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Aluminum Neck Club
- Thread starter oZZma
- Start date
I’m beyond excited to finally put my hands on one of their basses- 14 lbs of 6061 aluminum. At 3/4’s of an inch thin, the weight shouldn’t be an issue at all.
They’ll be doing a production run of their Model 34 bass sometime next year, probably in the spring. I kind of lucked out in snagging one of the first five prototypes- I ended up going with a black anodized body & fretboard with a clear anodized neck. The saddles are Travis Bean saddles, sourced from Kevin @ EGC.
Right now I’m just waiting for a custom spaced Nordstrand MM humbucker to arrive & be installed. Here’s an in-progress shot featuring the first idea G&L MFD pickup (which turned out to be way too hot..) //
I came across all the "aluminum thing" because of this bass, ehehehe
And I suspect I'm not alone
one of the coolest "uncommon" bass design I've ever seen
Not sure of how such a thin bass will feel... let us know!
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I want to join the club but I have to wait until this project is further along. Currently working on putting a truss rod into a Hartke aluminum neck. Here's a pic of its current status.
My TB2000, refurbished with an aluminum board. My favorite bass.
My first bass, purchased on a whim, at a party, sometime in 1980. 76 Kramer 450B with original hardcase. The deal included a Kustom roll and tuck bass amp and 2-15 cab in sparkle black. $300 total, $75 down to walk out with the bass. It needed a G string. Three pay days later I had the whole rig.
I didn’t actually play anything, but I figured: four strings, and every band needs one....how hard can it be? Bring on the dancing girls! Little did I know, I was starting on a very long trip.
This one saw plenty of mods over the thirty plus years I owned it. In the end it was fretless. Dimarzio stacked J humbuckers, a Bart pre three band under the hood, coil tap, Wilkinson bridge, les paul gold knobs....
I sold it a few years back when the weight became too much for me. A neck diver for sure. Great bass. My only bass for 26 years, until I ran into Talkbass. At one point, I had a Rick for a few months, but liked the Kramer better and traded the Rick for an amp.
My Dingwall P weighs half what the Kramer weighed.
Forgot to post a progress photo of the Obstructures neck / headstock :
Went with black Sperzel tuners to match the body & fretboard.
Obstructures has a really great feed on Instagram, can’t recommend it enough for anyone interested in aluminum instruments + assorted other machined goodness.
More info on the Model 34 bass:
Obstructures \ thing \ model 34 bass
Went with black Sperzel tuners to match the body & fretboard.
Obstructures has a really great feed on Instagram, can’t recommend it enough for anyone interested in aluminum instruments + assorted other machined goodness.
More info on the Model 34 bass:
Obstructures \ thing \ model 34 bass
My Kramer is strung with Ernie Ball Super Slinky 100-45 strings
Owned a TB over 30 years ago when just starting out.
Whoa, cool! Where'd you get that body? Looks like a Wal MkI!
I have no idea! I bought this bass 25+ years ago as a teenager on vacation in England. It was my first bass and i used it for years pondering who put it togeather. It was a partso bass back then and i have not changed it except maybe the knobs at one time. The neck is kramer, pups are old dimarzios and the bridge is an old badass - all pointing towards a 70s /early 80s bass. The body have no markings but it certanly looks alot like a Wal- but for all i know someone made it in a shed. The body has been drilled for a standard 4-bolt neck before the kramer was added and possibly refinished
Its a great bass but nowdays doesent get alot of play- but it does carry alot of sentimental value to me.
Why are the Sperzels mounted with the keys facing out the front? Wouldn't that make the bass a bit awkward to tune? Or, is this going to be a lap bass?
The headstock doesn’t angle backwards, so in order to get proper tension over the nut, the strings dive down into the headstock and meet the tuners on the inside.Why are the Sperzels mounted with the keys facing out the front? Wouldn't that make the bass a bit awkward to tune? Or, is this going to be a lap bass?
This also makes for a better fit inside of its case. It’s only 3/4” thick.
Also, keeping the headstock straight instead of angled saves reduces aluminum waste in the milling process.
It’s still in the process of being put together, so I’ve yet to personally put my eyes or hands on it. I’ll be sure to follow up and let you know if it’s awkward or not.
I generally tune with my right hand, so I’m not expecting any personal problems with this design choice.
maybe you're still in time to change idea on the shape without losing the "queue"?
(I'd stick to series two anyways, I like its look better
I'm actually going to stick with the series 2 shape after all. Kevin doesn't recommend the RD shape for the bass because of balance/neck dive concerns, I have decided to take that advice.
all aluminum EG500 from The Electrical Guitar Company today's feed on Facebook
