This guy melts aluminum cans into a guitar

[MelvinWalker]

I am frankly speechless at the ingenuity of some people...Well worth the watch if you want to see how to forge aluminum cans into a gorgeous playable electric guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7rMivsFtJU

[Rustyt1953]

There is no rule that says a playable guitar has to be made of tone woods.


"The Taylor Pallet guitar was originally conceived in 1995 as a way of proving to the guitar world that the quality of wood is not the only factor in building great guitars, Bob wanted to prove that the quality of the luthier was just as, if not more important than the quality of the wood by building a guitar entirely out of Pallet wood. This was a complete shock to the acoustic guitar world and the outcome far exceeded the expectations of everyone. It was in fact a revelation that a guitar made out of Oak Pallet wood back and sides with a 6 piece top of non-descript Pallet soft wood could sound so good and play so well, it was actually a very striking looking guitar with some very distinct features. The Forklift inlay was designed by Larry Breedlove and made out of Formica and Pearl, they also went as far as placing aluminium dots where the nail marks were in the wood to resemble the head of a nail which is a great touch that helps set this guitar apart from anything else that has been on the market."

I played this very guitar at the 1995 NAMM Show.





There were only 25 made and they bring $15-20K.

[oldbrownhat]

Originally Posted by MelvinWalker

I am frankly speechless at the ingenuity of some people...Well worth the watch if you want to see how to forge aluminum cans into a gorgeous playable electric guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7rMivsFtJU

Brilliant! Clearly not into heavy metal

[Rustyt1953]

The Dan Armstrong "Plexi" series.



The all carbon fiber Ned Steinberger NS-4.

[MelvinWalker]

Originally Posted by Rustyt1953

The Dan Armstrong "Plexi" series.



The all carbon fiber Ned Steinberger NS-4.

I remember Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers), played a plexiglass Strat while with Spirit.

[venomballistics]

Originally Posted by Rustyt1953

The Dan Armstrong "Plexi" series.



The all carbon fiber Ned Steinberger NS-4.

The late great Les Paul's first increment of success was a chunk of railroad rail and telephone parts.
This would be the benchmark for the sound he sought.

[Rustyt1953]

Originally Posted by venomballistics

The late great Les Paul's first increment of success was a chunk of railroad rail and telephone parts.
This would be the benchmark for the sound he sought.

He called it "The Log".

[venomballistics]

Originally Posted by Rustyt1953

He called it "The Log".

I seem to remember that name he gave it.
It's interesting just how humble the beginnings of the instrument were.
So far removed from the parent instrument, it seems a miracle it found it's way back to join it in form and function

[Rustyt1953]

1939.

[venomballistics]

Originally Posted by Rustyt1953

1939.

A bit before that was "the rail"
Taken from Les Paul's site.

THE RAIL – ELECTRIC GUITAR BEGINNINGS
Les Paul began experimenting with electrifying his guitar when he was in his early teens. He connected a radio as an amplifier to his acoustic guitar, but he wanted to hear just the strings vibrate and he wanted the strings to vibrate longer.

Using a short length of steel railroad rail and two railroad spikes, I invented a device that could give me a consistent reference point for my experiments. I took a guitar string and fastened it at each end of the steel rail, using the spikes like a bridge and nut to raise the string so it could be plucked. Then I took a telephone microphone, wired it into Mom‘s radio for amplification, and placed it on the rail under the string. I soon figured out that the tremendous solidity of the rail allowed the string’s vibration to sustain for a longer time, and there was no feedback.

[Rustyt1953]

The early Kramer and Travis Bean guitars had aluminum necks. They sounded OK but intonation would change with temperature and the neck always felt cold.

[venomballistics]

Originally Posted by Rustyt1953

The early Kramer and Travis Bean guitars had aluminum necks. They sounded OK but intonation would change with temperature and the neck always felt cold.

I think I remember a few graphite neck models in the late 80's.
Not sure why that didn't catch on. It'd be supremely stable

[LVSteve]

Pete Haycock of the Climax Blues Band had an aluminum guitar in the late 70s/early 80s. I liked the tone.

