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I was wondering if people have experience using metal (aluminum, brass, steel, copper) for guitar bodies? Do's or Don'ts?

I know solid body is out of the question (wasn't there a 78 lbs. solid brass ibanez?). I know there are some builders known for their use of metal but was curious as to if the type of metal has an effect on the sound and how it sounds as say a top on a semihollow with wood back and sides, or metal back and sides and wood top?

I guess looking for any input when it comes to using for guitar bodies or necks. I guess it's a little outside the realm of luthiery as it usually involves the assistance of a machinist.

My experience is only with acoustics and then mostly resonators. Metal resonators are typically made of either steel or "bell brass" - and while most of the sound of a reso comes from the cones the body material definitely colors it (just as back and side woods colors the sound of an acoustic). Metal resonator bodies are either silver brazed or can be welded - you really don need a machinist. In the archives at MIMF there is a very good tutorial on making a metal bodied tricone. Most metal resonators have wood necks - usually attached with a neck stick (like a banjo), however a few are square necks and the neck is metal too. fwiw - even tho they are hollow, a metal resonator is pretty darn heavy.

At one time I harbored a crazy idea of making a resonator out of titanium - I worked in a metal fabrication shop at that time and one of my friends was a welder for Moots Cycles (titanium mountain bikes). It would have been much lighter than steel or brass and very expensive - maybe you would call it a "ti-cone". I ended up building it out of wood with techniques that I knew.

This is rather interesting - an acoustic built out of aluminum. It is not a resonator - the top is the sound board just like other acoustics, but it does have a reso tone. At one time I had communicated with the builder - you could shoot him an e-mail

http://www.eddowling.com/pages/Technophonic.shtml

Lastly, when I worked for the fab shop I did use their metal working tools (particularly a laser cutter) to make jigs and fixtures - many of my router templates came off the laser. If you can hook up with equipment like that it should help with fabricating parts for your guitar.

Wow, great info. As to the reso's, yeah I remember the first time I picked one up I was kind of shocked that it really was as heavy as it looked. Plus playing a few acoustic beforehand, didn't help with the change in weight.

Also looking (if anyone is willing to share) for any notes or specs on any original zemaitis guitars. I know the basic:

3-piece mahogany neck
3-piece mahogany body
Ebony Fretboard
set-neck

Looking to see if anyone has any notes on unique deviations, or specs on things like body thickness, scale length, screw/insert materials (length, and or diameter), type of aluminum, top thickness, etc.

Not sure on what the best way to attach the metal top is, whether it's epoxy or screws (maybe with inserts).

I remember the Veleno guitars - made out of aluminum. Travis Bean and Kramer guitars were both aluminum-necked guitars when they came out. I built an aluminum tread plate topped Strat for Mark Shelton of Manilla Road way back in the 80's.
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/6 ... a+Road.jpg

Do metal pickguards count? With all the steampunk interest these days, I've seen a number of guitars featuring metal.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

That's a cool guitar, like the tread plate look.

Did you try different thicknesses for the metal top?

I've seen some cool stuff being built with customized metal pickguards. Thinking of the whole top being metal though, like the one you made.

Thanks. I didn't try anything else. I was walking one of the local aircraft scrapyards, and spotted a perfect piece. It's 1/4 thick. Sawed it out with a jigsaw, rough ground the edges on the belt sander, bent the armrest over a telephone pole, handfiled to smooth the edge, and buffed with a stiff pad.

This was done way back in the late 80's. The guitar is now in a local history museum.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I bet them Veleno guitars were really cold to the touch in the winter time.

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Of all the things I could easily do it would be to make a metal guitar...lol. But metal or composite guitars always seem a bit, I don't know, "gimmicky"?

I can imagine a nice aluminum body and neck would at least have a unique tone...but I'm never going to bother to find out. After cutting enough metal, cutting wood seems like a vacation.

I like creativity. I can certainly appreciated that when see these instruments.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Rick Toone is doing one-piece aluminum necks.

these guys do aluminum guitars

http://www.electricalguitarcompany.com/models/

Maybe the humidity down there DROVE them to it.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

I like the look of the metal V.

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the detail pics on the Zemaitis site show the top thinner than a pickup ring , that wouldn't present much of a weight issue .

http://www.zemaitis-guitars.com/our_gui ... tom_metal/