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  • #23861
    MNecks
    Participant

    Hello

    I put together a new site called MetalNecks.com. It’s a central resource site focusing on aluminum necked guitars and basses.. ie: Travis Bean, Kramer, Electrical Guitar Company, Tactical Works, Vaccaro, Veleno. The primary goal is to get owners of these guitars/basses in a central location to review their instruments. Alot of these guitars are no longer in production and are hard to come by.. so if you were interested in them, it’s hard to get information and understand how they sound/play, etc.

    Currently, there are only a few sites that discuss these guitars…

    Travis Bean Guitars
    Vintage Kramer
    Electrical Guitar Company

    What I’m hoping by posting this.. is finding some owners of these guitars and basses. If you own one, please take a moment and post a review of your model. If you don’t own one, check out the site.. you might find it interesting!!!

    MetalNecks.com

    Thanks much everyone
    MN

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    • #66814
      ScoGo
      Participant

      Hi All, I spent 27 years as a manufacturing engineer and I now make my living building custom guitars, basses etc. so I think I am qualified to set you all straight on metal necks.

      First of all Aluminum is MUCH heavier than mahogany or maple.
      For example: Maple weighs 33-44 lbs./Ft.3 (cubic ft. = 12″ cube)
      Mahogany = 33 lbs./Ft.3
      Aluminum = 168.5 lbs./Ft.3

      Even worse is the thermal expansion of metal Vs. Wood. The following shows how much wood & metal will grow & shrink in a linear direction per each 1 degree farenheit of temperature change. The volume, (thickness), will change approx. 3X the linear amount.

      For example: Wood = .0000028″ per linear inch.
      Aluminum = .00001244″ per linear inch. (4.443 X wood)

      So all you get is increased weight & more movement due to temperature changes than wood. The only advantage was that metal is stiffer. The solution to this is to reinforce a wooden neck with graphite which is 3X stiffer than steel by weight & about 80% as stiff by size. Graphite is more or less imune to changes in temperature & humidity. I use 2 bars, each 3/16″ x 1/4″, inlayed & epoxied into the neck, underneath the fingerboard on either side of the truss rod slot. 3 bars with a wider neck. I also have these run about 2″ up into the headstock to strengthen this area. Graphite necks are another solution to the problem. Forget metal. If you want a bulletproof & super stable neck, use graphite, either in the wood or instead of it.

      Keep playing! SG

    • #66795
      MNecks
      Participant

      [quote=”glw”]Just out of curiosity: the old Kramers and Travis Beans used to have tuning problems associated with the metal necks reacting to temperature fluctuations. Has this issue ever been addressed?[/quote]

      I have heard mention of this in the past. I think it was related (mostly in Beans — I have no idea about Kramers) with the nut. Bean use a brass nut, and is often a common modification to switch to bone. I own a TB1000S with brass nut.. and live in the Northwest. So I know about cold.. and know about the Bean (which still has original brass nut). My guitar holds it’s tuning better than any of my other guitars. My Les Paul would go out of tune if you looked at it.

      The neck maintains the temperature for a long time.. so if the neck is cold.. it stays cold for awhile. Later model Beans started to put imron coating on the necks which helped with hand comfort.. since cold to the touch was a common complaint. Kramers have wood strips in their necks to help with this as well as making the neck lighter in weight. The imron caused another series of problems.. since it chipped.

      Here is a quote from the Kaman article on the imron coating:
      [quote]The fourth change that took place around mid ’77 was the coating of the necks. One of the constant complaints about Travis Beans was that the necks felt “cold” and some found that objectionable. (It’s a good thing these guys didn’t play saxophone). In response to this the company introduced the option of a Black Imron coated neck. Imron is a heavy duty automotive enamel. It was felt that this heavy finish would make the necks feel slightly warmer and, since it was a spray on finish it would be more like a standard guitar neck. This was an option on any guitar or bass and, as mentioned, pretty much standard on the 500 series.
      [/quote]

      Full article can be read here:
      http://www.travisbeanguitars.com/index.php/ID/d9057bd7c2a79382e4a32260ae1aa2b0/fuseaction/history.main.htm

      Thanks!
      MN

    • #66817
      glw
      Participant

      Just out of curiosity: the old Kramers and Travis Beans used to have tuning problems associated with the metal necks reacting to temperature fluctuations. Has this issue ever been addressed?

    • #66790
      MNecks
      Participant

      [quote=”Tim”]As a bassist I’ve always found the concept of alu necks interesting so I’ll definitely be visiting your site…we do have a contemporary producer of Alu necked (and bodied) guitars posting on the board: Bergeron Guitars. Sounds like they’re worth checking out if thats your thing.[/quote]

      Hello

      I’ve just made contact with Bergeron. I’ll be adding them to the site in the near future. Alu bass/guitars are really great depending on what you want to achieve tone wise. I love them (obviously) but they’re not for everyone. I think Electricals are really making a big splash in the aluminum market. They create some great instruments, and their prices are awesome. I personally own a Travis Bean TB1000S and a Electrical Standard.

      Thanks!
      MN

    • #66802
      Tim
      Participant

      As a bassist I’ve always found the concept of alu necks interesting so I’ll definitely be visiting your site…we do have a contemporary producer of Alu necked (and bodied) guitars posting on the board: Bergeron Guitars. Sounds like they’re worth checking out if thats your thing.

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