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Topic: Question on end plates and neck ?? |
Chase Livingston
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 6 Jan 2025 9:54 am |
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| Has any steel guitar ever been produced ( tried ) with stainless steel end plates and stainless steel neck? |
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Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
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Posted 6 Jan 2025 2:46 pm
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I don't know if/who may have done that, but SS is going to be about 3x the weight of aluminum. Necks and end plates are the most substantial metal parts on a PSG, so that should explain why aluminum has always been the preferred material. You can also find lots of other forum threads with folks proclaiming that aluminum is a more "musical" material than SS, you might get those same responses here, but that is entirely subjective
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All lies and jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest - Paul Simon |
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Per Berner
From:
Skovde, Sweden
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Posted 6 Jan 2025 11:16 pm
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| The density of steel may well be close to three times higher than aluminium, but steel is also a lot stronger, which means thinner dimensions can be used without compromising rigidity. My guess is that steel components with corresponding strength would be somewhere between 50 and 100 per cent heavier, depending on design and manufacturing methods. Still a substantial and unwanted weight gain, though. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 7 Jan 2025 7:51 am
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| Not stainless steel, but Mullen has been using thinner chrome plated steel end plates for years. Doesn't seem to hurt the tone of those guitars a bit. Necks are aluminum. |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 7 Jan 2025 7:58 am
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Aluminum is far easier to cast and machine, and it polishes nicely. Stainless steel is a royal PITA to work with and use of any steel would require cutting and welding of numerous small parts to construct the changer box and leg pockets. It would be a bear and add needless time and cost to an already precarious business model, and chroming steel parts is no longer a viable option.
Jerry Fessenden used to put a steel plate behind the apron of his guitars to receive the crossbar bearings, and while it firmed up the action nicely it added another five or six pounds to the weight over similar guitars from other builders, even though he used aluminum everywhere else including the entire pedal bar. |
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