Considering my first metalworking project

My buddy and I made this protype in my shop. 5/8" solid alum. He sells them now, they sound awesome. The band is New Brutalism.

http://www.myspace.com/newbrutalism

Tim Baxter wrote: I know a guy with a solid aluminum Strat. Heavy sucker.

see above...

...awesome.

I know ~zip~ about guitars so I won't pretend to offer advice on what thickness of metal, etc. Now the nibblers I know something about. I use mine for smaller stuff and I am in the habit of perching my workpiece on a big trash can. Saves a LOT of cleanup work.

The cut edge is very clean but has a slight 'scallop' like a knife edge. That's easily cleaned up with a Scotchbrite whizz wheel (cookie) in a die grinder.

If you need to reinforce the body in the area under the strings, you can use a piece of steel C channel. Eastwood sells them as 'panel reinforcements', sorry can't post a link because of the NetNanny blocking 'shopping'. Or you can use a sheet metal brake to make one. It looks like a 'C' witha lip that points outwards at each end.

Yeah, they're badass. Think want a country band to open for 'em?

This thread has got me thinking I need to make a guitar from scratch. I've got a box of pickups somewhere. Pretty sure my brother has a neck and a Floyd copy. I'm thinking my medium will be something a little different though. Perhaps it'll be made from dead Chinese political prisoner mache; after their livers are harvested, of course.

Funny: For the hell of it, I googled "handmade guitars." EVERY site on the first page of results featured a flamed maple top PRS copy on the home page. How berkeleying sad is that? I'm sort of thinking this challenge needs to happen.

Dude, I'm in. Does the discussion of the criteria of the competition portion of this new challenge event warrant a separate thread, or shall we proceed herein?

I would say new thread just to make it easy to find and all lol.

Consider it done.