YouTube

[Rustyt1953]

Originally Posted by venomballistics

I think I remember a few graphite neck models in the late 80's.
Not sure why that didn't catch on. It'd be supremely stable

Modulus basses are very popular.

This is my 1995 Turbo Sweet Spot.

Graphite neck, Ebonol finger board, ash body w/chakte kok top.

Best bass I've ever owned.

[soFlaNative]

Originally Posted by LVSteve

Pete Haycock of the Climax Blues Band had an aluminum guitar in the late 70s/early 80s. I liked the tone.

Me too, always assumed chrome.

[Telecaster]

In the '80s I'd read about the carbon fiber Bond Electraglide, with the sawtooth neck. The "frets" were molded as a sawtooth shape, and it had advanced electronics for the pickups. It was something like $1200 or more. Then I was in Boston at a guitar shop and they had one, marked down to $350 for some reason. I guess they didn't sell and went out of business. I went home, but kept thinking about it, so I called the store to see if they still had it. I had them ship it to me.

It was a fun guitar with a nice tone, and I enjoyed playing it, but the electronics didn't agree with me so I removed them and installed conventional pots and switches. It was poorly balanced, so I added weights inside the hollow body.

I eventually sold it for not a lot of money, but if I'd kept it original it would probably be valuable today.

[mtgianni]

I have an arbor press a friend made from melting cans and aluminum scraps. He poured it into a sand mold block then machined the block into a press. Remelt the machined scraps and do it again.

[444 Magnum]

Originally Posted by MelvinWalker

I am frankly speechless at the ingenuity of some people...Well worth the watch if you want to see how to forge aluminum cans into a gorgeous playable electric guitar.

A very creative and talented guy. This video displays some mad wood working skills.

YouTube

[Rustyt1953]

In 1994 I sold this Fender Custom Shop Harley-Davidson Strat to a Harley dealer in Atlanta for $17K. There were only 109 made. They are now bringing upwards of $30K.

Fender produced these incredible guitars to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of Harley Davidson Motorcycles. The hand-engraved HD art accents the custom made aluminum body and pickguard that is plated in chrome and gold. The figured birds-eye maple neck features an ebony fretboard with stainless steel frets and an engraved “90th Anniversary Edition” plate at 12th fret.

[Ivan the Butcher]

A 80+ year old Hungarian emigrant live in my apartments in the early 1980's. I saw him in a vacant lot using a block plane and went to investigate. He had made the plane, the sole was rounded end to end and side to side. He said he made the fitted seats on captain's chairs with now days, but use to make violins with it. He invited me to see some of his violins. One he had just finished was entirely of Black Walnut. He claimed it would never be a great violin, it had no soul! I guess he knew a great violin when he made one, His very first one still plays in the New York Philharmonic.

The materials will only make a differance in the right hands!

Ivan

[Rustyt1953]

It's not always the hardware. A pool shark can best you with a mop handle.

[MelvinWalker]

Originally Posted by Rustyt1953

It's not always the hardware. A pool shark can best you with a mop handle.

Exactly right....Look at the patron saint of bassists and one of the best studio bassists to ever exist on this planet, Leland Sklar...He has played on 2000 albums from James Taylor's first album through Phil Collins and hundreds in between.

His main "Frankenstein" bass he has played for years looks like something found in a dumpster.

[Rustyt1953]

"Renowned as being one of the most famous basses in the world, the story being Jaco Pastorius’ number one instrument is almost as complex and mysterious as Pastorius himself. Hailing from 1962, the Fender Jazz Sunburst "Bass of Doom" was supposedly de-fretted by Pastorius with a butter knife upon purchasing it for $90 in the early ’70s, filling the fret slots with plastic wood and applying multiple coats of Poly Poxy to cover up the gouges he created from his home job."

[venomballistics]

This thread makes me want to dig out my soldering station and build a hybrid stack in the box

[Rustyt1953]

Originally Posted by venomballistics

This thread makes me want to dig out my soldering station and build a hybrid stack in the box

I still have my Weller Station and an assortment of tips.

[venomballistics]

Originally Posted by Rustyt1953

I still have my Weller Station and an assortment of tips.

At one point, electronics experimentation drove my playing more than anything.
The two interests really can feed each other