Brass Neck - Thoughts on a new Strat project...

HarrySeven

Being of a certain age, I strongly recall the 'Age of Brass' - a period in the mid/late '70's and early '80's when your guitar was suddenly sh*t if all hardware wasn't replaced with identical items fashioned from solid brass - supposedly in the quest for sustain (and chronic back injury).

Charvel, Mighty Mite, Kahler, Dimarzio, Schecter, etc were originally all purveyors of such heavyweight accessories. Given the period's fondness for natural wood finishes, the combination was all over the place. I suppose the pinnacle might be Schecter's Dream Machines?

But anyway, I digress...essentially, I'm either looking for a period heavyweight brass-accessorised monster (Mighty Mite?) or the parts (from any manufacturer)  to assemble my own.

As is often the case, the last complete guitar I saw (a Mighty Mite, IIRC) was in a friend's shop a few years ago. Goddammit, the bloody thing was heavy!

Posts in the relevant forum sections will follow ASAP.

In the first instance, does anyone have any similar recollections? I'm sure @guitars4you has posted about this.

guitars4you

I recall having a Mighty Mite bitsocaster maybe a year or so ago - sold it at one of the shows and struggled to get £250 for the whole guitar with natural ash body - you do see them at times but you tour e-bay more than me - Not to long to go before the show at Crewe again - 22nd Oct so maybe one might pop up

HarrySeven

@guitars4you - I'm sure I've seen a post on your site re. the brass 'craze' of the '70's. 

Update: Actually, yes...here it is: 

http://www.guitars4you.co.uk/newsviews/vintage-guitars/

Rox

I put my own together this year:

http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/98276/partscaster-project-almost-complete

http://inspireyourdog.com/misc/pp/PP-Completed03.jpg

The bridge is a Charvel / Kahler.  Solid brass plate, brass block and saddles, and weighs over 600g, 1.3lbs on it's own!  Even with that, the whole guitar is lighter than my Custardcaster because the Swamp Ash body is so light.

I just don't have the requisite brass nut.  Natural grain body, brass accoutrements... large headstock - all the unfashionable appointments on one guitar. 

HarrySeven

Rox said:

I put my own together this year:

Ah, I remember it now!

Rox

The sound is very bright, ice-picky and sharp though..! 

ICBM

The Schecter Dream Machine I had was certainly very heavy, but didn't have any brass hardware - I don't remember any of them doing, but I could be wrong.

The Washburn Falcon was pretty brassed-out if I remember - nut, bridge saddles and even the fingerboard inlays!

But what you really want is an Odyssey. Brass everything, including the truss rod covers. And solid maple bodies as well, for maximum gravitational pull .

Looking for pics, I came across this double-neck one - I didn't even know they existed, but I really hate to think how much it weighs…

http://nebula.wsimg.com/678b676c6911daf4d161ec944e2b78a3?AccessKeyId=78DDA1571791C3B00DFF&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

HarrySeven

ICBM said:

The Schecter Dream Machine I had was certainly very heavy, but didn't have any brass hardware - I don't remember any of them doing, but I could be wrong.

I'm sure I've seen a few over the years...my memory might be a bit hazy.

impmann

Hah! Try finding an Odyssey - the one I had... this very one in fact:



...took me a lot of searching. I imported it from Canada (where else) at a time when one could without CITES being an issue and it needed a *lot* of work. I had to find the original pickups (it had god-awful modern pickups) and the knobs aren't quite right (they are modern Gretsch style ones, without the 'G'). But oh my what a sound.

A friend owned an incredible Odyssey bass, that I still don't understand to this day why he sold it... nor does he. It was a touch heavy but the bass he replaced it with almost weighed the same and didn't sound anywhere near as good.

I also 'brassed up' a Tele bitsa I had - I found a brass Esquire pickguard (Mighty mite), bridge (ditto), control plate (Charvel, allegedly) and shoved a Bill Lawrence pickup in the bridge... it was great but not the most dynamic of instruments.

The bits are out there - and about as fashionable as loon pants. Keep your eye on eBay USA and eBay Germany.... for some reason there seems to be a lot of it in Germany!!

chromatuna

HarrySeven said:

@guitars4you - I'm sure I've seen a post on your site re. the brass 'craze' of the '70's. 

Update: Actually, yes...here it is: 

http://www.guitars4you.co.uk/newsviews/vintage-guitars/

Interesting article, thanks for sharing 

My oldest (owned since 1980) guitar is a mid 70s Strat with a rosewood board that I stripped the creamy colour from in the 1980s to make natural and then on the advice of my father in law French polished. It's probably not a great guitar but it's 'home' to me and I don't think I'll ever part with it. 

Aplogies for highjacking the brass thread

guitars4you

chromatuna said:

HarrySeven said:

@guitars4you - I'm sure I've seen a post on your site re. the brass 'craze' of the '70's. 

Update: Actually, yes...here it is: 

http://www.guitars4you.co.uk/newsviews/vintage-guitars/

Interesting article, thanks for sharing 

My oldest (owned since 1980) guitar is a mid 70s Strat with a rosewood board that I stripped the creamy colour from in the 1980s to make natural and then on the advice of my father in law French polished. It's probably not a great guitar but it's 'home' to me and I don't think I'll ever part with it. 

Aplogies for highjacking the brass thread

just read it again myself and obviously a while since I wrote it so needs an edit or two - so thanks for reading and thanks @HarrySeven for re-invigorating an old article

Sassafras

Brass Ibanez Artist

guitars4you

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ - reminds me - can you remember the hybrid top nut that was 1/2 brass that Ibanez made a feature of in the 80's