Aluminium necks on bass?

[barrycreed]

Probably considered a fad by some, but am considering, crazily so maybe, something like this, but not with an aluminium body. Comes in a 30" or 34" scale. 30" would be fantastic I think.

No love for aluminium necks on here I would think? Heresy!?. There are vids of P basses online with aluminium neck conversions and they sound really crisp and clear. I guess with no truss rod, you never have to worry about necks warping and so on. I have an alu neck guitar on the way next year.

[TheGreek]

Are you going for tone alu or a more basic alu??

 

 

Sorry...( alluding to the supposed difference in "Tonewoods")

Edited April 14, 2021 by TheGreek

[Doctor J]

Is that the bass version of the guitar King Buzzo plays? I can't remember the name of them, American something sonething.

 

edit -> Electrical Guitar Company

https://www.electricalguitarcompany.com/models/

Edited April 14, 2021 by Doctor J

[barrycreed]

6 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

Is that the bass version of the guitar King Buzzo plays? I can't remember the name of them, American something sonething.

 

edit -> Electrical Guitar Company

https://www.electricalguitarcompany.com/models/

That pic is by Tttides guitars in Europe. Seems to a custom build and a nod to an EGC bass.

[barrycreed]

18 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Are you going for tone alu or a more basic alu??

 

 

Sorry...

?? 

[TheGreek]

The EGC500B at just under $3k looks good value for money.

Thankfully I don't want one...

Edited April 15, 2021 by TheGreek

[barrycreed]

4 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

The EGC500 at just under $3k looks good value for money.

Thankfully I don't want one...

No way I'd pay that for any guitar. 

[TheGreek]

Sorry, amended...

[barrycreed]

1 minute ago, TheGreek said:

Sorry, amended...

ha  I get ya

[Lfalex v1.1]

I'd have a Tokai Talbo in an instant,  but they're the other way around; Alu body and wooden neck. 

[Skybone]

1 hour ago, barrycreed said:

Heresy!?. 

Kalv from Heresy had an aluminium neck Kramer XL8.

 

[itu]

6 minutes ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

I'd have a Tokai Talbo in an instant,  but they're the other way around; Alu body and wooden neck. 

...just like alusonic.

Some aluminium neck manufacturers: Burke, Wandré, Travis Bean, Kramer, Hartke (by Vaccaro), EGC, Baguley, Bastin, Aluminati...

[Hellzero]

3 hours ago, barrycreed said:

 

This is a Tides bass made nearby in Luxembourg : https://tttides-guitars.com/

[MoonBassAlpha]

The body shape is very Travis Bean

[MoonBassAlpha]

@dangerboy had some aluminium bass thing going on.  Haven't seen him in a while. He bought my Kramer 450b ages ago and  had an Electrical Guitar Company one iirc

[JPJ]

5 hours ago, Skybone said:

Kalv from Heresy had an aluminium neck Kramer XL8.

 

Used to have serious gas for one of those 8 string Kramers 

[Passinwind]

I owned a fretless Travis Bean for 40 years, I bought it new in 1977.

 

[Skybone]

8 hours ago, JPJ said:

Used to have serious gas for one of those 8 string Kramers 

Me too

[BigRedX]

I've owned a fair number of basses with aluminium necks and/or bodies -

Born To Rock F4B
Hartke XL4
Hondo Alien (Kramer The Duke copy)
Kramer 450B
Kramer XKB10
Tokai Talbo Bass (2000 re-issue)

Anything in particular you want to know?

BTW IME the going out of tune thing is not a problem so long as you don't subject them to extreme changes in temperature and expect them to stay in tune (a bit like a wooden bass really).

[mononick]

I’m waiting on an EGC 30” scale bass VI style baritone. 
I’ll post pics and opinions when I get it! 

[barrycreed]

@BigRedX Thanks for feedback. Curious about weight, neck dive. I am tempted to plump for a Tides, similar to the original post, a bit of an expense when I'm not gigging but ready for when I am able to gig (is my excuse).

From just videos I've seen, I really like the bell like crisp sound they can produce in general. Not a huge fan of the trebly pick distorted sound, which I suppose they are famous for though I would mainly be a pick player for anything remotely heavier or rockier...

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, mononick said:

I’m waiting on an EGC 30” scale bass VI style baritone. 
I’ll post pics and opinions when I get it! 

As some who plays Bass VIs only in one of my bands I'm very interested. What neck width have you gone for?

[BigRedX]

39 minutes ago, barrycreed said:

@BigRedX Thanks for feedback. Curious about weight, neck dive. I am tempted to plump for a Tides, similar to the original post, a bit of an expense when I'm not gigging but ready for when I am able to gig (is my excuse).

From just videos I've seen, I really like the bell like crisp sound they can produce in general. Not a huge fan of the trebly pick distorted sound, which I suppose they are famous for though I would mainly be a pick player for anything remotely heavier or rockier...

IME the sound is very much down to the pickup and electronics than the materials used in the construction of the neck and body. 

The most radical of the aluminium basses I owned - the Born To Rock F4B was also the most conventional sounding on account of it having a P-bass pickup in close to the conventional P-bass position:

The Kramer basses were fitted with less conventional pickups on the early models and consequently had a more unique sound.

No problem with neck dive on any of them except the Kramer XKB10, but that was down to the body shape rather than the aluminium neck. Both Kramers were fairly weighty but again due to the body woods used rather than the neck. The Tokai has a hollow body stuffed with foam so is about standard weight.

Edited April 15, 2021 by BigRedX

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Has anyone asked yet whether these are good for metal?

[barrycreed]

@BigRedX I need to think about 30 v 34 inch scale... not sure yet

Edited April 15, 2021 by barrycreed