Fonnybone Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 I wanna make a guitar body out of steel. Is the steel gonna mess up the pickup-string magnetic fields ? If so, what about stainless steel ? I found these guys, but i don't see much steel... http://www.britishcustomguitars.com/ I'm looking for your feedback/experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Are you planning on a solid body or hollow body? Solid steel at 1" thick is going to weigh around 40 lbs., stainless around 45lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guernica Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 I found these guys, but i don't see much steel... http://www.britishcustomguitars.com/ ...crazy designs! ..check out the jaguar and the 'gear shift' that moves the pick-up where ever you might want it. ..pretty cool schtuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feral_smurf Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 from my knowledge steel and stainless steel are both magnetic due to the iron content but they are quite difficult to magnetize unlike iron (as steel is a hard magnetic material). For this reason I would think that it wouldn't have a huge effect in changing the magnetic field of the pickup as the body won't be magnetized. But you will find that the pickups will attract to the body As mentioned any sort of thick steel will be quite heavy I would suggest choosing something like aluminium which is lighter, easier to work with and non magnetic. Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fookgub Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 There are a couple companies floating around making steel guitars. Hollowbodies made from thin sheet steel welded at the edges seem to be the common path. I may have a couple of these guys bookmarked at home, so I'll see if I can dig them up when I get off work. A steel-bodied guitar is perfectly do-able given the proper skills, planning, and tools. Anyway, common steel will interact with magnetic fields, possibly changing the sound by altering the shape and strength of the field. However, the magnitude of this effect is up for grabs. My gut feeling is that it won't make much difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Nice guitars...inventive concepts... If I were to make a steel hollow body(I would not though) I would encase the pups in wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim37 Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 stainless is non magnetic me and a friend have contemplated building a strat out of steel we figured 20 gauge sheet metal with a stronger bracing for the neck an bridge would work best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 20 guage will need bracing throughout the body,not just at the bridge and neck... Your best bet would be to run a mahogany center and outline,and sandwich it with the plate you mention...leave "spokes" of mahogany in a radius about every 4" max...and glue the plate to the wood with epoxy. I say mahogany because that will help counter the tinny sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshvegas Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 http://www.jamestrussart.com/Newsite/Models.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonnybone Posted May 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Thanks for the replies guys. I'm well aware of the weight implications, i'm a welder and believe me, i know how heavy a full body made out of steel would be. My basic idea was to create a small box containing the pickups, bridge mountings and neck mounting. I'm looking to make a modular center box to which i will later attach other parts like an electronics 'module', arm rest, etc... I'm reading lots on resonance and how heavier bodies have more sustain, so i don't think weight is the enemy, i just want to put it where i want so i don't end up with an unbalanced pos. Adding counter weights attachments to the main box for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Are you a new welder?I mean no disrespect,so don't take it that way,but I long ago lost my fascination with steel and making stuff out of it...I tow 5 machines every day of the work week and put up steel buildings over and over and over and over and...you get the idea... But after sooo many years of it the last thing I would ever want is to come home and build a guitar out of steel...building out of wood is my escape from all of that. I guess you could say I am curious ...because if I never saw a piece of steel again it would be too soon...yet tomorrow I go back and it will be all around me yet again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshvegas Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 (edited) Weight doesn't mean sustain all on its own there are other factors! Its definately the enemy though not being able to play the guitar because it hurts I would class as a serious design flaw. Edited May 15, 2009 by joshvegas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Steel will alter the sound of the pickups, regardless of steel quality. Take the Tele pickup for example. Replace a steel Tele bridge with a 80s brass type and you will hear the difference. Also try adding/taking away steel in the close proximity of the magnetic field and listen at the same time. Everything that is magnetic will alter the shape of the magnetic field and that (the shape of the magnetic field) is one of the most important factors that change the sound. Now this doesn't have to be a bad thing. Back to the telecaster; What has most of that "Tele sound", a Tele with brass or steel bridge? The one with the steel bridge of cause (not necessarily the best sound, but the most genuine Tele sound). So how is a steel body going to affect the sound coming through the pickups? I have no idea but I'm 100% sure that it is going to affect the sound. The steel might have a good or bad impact but it will affect the sound. You have to try it and maybe you will have to have someone make you custom pickups, taking in consideration the impact of all that steel. And most stainless steel is also magnetic. Take a magnet to the old cutlery in the kitchen and see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 i was speaking to the guy who makes those british custom guitars a few years back at a guitar show, got to have a play with a couple too. they are quite nice, obviously a bit heavier depending on the design you choose but not over the top heavy. they may not be the most practical things but they certainly looked cool and the guy making them was clearly crazy (cant remember his name at the moment ???) I am still never sure i like the sound of non-wood guitars, but thats me being stuck in the mud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRAKO Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Nice guitars...inventive concepts... If I were to make a steel hollow body(I would not though) I would encase the pups in wood. Agreed. You may want to consider doing a typical build, and then doing a chrome paint job. I use catalyzed urethane (car paint) for any opaque finish. Alsa corp. makes this chrome paint that is just killer looking if it’s applied right. The metal flake in it is REAL finely ground and it gives the appearance of steel. It would take a little creativity, but it would probably be lighter and easier than machining a bunch of steel components. Or you could just combine the two, do the chrome paint job on the wood surrounding the pickups and attach whatever steel appendages you could come up with. That would give you the option of a set neck if you wanted it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonnybone Posted May 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Are you a new welder?I mean no disrespect,so don't take it that way,but I long ago lost my fascination with steel and making stuff out of it...I tow 5 machines every day of the work week and put up steel buildings over and over and over and over and...you get the idea... But after sooo many years of it the last thing I would ever want is to come home and build a guitar out of steel...building out of wood is my escape from all of that. I guess you could say I am curious ...because if I never saw a piece of steel again it would be too soon...yet tomorrow I go back and it will be all around me yet again. I'm not at all insulted, you're quite right. I have been a welder for a few years only, but i've done and studied quite a few things and i have finally found something i truly enjoy. I don't work on big structures, i don't really want to either, the shop i work at specializes more in residential things, our bread and butter is mostly stairs (mostly custom designs), gates, fences and such, but we also do a lot of custom pieces for designers and artists. Being an artistic fellow myself, i feel right at home. I've also studied industrial design in my 20s so i have a good background for material, prototyping, designing, CAD models, etc... I love guitars and have always been a hands-on guy. I made a few guitar stands at work and a fellow musician/co-worker thought it was pointless since you can buy one for cheap. Totally besides the point, i don't WANT a cheap generic guitar stand, i want an original one i made myself. I also have plans for a combo amp stand with a self leveling 'swinging shelf' to adjust the angle. My best friend is a mecanic and drummer, so we have other projects in mind also...We've always talked about eventually opening our own custom shop, so this is just a beginning for me. I do get tired of making freaking fences from time to time, that's why MY escape is making other things i enjoy. Besides, i'm not into wood much (maybe later...), but i do know a few fellows who are great at it since we do work with them from time to time. Metal and wood is quite popular with rich fellows wanting custom designs for their home. Anyways, i'll probably just make a quick protoype to test out the sound and, if it works, i might get some laser-cut pieces so i get a precise and clean looking assembly. I intend on canabalizing and old guitar for it's emg pickup, floyd rose bridge and neck (i'm NOT venturing into making a metal neck ). My problem for now is finding a design that is very simple, takes little space while still being rigid and connecting these 3 parts precisely. It's turning out to be the hardest part so far since things aren't aligning as expected, i might end up scraping the floyd rose for something simpler. I'll keep you guys updated as i go along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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