660 Guitars introduce the AV27 “Aviator” guitar, a modern all-aluminum body take to the classic Flying V shape.
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The guitar’s entire classic V shape body is constructed from metal, more specifically, aircraft-grade aluminum, which makes the body later and more durable, both of which are simply not attainable through traditional wood builds.
If you’ve had a traditional guitar for a couple of years, then you know first hand of its sensitivity and fragility. You always have to be aware of and avoid mishandling, extreme humidity, temperature changes and the effect of the ever changing weather on your instrument. The guys at 660 Guitars decided that guitarists deserve an instrument that is more reliable and requires less maintenance, and ended up with all-aluminum body designs.
Since pickups and electronics have the biggest affect on electric guitar tone, the use of unorthodox materials like metal and plastic on the body have become justifiable for those that prefer reliability and durability. While majority of guitar players still prefer the feel and sound of wood on their instruments, there continues to be growing demand for more modern and reliable guitar builds like the 660 Aviator AV27.
The official press release adds, “660 Guitars was forged on the friendship of builders Drew Emory and Myke Wilkerson, both independent builders who found they shared the same ideas in constructing guitar bodies out of metal, namely aircraft-grade aluminum. Aluminum is an extremely rugged and durable building material, and offers the guitar world a change from traditional wood construction. The results are warm and resonant guitars with tank-like construction, and minimal weather-related issues.”
The most noteworthy feature of the AV27 is its lightweight “V” shape aluminum body, which follows the external shape of old instruments while injecting modern interior stylings into the body. It provides the same shape and feel as traditional wood bodies, albeit a bit lighter at 7.5lbs and more importantly, super reliable. And since there is no wood grains to worry about, the company wraps the body in a resilient powder coat finish that is available in multiple color options.
The neck of the guitar follows traditional specs, with a 25.5″ scale length and 16″ radius fingerboard radius, so the playing feel should be quite similar. However, the similarities end with the measurements because the neck of this guitar is built using modern graphite/carbon fiber as its material. This makes the neck virtually indestructible, and easily able to withstand bumps and environment changes that would otherwise warp or break conventional wood necks.
Giving this guitar its voice are two 16.50K DiMarzio Dominion Humbuckers that utilize ceramic magnets mounted on mini-rails which allow for a more flexible voicing. I know that skeptics will be pointing out that the sound will be different since it does not have resonating wood, but the people behind 660 Guitars stand by their design, and claim that it sounds very similar to traditional wood electric instruments, only much more reliable.
Other features of this guitar include the option to choose between Hipshot USA bridge or a Kahler Trem, smoked acrylic black glass or red glass electronics cover, and Hennessy NSL-7200 strap locks.
Finally the new 660 Aviator AV27 ships inside an RB Aero low-profile case. The MSRP for this all-aluminum body with graphite neck guitar is $3400 USD. For more information, you can head over to 660 Guitars.
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