Materials:
Our Aluminum Master and Classic series guitar bodies
are fabricated from 6061-T6 aluminum. 6061-T6 is a heat
treatable alloy typically used for higher strength applications
commercially. Therefore 6061 gives our product higher
impact and dent resistance then most aluminum's. Our
Ultra-1100 series guitar bodies are fabricated from
a combination of both 6061-T6 and 1100 aluminum. 1100
is the purest commercial grade aluminum available which
in our application gives the Ultra-1100 guitar a warmer
sound while still maintaining the rigidity and crisp
sound of the 6061-T6 body structure.
Because our aluminum bodies are fully grounded to the
bridge, strings and input jack they are as safe as the
strings and bridge on any electric guitar. Aluminum
also provides a complete RF shielding of the electronics
making our guitars as hum canceling as physically possible.
Aluminum
sound research:
The principles of the transference of sound through
materials are based on Mass and Density.
Higher density will give a higher transference of pitch.
In the case of solid and hollow body guitars we know
that more porous (lower density) woods like Mahogany
will sound warmer and deeper then Ash ore Maple. Maple,
having a greater density then Mahogany is much brighter.
The differences
are also apparent with the physical Mass (weight) of
the materials. Knock on a thin sheet of Maple and you
will hear a lower pitch then a thicker piece of the
same sheet size. The thinner piece has less Mass thus
the lower pitch.
In an effort for AlumiSonic to meet the traditional
status quo of pitch these principles had to be applied.
A solid aluminum body has way too much mass. Lower tones
would be lost. Lightening holes would only loose the
sound. As a hollow body guitar, too thin of a gage would
result in too much hollow body resonance and depth.
The resonance produced by any hollow body guitar usually
equates to deeper tone.
Our process of elimination lead us to the proper gage
thickness and aluminum types to balance the deeper hollow
body tone. As a result our guitar bodies produce a simultaneous
array of low and high tone resonance that could not
be achieved with any other material. In addition our
guitars produce a more crisp and crystal clear tone
then their solid as well as hollow wood predecessors.
With the added benefit of being a hollow body made of
6061-T6 aluminum, with the right amount of overdrive
and volume infinite sustain can be achieved.
Body
Structure:
All of our formed sides and laser cut tops are accurately
fixtured and welded together in a seamless aluminum
dip-weld process. Along with the bottom and sides our
bodies maintain excellent rigidity under varying string
weights and temperature changes. In fact when used in
conjunction with the incredible stability of our carbon
graphite necks our guitars are completely impervious
to barometric pressure (humidity) changes as well as
the typical seasonal swelling, contracting and cracking
issues associated with almost all wood based instruments.
Our specially formed 6061 body sides (being 30% thicker
then the 6061 top and bottom materials) act as a temperature
sync and structural stabilizer thus maintaining dimensional
consistency from cold to hot conditions. In essence
you will be more likely to stay in tune from place to
place and with a Carbon fiber neck and maintain your
intonation setup indefinitely.
The incredible rigidity of our body panels and sides
also allows for a complete un-chambered and light
weight hollow body (if desired). With the exception
of the internal bridge support and tailpiece support,
this structure leads to the advantage of a clear area
for inserting our specially machined custom Pickup Chambers
for a more semi hollow sound. Our custom Pickup Chambers
can be used to physically shape the sound of any desired
pickup position with any one of our chamber materials
offered (see custom).
Appearance:
Our Master-Alloy, Classic-Alloy and Ultra-1100 series
of instruments accurately replicate all of the features
of classic instruments to dimensional perfection. Since
our bodies are not screwed together, the backs and sides
are clean and seamless. Our Master and Classic Alloy
guitar bodies feature 1/8” radius edges all around.
The sides of these bodies also include the traditional
1-1/2” input jack flat area. A characteristic
that is not easy to produce. Ultra-1100 bodies have
perfectly formed arch-tops with sharp edges from top
to sides and 1/8” radiuses from bottom to sides.
Our neck pockets are partially laser cut and tediously
hand finished and accurately filed for a minimum gap
and perfect neck position. Bridge positions are located
with laser cut holes relative to the laser cut neck
pockets giving a perfect neck lineup to the bridge.
Finishing:
At AlumiSonic we take a great deal of pride in our meticulous
quality control efforts. As a compliment to the mere
perfect form of our instruments and the accuracy in
which they are fabricated, all of the surfaces of our
instruments are finished to the same high level of perfection.
From polished and clear coated aluminum to chrome plating,
each AlumiSonic guitar is inspected for the slightest
imperfection before and after the finishing process,
after assembly and once again prior to shipping.
Pickguards:
In an effort to maintain classic lines, all of our aluminum
pickguards are 3/32 thick and are machined with a correct
45 deg beveled edge. Being that we are fastening our
pickguards to metal and not wood we are using machine
screws with the exact same head diameter and shape as
standard wood self tapping screws. Along with our pickguards
and bodies internal electronics are completely and naturally
RF shielded. Aluminum in particular is a better insulator
from dimmer switches and florescent lighting then any
other material. All of our pickguards are manufactured
by AlumiSonic and are dimensionally specific to our
instruments.
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