". You get the high tones very well but in the lower regions something is distinctly missing.

In my opinion, you don't make a church bell out of wood, or a guitar out of metal.

Yeah that's what i was thinking too,but then again it is an "electric "guitar so the sound could be more about the quality of the pick-up?

Oh no, electric or not, the body still has great influence on the sound.

 

[Pete Pedisich]

Looks nice, Probably very well crafted. But the only thing that matters to me is the sound of a guitar. I've never found metal guitars to have the rich and warm tonality of wooden guitars. Metal has a different way of resonating than wood. On the website they speak about a "pure and crisp" sound, but to me that means "empty and hollow". You get the high tones very well but in the lower regions something is distinctly missing.

In my opinion, you don't make a church bell out of wood, or a guitar out of metal.

Alex,

Yes indeed, a wood guitar has a very different sound from a metal hollow-bodied guitar. These aluminum guitars were never intended to replace wood guitars, but to complement them. Guitarists may take a range of guitars on tour with them, using some for just one particular song, and these aluminum guitars provide qualities preferred for certain passages or compositions. Having said that, like I noted above, they are not to everyones tastes - or appropriate in every circumstance - but they provide variety, which is, as they say, the spice of life!  
[smile]
Thanks for looking, and if you ever see the band Porcupine Tree from the UK, who play in The Netherlands when touring Europe, you will see Steven Wilson playing an Alumisonic on a few songs.

Take care,

Pete

Some examples of how they sound:
Sound Demo 1 - Evo Classic
Sound Demo 2 - Classic Alloy T6

 

[Pete Pedisich]

I have a buddy that is just starting to build cigar box guitars!  Calls them Leroys Blues Box.  Nice little four string guitars that some of the original blues guys used to play with back in the day.

Those are neat, was he a woodworker first, or a guitar player?

 

[Kev]

I recently took delivery of a cigar box guitar I purchased on ebay - just for a bit of fun ... it's pretty terrible!

I'll stick to the real thing from now on.

 

[JLB builders LLC]

Nice but I will stick with wood
2007 Les Paul only 500 made Blonde Beauty

Current rig (sold the Gold top) But still have the LP,Fender USA Deluxe and PRS "Raizen" one off.

 

[Jonhilgen]

I have a buddy that is just starting to build cigar box guitars!  Calls them Leroys Blues Box.  Nice little four string guitars that some of the original blues guys used to play with back in the day.

Those are neat, was he a woodworker first, or a guitar player

Pete, he's a woodwork.  But his daughter is a blues guitarist (i think she's barely 18), and he's a huge blues fan.  So he decided to make some of these during his slow times.  He's sold about 10 so far, and is going to star installing pick ups on them so they can be played on stage. 

Obviously, the sound isn't going to be as good as a guitar, but its fun for him, and really has given him a sense of purpose since he's had a few slow years in construction.  He's inspired now, and I haven't seen him like that for a long time.  And you wouldn't believe how few tools he has to get these done!

Jon

 

[fdengel]

Kit to make a harp from PVC Pipe:

http://johnkovac.com/piperharp.html

+1 on the fact that using different materials results in an instrument that sounds different -- but different is just that, and not neccessarily bad; it can depend on what you are trying to do with it.